Abstract

This article explores Gersonides’s views on the use of the principle of equity by individuals to determine when it is necessary to transgress the law (including divine law) for moral or practical reasons. In the article, we see that Gersonides argues for the right, and even the obligation, of each individual to reflect critically on when to break the law. Gersonides acknowledges the potential dangers of this perspective and asserts that individuals should apply equity only in morally complex situations.