Simeon (or Shimon) ben Gamaliel II (Hebrew: רבן שמעון בן גמליאל השני) was a Tanna of the third generation and president of the Great Sanhedrin.
[1][2][3][4] On the restoration of the college at Usha, Simeon was elected its president,[5] this dignity being bestowed upon him not only because he was a descendant of the house of Hillel, but in recognition of his personal worth and influence.
[27] Simeon had made this arrangement, not from personal motives, but in order to increase the authority of the college over which the nasi presided, and to promote due respect for learning.
[48][46] He especially strove to maintain the authority of the magistrates; according to his opinion the decisions of a court of law must be upheld, even though a slight error has been made; otherwise its dignity would suffer.
[49] Simeon's decisions are mostly founded on sound common sense and an intimate acquaintance with the subjects treated, and, with three exceptions,[50][51][52] his views, as set forth in the Mishnah, have been accepted as valid.
He speaks of the earlier festive celebrations in Jerusalem on the Fifteenth of Ab and on the Day of Atonement;[54] of the customs followed there at meals when guests were present;[55] of the work on the pools of Siloah;[56] of the nature of the marriage contract[57] and the bill of divorce.