Berachot 2.6 - Rabban Gamliel and the exception to one of the laws of mourning

Rabban Gamliel was one of the most outstanding and remarkable tannaim of the Mishna. He was the head of the academy before being deposed. In this mishna he talks about how he was the exception to at least one of the laws of mourning. He was a leading authority in the Sanhedrin in the early first century CE. He was the son of Simeon ben Hillel and grandson of the great Jewish teacher Hillel the Elder. His famous son was Simeon ben Gamliel, who was named for Gamaliel's father. In the Talmud, Rabban Gamliel is described as bearing the titles Nasi "prince" and Rabban "our master", as the president of the Great Sanhedrin - the highest court in Jerusalem. He holds a reputation in the Mishnah for being one of the greatest teachers in all the annals of Judaism: "Since Rabban Gamaliel the Elder died, there has been no more reverence for the law, and purity and piety died out at the same time".