[Avodah] avot (mishna? as binding??)

[Harvey Benton]

-is the pirkei avot considered a mishna?? (and thus possibly binding as halacha???
or is it just considered as possibly from the mishnaic era, and just good advice??
also,
when the mishna in avot says that one  shouldn't judge one's chaver (whatever a cha-
ver definition is) until one reaches or "gets to his place" does it mean 

1. can we EVER really know someone and/or their circumstances??? ...since we are

all different; and therefore should judge l'kaf schut;  and 2:. when the gemarra (judges,
like reuben or david hamelech [l'kav schut??] did "they" get to their place?? 

(eg, did Hashem throught ruach  hakodesh, take them, or  show them that in fact 

reuven did not move his  fathers' bed, and/or that dovid did not sin with batsheva, etc, ???
--> or do we hold that when the amoraim were judging dovid hamelech, etc, they were 

not judging them as "chavercha??"
hb
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