Hillel (also known as Hillel the Elder) is one of the best-known sages of the Talmud . He lived during the last century before the Common Era, served as head of the Sanhedrin, the ancient rabbinic tribunal, and was the founder of the House of Hillel (Beit Hillel in Hebrew), a school of Jewish law famous for its disputes with the rival House of Shammai.
Though little has been firmly established about Hillel’s biography by historians, he is said to have been born in Babylonia around 110 BCE and died in Jerusalem in the first years of the Common Era. His grave is in Meron, in northern Israel.
Houston Hillel's Mission: Houston Hillel enriches the lives of Jewish undergraduate students, graduate students and young professionals so that they may enrich the Houston Jewish community, the Jewish people and the world.
Read all three passages and answer the questions below
- First, share all the questions that these passages bring up for you. Don't try and answer them, just share and listen.
- Do you see our mission and the mission of Hillel International represented in these passage? Where? How? Why?
- Share examples of ways we engage in the teachings of Hillel the Elder in our work at Houston Hillel?
- Are there ways that we can better reflect the attributes and lessons of Hillel the Elder in our day to day work as Hillel pro's?
- Reflecting on the first prompt, did you find answers to your original questions? If so, please share. If not, feel free to share that question again and discuss with your partner/group.
(ד) הִלֵּל אוֹמֵר, אַל תִּפְרוֹשׁ מִן הַצִּבּוּר, וְאַל תַּאֲמֵן בְּעַצְמָךְ עַד יוֹם מוֹתָךְ, וְאַל תָּדִין אֶת חֲבֵרָךְ עַד שֶׁתַּגִּיעַ לִמְקוֹמוֹ, וְאַל תֹּאמַר דָּבָר שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר לִשְׁמוֹעַ שֶׁסּוֹפוֹ לְהִשָּׁמַע. וְאַל תֹּאמַר לִכְשֶׁאֶפָּנֶה אֶשְׁנֶה, שֶׁמָּא לֹא תִפָּנֶה:
(4) Hillel would say: Do not separate from the community, Do not trust in yourself until the day you die, Do not judge your fellow until you have arrived to his position, Do not say something impossible to understand [hoping] that it ultimately will be understood. And do not say "When I am available, I will study," for you may never be available.
שוב מעשה בנכרי אחד שבא לפני שמאי. א"ל: גיירני ע"מ שתלמדני כל התורה כולה כשאני עומד על רגל אחת. דחפו באמת הבנין שבידו. בא לפני הלל, גייריה. אמר לו: דעלך סני לחברך לא תעביד. זו היא כל התורה כולה ואידך פירושה הוא. זיל גמור!
Another time a non-Jew came before Shammai and said, "Convert me on the condition that you teach me the entire Torah while I stand on one foot." Shammai pushed him aside with the builder's cubit that was in his hand. The non-Jew came before Hillel, who converted him, saying, "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor, that is the entire Torah, the rest is commentary, now go and study."
שלש שנים נחלקו ב"ש וב"ה, הללו אומרים "הלכה כמותנו" והללו אומרים "הלכה כמותנו." יצאה בת קול ואמרה "אלו ואלו דברי אלהים חיים הן, והלכה כב"ה." וכי מאחר שאלו ואלו דברי אלהים חיים, מפני מה זכו ב"ה לקבוע הלכה כמותן? מפני שנוחין ועלובין היו ושונין דבריהן ודברי ב"ש. ולא עוד אלא שמקדימין דברי ב"ש לדבריהן
For three years, the House of Hillel and the House of Shammai argued. One said, 'The halakha (law) is according to our position,' and the other said, 'The halakha is according to our position.' A heavenly voice spoke: "These and those are the words of the living God, and the halakha is according to the House of Hillel." A question was raised: Since the heavenly voice declared: "Both these and those are the words of the Living God," why was the halacha established to follow the opinion of Hillel? It is because the students of Hillel were kind and gracious. They taught their own ideas as well as the ideas from the students of Shammai. Furthermore, they even taught Shammai's opinions first.