Hillel

Talmudic Figures

Hillel was one of the most influential of the early sages, active toward the end of the first century BCE and the beginning of the first century CE. Coming from Babylon to the land of Israel, he became famous for his scholarship and his patient and tolerant manner. Bolstered by his Davidic lineage, he served as nasi (president) of the Sanhedrin (judicial assembly).

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The Golden Rule of Hillel

TALMUD

Hillel's teaching distills the essence of the Torah into a universal ethical principle. In a famous talmudic story, the Babylonian Talmud demonstrates Hillel's wisdom and empathy by converting a gentile with the simple yet profound golden rule.

There was another incident involving one gentile who came before Shammai and said to Shammai: Convert me on condition that you teach me the entire Torah while I am standing on one foot. Shammai pushed him away with the builder’s cubit in his hand. This was a common measuring stick and Shammai was a builder by trade. The same gentile came before Hillel. He converted him and said to him: That which is hateful to you do not do to another; that is the entire Torah, and the rest is its interpretation. Go study.

Shabbat 31a:6

Ethics of Hillel

MISHNAH

Hillel's teachings in Pirkei Avot emphasize the importance of peace, self-worth, communal responsibility, and the urgency of action. This tractate of the Mishnah presents ethical teachings and maxims from the rabbis.

Hillel and Shammai received [the oral tradition] from them. Hillel used to say: be of the disciples of Aaron, loving peace and pursuing peace, loving mankind and drawing them close to the Torah. He [also] used to say: one who makes his name great causes his name to be destroyed; one who does not add [to his knowledge] causes [it] to cease; one who does not study [the Torah] deserves death; one who makes [unworthy] use of the crown [of learning] shall pass away. He [also] used to say: If I am not for myself, who is for me? But if I am for my own self [only], what am I? And if not now, when?

Pirkei Avot 1:12-14

Hillel and Moses

MIDRASH

In rabbinic literature, Hillel the Elder is compared to Moses, highlighting Hillel's immense influence and leadership in Jewish tradition. The Sifrei Devarim, a collection of midrash on Deuteronomy, draws parallels between the lives of Hillel and Moses, emphasizing their shared lifespan and roles as leaders.

(Ibid. 7) "And Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died": He was one of the four who died at the age of one hundred and twenty: Moses, Hillel the Elder, R. Yochanan b. Zakkai, and R. Akiva. Moses was in Egypt for forty years, in Midian for forty years, and led Israel for forty years. Hillel the Elder went up from Bavel (to Eretz Yisrael) at the age of forty, attended upon the sages for forty years, and led Israel for forty years. R. Yochanan b. Zakkai was in business for forty years, attended upon the sages for forty years, and led Israel for forty years. R…

Sifrei Devarim 357:33

The Humility of Hillel

TALMUD

Hillel's humility and patience are legendary, and this narrative showcases his ability to remain calm under provocation. Avot DeRabbi Natan, a companion volume to Pirkei Avot, illustrates Hillel's character through stories that contrast his demeanor with that of Shammai.

Do not be easy to anger. How so? This teaches us that a person should always be humble like Hillel the Elder, and not severe like Shammai the Elder.
And what was the humility of Hillel the Elder? It once happened that two men made a wager with each other, saying: Whoever can make Hillel angry shall receive four hundred zuz. One of them went off to try. It was the Sabbath eve near sundown, and Hillel was washing [the hair on] his head. The man went, passed by the door of his house, and called out: Where is Hillel? Where is Hillel? Hillel dressed and went out to him…

Avot DeRabbi Natan 15:2

A Foundational Principle of Love

COMMENTARY

Hillel's teaching of 'you shall love your fellow as yourself' is a core principle that serves as a foundation for all commandments between people. The Kli Yakar, a 17th-century Torah commentary, delves into how this principle is essential for understanding and organizing the Torah's commandments.

And you shall love your fellow: Our Sages, may their memory be blessed, said that this is a great general principle in the Torah. And in Tractate Shabbat (31a), there is a story about a certain proselyte who said, "Teach me the entire Torah while I stand on one foot." So Hillel taught him the verse, "you shall love your fellow as yourself" - what is hated to you, do not do to your fellow, and the rest is commentary, go and learn. And it would appear that this proselyte was a righteous convert and he was not mocking in jest to say that he teach him the entire Torah while he literally…

Kli Yakar on Leviticus 19:18:4-5

The Mystical Dimension of Hillel's Maxim

CHASIDUT

Hillel's famous maxim is reinterpreted as a spiritual teaching about prayer and divine unification. The Toldot Yaakov Yosef, a foundational Chasidic text, explores the mystical dimensions of Hillel's words, emphasizing prayer's role in unifying the Divine Presence with the Holy One.

And this is the elegance of Hillel’s phrasing, “If I am not for myself, who is for me, etc.” For this is not the phrasing of a question, like the simple understanding of the world. Rather, it is a statement: If I am not for myself, meaning if the prayer, which is called I, as is well-known, is not for me, meaning for my own benefit, but rather as if it is the divine presence that is pleading and praying from the Holy One, blessed be He – that is [for] the unification of the Holy One, blessed be He, and the divine presence – then Who [Mi] is for me…

Toldot Yaakov Yosef, Kedoshim 103

The Exceptional Students of Hillel

TALMUD

Hillel's students were of such exceptional caliber that some were deemed worthy of divine miracles. The talmudic tractate Bava Batra recounts the spiritual and miraculous capabilities of Hillel's top students.

§ Apropos Yonatan ben Uzziel, the Gemara cites that the Sages taught: Hillel the Elder had eighty students. Thirty of them were sufficiently worthy that the Divine Presence should rest upon them as it did upon Moses our teacher, thirty of them were sufficiently worthy that the sun should stand still for them as it did for Joshua bin Nun, and twenty were on an intermediate level between the other two. The greatest of all the students was Yonatan ben Uzziel, and the least of them was Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakkai.

Bava Batra 134a:6

Hillel's Pruzbul System

MISHNAH

Hillel's enactment of the pruzbul ensured that people would continue to lend to the needy even as the sabbatical year approached. The Mishnah, an early third-century codification of Jewish law, records Hillel’s innovative legal mechanism to prevent the cancellation of loans during the shemittah year.

[A loan secured by] a prozbul is not cancelled. This was one of the things enacted by Hillel the elder; for when he observed people refraining from lending to one another, and thus transgressing what is written in the Torah, “Beware, lest you harbor the base thought, [‘The seventh year, the year of remission, is approaching,’ so that you are mean to your needy kinsman and give him nothing.” Hillel enacted the prozbul.

Mishnah Sheviit 10:3

Taking Responsibility for Your Soul

MUSAR

Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan, in his ethical work Shemirat HaLashon, cites Hillel's well-known maxim from Pirkei Avot: "If I am not for myself, who will be for me?" This highlights the principle of taking initiative and accountability in one's own growth and actions.

In Avoth 1:13 we find that Hillel used to say: "If I am not for myself, who will be for me, etc." This apothegm is highly comprehensive. Its plain meaning relates to zeal in the service of the L-rd, saying: "If a man himself does not bestir himself while he is yet alive and while he still has strength, who can help him?" As Scripture states (Koheleth 9:10): "All that your hand finds to do, in your strength do it" — "in your strength," specifically. We have already expatiated upon this elsewhere. For a man can depend but very little upon his sons…

Shemirat HaLashon, Book II 11:3

Hillel's Torah Renaissance

REFERENCE

Hillel renewed and taught the Torah after it was neglected, much like Ezra did in his time. Gershom Bader's 20th-century work highlights Hillel's pivotal role in Jewish history, comparing his contributions to those of Ezra.

In later generations Hillel’s importance was compared to that of Ezra. It was said that Ezra renewed the Torah after it was forgotten by the people and similarly Hillel came out of Babylonia and taught the Torah which was neglected after the death of Shemaiah and Abtalion.

The Jewish Spiritual Heroes, Volume I; The Creators of the Mishna, Hillel 41

Perseverance in Torah Study

COMMENTARY

Hillel's dedication to Torah study despite extreme poverty and physical hardship serves as a powerful example of commitment and perseverance. The Talmud recounts the story of Hillel the Elder, who overcame significant obstacles to pursue his studies.

Our rabbis taught: A poor person, a rich person, and an evil person come before the heavenly court. They ask the poor person, “Why did you not study Torah?” If the poor person answers, “I was poor and worried about earning a living,” they will ask the poor person, “Were you poorer than Hillel?” For it was told of Hillel that every day he used to work and earn one tropaik [small amount], half of which he would give as tuition to the doorkeeper at the House of Learning; the other half he would spend on his and his family’s needs…

Depths of Yonah 1:3:7

The Virtues of Hillel

COMMENTARY

Hillel is celebrated for his kindness, humility, and love for humanity. Pirkei Avot, a work of ancient rabbinic ethics and wisdom from the land of Israel, captures the ethical teachings and maxims of influential Jewish sages like Hillel.

Introduction Hillel and Shammai, the fifth “pair” are probably familiar to many of you, for they were the founders of that two great schools, Beth Shammai (the House of Shammai) and Beth Hillel (the House of Hillel), that truly begin a new era in Jewish history. Hillel and Shammai lived during Herod’s rule, which began in 37 B.C.E. and lasted until 4 C.E. Hillel was actually an immigrant from Babylonia. He is known for his kindness and love of fellow human being. Many legends exist about Hillel, most of them are about his great humility and love.

English Explanation of Pirkei Avot 1:12:1

Hillel's Unique Approach to the Paschal Offering

TALMUD

Hillel maintained that one should eat the paschal offering, matza, and bitter herbs together without concern that the separate commandments would nullify each other. Tractate Zevachim in the Babylonian Talmud presents Hillel's position and situates it within a broader discussion about commandments nullifying each other.

The Gemara adds: Whom did you hear who says that items used in the performance of mitzvot do not nullify one another? It is Hillel, as it is taught in a baraita: They said about Hillel the Elder that when eating the Paschal offering, matza, and bitter herbs on the first night of Passover, he would wrap them all at once and eat them together, because it is stated with regard to the Paschal offering: “They shall eat it with matzot and bitter herbs” (Numbers 9:11), which indicates that these three foods should be eaten together…

Zevachim 79a:6

The Central Commandment

KABBALAH

Some understand Hillel as maintaining that the entire Torah is an interpretation of the commandment to '"love your neighbor as yourself." Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag, a prominent 20th-century kabbalist, elaborates on how every commandment and verse in the Torah serves to help properly observe this central principle.

2. Furthermore, if we can work and find some way to settle what they said here, let us consider a second, even more striking saying by the gentile man who came before Hillel and asked him to “teach me the entire Torah while I am standing on one foot… He… said to him: That which is hateful to you do not do to another” (tractate Shabbat 31a), (which is the Aramaic translation of “…but you shall love your neighbor as yourself”) “and the rest is its interpretation. Go study” (Ibid.). We have before us a clear ruling that none of the six hundred twelve commandments or any of the verses of the Torah…

Kuntres Mattan Torah, First Discourse; The Giving of the Torah 4

The Humility of Hillel

MUSAR

Hillel's exceptional modesty and patience, even when insulted, serve as a powerful example of humility. The 15th-century ethical work Orchot Tzadikim uses Hillel's behavior to illustrate the importance of remaining calm and modest in the face of provocation.

Therefore, one who bears insult and is silent is recognized to be truly modest. And so have we found in Shabbath 31b concerning Hillel the Prince, when a man insulted him and said, "Let there not be many like you in Israel," that Hillel did not fly into a temper. And there is a statement in the Midrash, "No one can be called modest unless he can hear himself reviled and not answer as if it is written: 'And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses! (And it does not say that Moses responded). And following this it is written : And the man Moses was exceedingly modest.' "

Orchot Tzadikim 2:18

The Legacy of Hillel

COMMENTARY

The unbroken line of leadership and scholarship from Hillel to Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi highlights the enduring legacy of Jewish wisdom. Rashi, the renowned 11th-century French commentator, clarifies that Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi belonged to the lineage of Hillel.

Are you placing thorns between my eyes: Since Rabbi was from a Babylonian family — from the descendants of Hillel, who ascended [from Babylonia to the land of Israel] and received the office of the Nasi from the sons of Betira.

Rashi on Kiddushin 71a:3:4

Consistency in Halakhic Practice

TOSEFTA

The rabbis stress the importance of consistently following halakhic rulings. The Tosefta, an ancient collection of rabbinic laws and teachings, affirms the authoritative status of Beit Hillel's rulings and emphasizes the necessity of steadfast adherence to one camp.

The halakhah always follows the words of Beth Hillel. One who wishes to be strict upon oneself and to follow the strictures of both Beth Hillel and Beth Shammai, regarding this person it is said “the fool walks in darkness” (Ecclesiastes 2:14), while one who accepts the leniencies of Beth Shamai and the leniencies of Beth Hillel is evil – [one must follow] either Beth Shammai in accordance with their leniencies and strictures, or Beth Hillel in accordance with their leniencies and strictures. Beit Hillel says, a man may not send out his wife with an old get…

Tosefta Eduyot 2:3

Hillel, Window designed by E. M. Lilien for a stained-glass window in the Loge Bnei Brith in Hamburg. featuring a quote from Hillel in the Talmud, Shabbat 31a: 'which is hateful to you do not do to another" Public domain.