Hillel

Hillel lived between 70 B.C.E. and 10 C.E. He was a Jewish sage and creator of rabbinic Judaism. Born in Babylonia, he went to Judea to complete his studies under the Pharisees. He was the most important leader among the Jews of Judea from 30 B.C. until his death in 10 C.E. He was called Hillel HaZaken because of the respect people gave him, not becuase of his physical age. He was known for his humility and his love for others. Hillel described the meaning of Judaism in simple terms to a gentile who came to him requesting information about Judaism. He said: "What is hateful to thee, do not unto thy fellowman; this is the whole Law; the rest is mere commentary."

Hillel lived around the same time as Herod. Herod's massacres of rabbis interfered with the Temple (not to mention his efforts at further Hellenizing the Jews) and contributed to corruption within the kehuna. During this times, there was still a Sanhedrin headed by Hillel

Hillel became an authority on interpreting Torah law. Because of his great learning, in 30 B.C., he became president of the Sanhedrin, and he held office in it for 40 years. Hillel reorganized the body of Jewish law. He made it easier

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The last pair was the most famous - Hillel and Shammai. The influence of the Greeks, the fight against Greek domination, and the corruption of the Hasmonean rulers, all left their damage on Judaism. The school of Hillel held that a bride is always beautiful on her wedding day (Talmud, Ketubot 16b-17a).

In 273 BCE, a period began known as the period of the Zugot, meaning "pairs. Thousands of students came to Jerusalem to study under him. In almost every one of these disputes, Hillel's view won. His legal writings were very influential in the compilation of the Talmud, which also contains many stories and legends about his life. Some of them became important enough to be mentioned in the Talmud.

Despite his poverty Hillel achieved the position of Nasi; at that time, Shammai held the position of Av Beit Din. Jewish law today usually agrees with the school of Hillel. Some discussions on their differences in interpretation appear in the Talmud. Hillel lived right before the time when the Oral Torah was recorded on paper to preserve it.

During Hillel’s life, around 1,300 years had passed since Sinai. The school of Hillel won the dispute.

Approximate Word count = 797
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

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