View source for Hillel the Elder

{{Short description|Jewish sage (c. 110 BCE – 10 CE)}}
{{Infobox Jewish leader
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| name = Hillel
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| caption = Hillel the Elder teaching a man the [[Golden Rule|meaning of the whole Torah]] while the man stands on one foot (detail from the [[Knesset Menorah]], Jerusalem)
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| birth_place = [[Babylon]], [[Parthian Empire]]
| death_date = c. 10 CE
| death_place = [[Jerusalem]], [[Roman Judea]]
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| buried = [[Meron, Israel]]
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'''Hillel''' ({{langx|he|הִלֵּל}} ''Hīllēl''; variously called '''Hillel the Elder''' or '''Hillel the Babylonian''';<ref>Shulamis Frieman, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=9PToGLIBt6UC Who's Who in the Talmud]'', Jason Aronson, Inc., 2000, p. 163.</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=FrE8AAAAIAAJ ''Pirḳe Avot''], CUP Archive, 1939, p. 20.</ref> died c. 10 CE) was a [[Jew]]ish religious leader, [[Sage (philosophy)|sage]] and scholar associated with the development of the [[Mishnah]] and the [[Talmud]] and the founder of the [[House of Hillel]] school of ''[[tannaim]]''. He was active during the end of the first century [[Common Era|BCE]] and the beginning of the first century CE.<ref>[http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=730&letter=H Jewish Encyclopedia: Hillel]: "His activity of forty years is perhaps historical; and since it began, according to a trustworthy tradition (Shab. 15a), one hundred years before the destruction of Jerusalem, it must have covered the period 30 BCE - 10 CE"</ref>

Hillel is popularly known as the author of three [[Maxim (philosophy)|maxims]]:'''<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last1=Falcon |first1=Ted |title=Judaism for Dummies |last2=Blatner |first2=David |publisher=[[Wiley (publisher)|John Wiley & Sons, Inc.]] |year=2019 |isbn=978-1-119-64307-4 |edition=2nd |location=Hoboken, New Jersey |pages=42, 364, 405 |oclc=1120116712 |author-link2=David Blatner}}</ref>'''

* "If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I?  And if not now, when?"<ref>{{cite journal | last1=Kaplan | first1=Steven J. | last2=Schoeneberg | first2=Lynn A. | title=An Adlerian understanding of Hillel's maxim | journal=Pastoral Psychology | date=1984 | volume=33 | issue=2 | pages=93–95 | doi=10.1007/BF01086369 | url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF01086369 | url-access=subscription }}</ref>
* "That which is hateful to you, do not do unto your fellow. That is the whole [[Torah]]; the rest is the explanation;{{Efn|In MSS; in printings, "its explanation".}} go and learn."
* "Be of the disciples of Aaron, loving peace and pursuing peace, loving mankind and drawing them close to the Torah."

== Biography ==
He came from [[Talmudic academies in Babylonia|Babylon]] to [[Land of Israel|Israel]],<ref>Mentioned {{Cite web |title=Sukkah 20a:11 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Sukkah.20a.11 |access-date=}} in most manuscripts.</ref> although he was descended from [[David]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jerusalem Talmud Taanit 4:2:13 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Jerusalem_Talmud_Taanit.4.2.13 |access-date=2024-08-16 |website=www.sefaria.org}}</ref> His descendent [[Judah ha-Nasi|Judah haNasi]] traced his lineage through both the female lineage of the [[Tribe of Benjamin]] and the family of [[Davidic line|David]].<ref>[https://www.sefaria.org.il/Ketubot.62b.7?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en Ketubot 62b] and [https://www.sefaria.org/Jerusalem_Talmud_Ketubot.12.3.8 Y. Ketubbot 12:3].</ref>

When [[Josephus]] speaks of Hillel's great-grandson, [[Shimon ben Gamliel|Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel I]], as belonging to a very celebrated family,<ref>{{lang|grc|γένους σφόδρα λαμπροῦ}}; "Vita," § 38</ref> he probably refers to the glory the family owed to the activity of Hillel and [[Gamaliel|Rabban Gamaliel Hazaken]]. Only Hillel's brother Shebna is mentioned; he was a merchant, whereas Hillel devoted himself to studying the [[Torah]] whilst also working as a woodcutter.<ref>Hertz 1936</ref>

Hillel lived in [[Jerusalem]] during the time of [[Herod the Great|King Herod]] and the [[Roman Empire|Roman emperor]] [[Augustus]]. In the [[Midrash]] compilation [[Sifre]], the periods of Hillel's life are made parallel to those in the life of [[Moses]]. At the age of forty Hillel went to the [[Land of Israel]]; forty years he spent in study; and the last third of his life he was the spiritual head of the [[Jewish people]].<ref>''Sifre'', Deuteronomy 357</ref> A biographical sketch can be constructed that Hillel went to Jerusalem in the prime of his life and attained a great age. His 40 years of leadership likely covered the period of 30 BCE to 10 CE.

According to the [[Mishnah]], Hillel went to Jerusalem with the intention of studying biblical exposition and tradition at the age of 40 in 70 BCE. The difficulties Hillel had to overcome to gain admittance to the school of [[Sh'maya (Mishnah)|Sh'maya]] and [[Abtalion]], and the hardships he suffered while pursuing his aim, are told in the [[Talmud]].<ref>Yoma 35b</ref> Some time later, Hillel succeeded in settling a question concerning the sacrificial ritual in a manner that showed his superiority over the [[Bnei Bathyra]], who were at that time the heads of the [[Sanhedrin]]. On that occasion, it is narrated, they voluntarily resigned their position as [[Nasi (Hebrew title)|Nasi]] (President) in favor of Hillel. After their resignation, Hillel was recognized as the highest authority among the [[Pharisee]]s (predecessors to [[Rabbinic Judaism]]). Hillel was the head of the great school, associated at first with [[Menahem the Essene]] (who might be the same Menahem the Essene as the one mentioned by Flavius Josephus in relation to King Herod), and later with [[Shammai]] (Hillel's peer in the teaching of [[Jewish Law]]).

According to the [[Jerusalem Talmud]] (''Nedarim'' 5:6), Hillel the Elder had eighty pairs of disciples, the oldest being [[Jonathan ben Uzziel]] and the youngest [[Yohanan ben Zakkai]].<ref>Jerusalem Talmud (''Nedarim'' 5:6 [19b]).</ref>

Whatever Hillel's position, his authority was sufficient to introduce those decrees handed down in his name. The most famous of his enactments was the ''[[Prozbul]]'', an institution that, in spite of the law concerning cancellation of debts in the Sabbatical year<ref>Deuteronomy 15</ref> ensured the repayment of loans. The motive for this institution was the "[[tikkun olam|repair of the world]]", i.e., of the social order, because this legal innovation protected both the creditor against the loss of his property, and the needy against being refused the loan of money for fear of loss. A similar tendency is found in another of Hillel's institutions, having reference to the sale of houses. These two are the only institutions handed down in Hillel's name, although the words that introduce the ''prozbul'' show that there were others. Hillel's judicial activity may be inferred from the decision by which he confirmed the legitimacy of some Alexandrians whose origin was disputed, by interpreting the marriage document ([[Jewish view of marriage|''ketubah'']]) of their mother in her favor.<ref>[[Tosefta]] Ketuvot 4:9; Bava Metzia 104a</ref> No other official acts are mentioned in the sources.

According to the [[Midrash]] Hillel lived to be 120 years old, like [[Moses]], [[Yohanan ben Zakkai]], and [[Rabbi Akiva]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Deuteronomy 34 / Hebrew - English Bible / Mechon-Mamre |url=https://mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0534.htm#7 |access-date=2022-10-13 |website=mechon-mamre.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.torahinmotion.org/discussions-and-blogs/vzot-habracha-four-giants |title=V'zot HaBracha: Four Giants |author=Rabbi Jay Kelman |date=September 25, 2013 |access-date=January 12, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=Ma'asei Avos |author=Daṿid Ḥadad |year=2007 |page=48 |publisher=Feldheim Publishers |isbn=9781583309636 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AWmcM5vB2t0C&pg=PA48 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=Essential Figures in the Talmud |author=Ronald L. Eisenberg |year=2013 |page=92 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=9780765709417 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yZoixixkFkUC&pg=PA92 }}</ref>

== Notable sayings ==

Several of [[Hillel]]'s teachings are explained by comparison to what [[Shammai]] ([[Houses of Hillel and Shammai|Hillel's principal adversary, rival or disputant]]) taught on the same subject.

Some of Hillel the Elder's teachings remain commonly known.  However, at least two other notable [[Hillel (disambiguation)|Hillel]]s came after him, and some scholars have suggested that some sayings attributed to "Hillel" may have originated from them.<ref>Yitzhak Buxbaum ''The life and teachings of Hillel''  - 1994 - 376 pages "Klausner suggests that although teachings from another Hillel may have entered this block of sayings, the majority are from Hillel the Elder. Glatzer and Blumenthal do not address this subject explicitly, but since they use sayings from this block without comment [Hillel the Elder, p. 35 n. 4, pp. 48-50; // / Am, pp. 106- 109] they must consider them to be from Hillel."</ref>

The saying of Hillel that introduces the collection of his maxims in the Mishnaic treatise [[Pirkei Avot]]<ref name=PK>{{cite book
 | title           = Pirkey Avoth
 | script-title    = he:פִּרְקֵי אָבוֹת
 | trans-title     = Ethics of the Fathers 
 | author          = Hillel the Elder
 | author-link     = Hillel the Elder
 | editor          = Dr. Joshua Kulp
 | editor-link     = Joshua Kulp
 | translator      = Dr. Joshua Kulp
 | translator-link = Joshua Kulp 
 | url             = https://www.sefaria.org/Pirkei_Avot
 | via             = [[Sefaria]]
 | publisher       = [[Fuchsberg Center|Fuchsberg Jerusalem Center]]
 | series          = Mishnah Yomit
 | ref             = PirkeiAvoth
 | access-date     = November 9, 2022
 }}
</ref> mentions [[Aaron]] ''HaKohen'' (the [[Kohen Gadol|high priest]]) as the great model to be imitated in his love of peace, in his love for his fellow man, and in his leading mankind to a knowledge of the Law<ref name=PA1.12>{{cite book
 | title           = [[#PirkeiAvoth|Pirkey Avoth]]
 | section         = 1:12
 | section-url     = https://www.sefaria.org.il/Pirkei_Avot.1.12?lang=bi
 | quote           = הִלֵּל וְשַׁמַּאי קִבְּלוּ מֵהֶם. הִלֵּל אוֹמֵר: הֱוֵי מִתַּלְמִידָיו שֶׁל אַהֲרֹן, אוֹהֵב שָׁלוֹם וְרוֹדֵף שָׁלוֹם, אוֹהֵב אֶת הַבְּרִיּוֹת, וּמְקָרְבָן לַתּוֹרָה
 | trans-quote     = 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.

 }}
</ref> (Pirkei Avoth 1:12). In mentioning these characteristics, which the [[aggadah]] attributes to Moses' brother, Hillel stated his own prominent virtues. He considered "love of his fellow man" the kernel of Jewish teaching.

=== The Oral Law ===
A gentile came to Shammai and asked how many Torahs there were. Shammai answered "two": the written Torah and the Oral Torah. The gentile did not believe him and asked to be converted on condition he only had to learn the written Torah. Shammai sent him away. The gentile went to Hillel who converted him and then started teaching him the Torah(s). He started with teaching him the [[Hebrew alphabet]]: the first letter is "Aleph", the next letter is "bet", etc.  The next day, Hillel taught him: the first letter is "Tav", the next letter is "shin", etc. (the alphabet backwards). The convert said that this was different to what he had been taught the previous day. Hillel replied that in the same way you need an oral teaching to learn the written alphabet, so you need an oral explanation to understand the written Torah.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Shabbat 31a:5 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Shabbat.31a.5?lang=en |access-date=2023-01-28 |website=www.sefaria.org}}</ref>

=== The Golden Rule ===
The comparative response to the challenge of a prospective convert who asked that the Torah be explained to him while he stood on one foot, illustrates the character differences between [[Shammai]] and Hillel. Shammai dismissed the man. Hillel gently chided the man: {{quote|"What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow: this is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation; go and learn."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Shabbat 31a:6 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Shabbat.31a.6?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en |access-date=2025-10-04 |website=Sefaria}}</ref>
}} This rule is commonly called the [[Golden Rule]], which has been practiced to this day by a wide range of peoples, including through Christianity, the [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment Age]], and [[Immanuel Kant|Kant]]'s [[categorical imperative]].{{fact|date=August 2025}}

=== Love of peace ===
The exhortation to love peace emanated from Hillel's most characteristic traits—his proverbial meekness and mildness—as in the saying: {{quote|"Let a man be always humble and patient like Hillel, and not passionate like Shammai."<ref name="s30">[https://www.sefaria.org.il/Shabbat.30b.12?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en Shabbat 30b]; [[Avot of Rabbi Natan]] 15</ref>}} Hillel's gentleness and patience are illustrated in an anecdote that describes how two men made a bet on the question of whether Hillel could be made angry. Although they questioned him and made insulting allusions to his Babylonian origin, they were unsuccessful.<ref name="s30"/>

===Obligations to self and others===
From the doctrine of man's likeness to God, Hillel deduced man's duty to care for his own body. According to [[Midrash]] [[Leviticus rabbah]] he said "As in a theater and circus the statues of the king must be kept clean by him to whom they have been entrusted, so the bathing of the body is a duty of man, who was created in the image of the almighty King of the world." In this work, Hillel calls his soul a guest upon earth, toward which he must fulfill the duties of charity.

In Avot, Hillel stated  "If I am not for myself, who is for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?"<ref name=PA1.14>{{cite book
 | title           = [[#PirkeiAvoth|Pirkey Avoth]]
 | section         = 1:14
 | section-url     = https://www.sefaria.org.il/Pirkei_Avot.1.14?lang=bi
 | quote           = הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, אִם אֵין אֲנִי לִי, מִי לִי. וּכְשֶׁאֲנִי לְעַצְמִי, מָה אֲנִי. וְאִם לֹא עַכְשָׁיו, אֵימָתָי:
 | trans-quote     = 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?
 }}
</ref> The third part contains the admonition to postpone no duty, the same admonition he gave with reference to study: "Say not, 'When I have free time I shall study'; for you may perhaps never have any free time."<ref name="PA2.4"/>

The precept that one should not separate oneself from the community, Hillel paraphrases (referencing {{bibleverse|Ecclesiastes|3:4|HE}}) in the following saying: "Appear neither naked nor clothed, neither sitting nor standing, neither laughing nor weeping."<ref>Tosefta Berachot 2</ref> Man should not appear different from others in his outward deportment; he should always regard himself as a part of the whole, thereby showing that love of man Hillel taught. The feeling of love for one's neighbor shows itself also in his exhortation (Avot 2:4).

How far his love of man went may be seen from an example that shows that benevolence must be given with regard to the needs of the poor. Thus, Hillel provided a riding horse to a man of good family who became poor, in order that he not be deprived of his customary physical exercise; he also gave him a slave, that he might be served.<ref>Tosefta, Peah, 4:10; Ketuvot 67b</ref>

===Other maxims===
* "Do not separate yourself from the community; do not believe in yourself until the day you die; do not judge your fellow until you have reached their place; do not say something inappropriate, for it will then be appropriated; and do not say, 'When I am free I will study,' for perhaps you will not become free."<ref name=PA2.4>{{cite book
 | title           = [[#PirkeiAvoth|Pirkey Avoth]]
 | section         = 2:4
 | section-url     = https://www.sefaria.org.il/Pirkei_Avot.2.4?lang=bi
 | quote           = הִלֵּל אוֹמֵר: אַל תִּפְרוֹשׁ מִן הַצִּבּוּר, וְאַל תַּאֲמִין בְּעַצְמָךְ עַד יוֹם מוֹתָךְ, וְאַל תָּדִין אֶת חֲבֵרָךְ עַד שֶׁתַּגִּֽיעַ לִמְקוֹמוֹ, וְאַל תֹּאמַר דָּבָר שֶׁאִי אֶפְשַׁר לִשְׁמֽוֹעַ שֶׁסּוֹפוֹ לְהִשָּׁמַע, וְאַל תֹּאמַר לִכְשֶׁאֶפְנֶה אֶשְׁנֶה, שֶׁמָּא לֹא תִפָּנֶה
 | trans-quote     = Hillel said: do not separate yourself from the community, Do not trust in yourself until the day of your death, Do not judge your fellow man until you have reached his place. Do not say something that cannot be understood [trusting] that in the end it will be understood. Say not: 'when I shall have leisure I shall study;' perhaps you will not have leisure.

 }}
</ref>
* "Whosoever destroys one soul, it is as though he had destroyed the entire world. And whosoever saves a life, it is as though he had saved the entire world."<ref>[[Jerusalem Talmud]] Sanhedrin 4:9</ref>
* "A name gained is a name lost."<ref>Shemuel Yerushalmi (ed.), ''[[Avot de-Rabbi Nathan]]'' (12:13), Masoret: Jerusalem n.d., p. 51</ref>
* "Where there are no men, strive to be a man!"<ref name=PA2.5>{{cite book
 | title           = [[#PirkeiAvoth|Pirkey Avoth]]
 | section         = 2:5
 | section-url     = https://www.sefaria.org.il/Pirkei_Avot.2.5?lang=bi
 | quote           = וּבְמָקוֹם שֶׁאֵין אֲנָשִׁים, הִשְׁתַּדֵּל לִהְיוֹת אִישׁ:   
 | trans-quote     = In a place where there are no men, strive to be a man. 
 }}
</ref>
* "My humiliation is my exaltation; my exaltation is my humiliation."<ref>[[Leviticus Rabbah]] 1:5; spoken by way of an exegesis on {{Bibleref|Psalms|113:5–6|HE}} which he expounded to mean: "Who is like unto the Lord our God who exalts me ''only to cause me'' to be seated. Yet, who humbles me ''only that I might be able'' to see in the heavens and in the earth."</ref>

=== The study of Torah ===
The many anecdotes according to which Hillel made proselytes, correspond to the third part of his maxim: "Bring men to the Law." A later source ([[Avot of Rabbi Nathan]]) gives the following explanation of the teaching: Hillel stood in the gate of Jerusalem one day and saw the people on their way to work. "How much," he asked, "will you earn to-day?" One said: "A [[denarius]]"; the second: "Two denarii." "What will you do with the money?" he inquired. "We will provide for the necessities of life." Then said he to them: "Would you not rather come and make the [[Torah]] your possession, that you may possess both this and the future world?"

This narrative has the same points as the epigrammatic group of Hillel's sayings (Avot 2:7) commencing: "The more flesh, the more worms," and closing with the words: "Whoever has acquired the words of the Law has acquired the life of the world to come." In an [[Aramaic]] saying Hillel sounds a warning against neglect of study or its abuse for selfish purposes: "Whoever would make a name (i.e. glory) loses the name; he who increases not [his knowledge] decreases; whoever learns not [in [[Avot of Rabbi Nathan]] 12: "who does not serve the wise and learn"] is worthy of death; whoever exploits for his own use the crown (of Torah) perishes" (Avot 1:13).

==Halachic teachings==
Only a few [[halakha|halachic]] decisions have been handed down under Hillel's name; but much of the oldest anonymous traditional literature is attributed directly to him or to the teachings of his masters. The fixation of the [[Talmudical hermeneutics|hermeneutical]] norms for Midrash and halakhic scripture exposition was first made by Hillel, in the "seven rules of Hillel," which, as is told in one source, he applied on the day on which he overcame the [[Bnei Bathyra]].<ref>Tosefta Sanhedrin 7 (towards the end); [[Sifra]], Introduction, end; [[Avot of Rabbi Natan]] 37</ref> On these seven rules rest [[Baraita of Rabbi Ishmael#The 13 Rules|the thirteen of R. Ishmael]]; they were epoch-making for the systematic development of the ancient Scripture exposition.

=== Hillel's influence: "House of Hillel" vs. "House of Shammai" ===
[[File:Tomb of hillel the elder.png|alt=|thumb|Hillel's tomb, [[Wiktionary:circa|circa]] 1900]]
{{Main|Houses of Hillel and Shammai}}
Hillel's disciples are generally called the "House of Hillel", in contrast to [[Shammai]]'s disciples, the "House of Shammai".  Their controversies concern all branches of the Jewish law.

=== Hillel's sandwich ===

During the [[Passover Seder]] (the annual commemoration of the Exodus from Egypt), one re-enacts ancient customs in the [[Haggadah]]. In the section of ''Korech'', or '[[sandwich]]', participants are instructed to place bitter herbs between two pieces of [[Matzah|matzo]] and eat them after saying in Hebrew: ''This is a remembrance of Hillel in Temple times—This is what Hillel did when the Temple existed: He enwrapped the Paschal lamb, the matzo and the bitter herbs to eat them as one, in fulfillment of the verse, "with matzot and [[maror]] they shall eat it."''(Numbers 9:11). This sandwich apparently refers to traditional soft matzot rather than modern crisp matzot, and so would have borne a striking resemblance to a modern [[shawarma]].<ref name="ReferenceA">Rabinowicz, Rachel Anne "Passover Haggadah: The Feast of Freedom" The Rabbinical Assembly, 1982</ref>

In modern times, when there is no [[Korban Pesach|paschal lamb]], the Babylonian Talmud requires the practice of emulating Hillel's example by making a sandwich of matzo and maror (the "bitter herbs": either lettuce, endive, or horseradish). The maror, if lettuce or endive, is dipped in the meal's traditional [[charoset]] (a finely chopped sweet mixture of fruits and nuts; among Ashkenazi Jews it is typically made of apples, walnuts, red wine, cinnamon, and honey) just before the sandwich is made.<ref>http://www.chabad.org/holidays/passover/pesach_cdo/aid/1487978/jewish/Hillels-Passover-Sandwich-A-Dose-of-Positivity.htm [[Chabad]]: "Hillel's Passover Sandwich: A Dose of Positivity" by Dovid Zaklikowski. "The sandwich is a {{sic|comprised |hide=y|of}} matzah and bitter herbs."</ref> In Ashkenazi families where grated horseradish is used for the maror instead of lettuce or endive, the maror cannot be dipped in the charoset, so it is the custom to spread the bottom piece of matzah with horseradish maror, cover it with a pile of charoset, and top it with another piece of matzah to make a hot-sweet sandwich.<ref>http://www.hillel.org/about/news-views/news-views---blog/news-and-views/2015/04/02/better-together-hillels-sandwich {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221203055706/https://www.hillel.org/about/news-views/news-views---blog/news-and-views/2015/04/02/better-together-hillels-sandwich |date=2022-12-03 }}  [[Hillel International]]: "Better Together: Hillel's Sandwich" by Laura Tomes, Apr 02, 2015. "Hillel the Elder, the 1st century rabbi for whom our movement is named, argued that elements of the Passover Seder, including maror (bitter herbs) and charoset (sweet apples and nuts) should be placed in between two slices of matzah and eaten in a sandwich."</ref>

== In contemporary culture ==
Hillel's reputation is such that his influence extends beyond Judaism and has entered into popular culture.
* Beginning in the late 1940s, soap-maker [[Emanuel Bronner]] (February 1, 1908 – March 7, 1997), a German-Jewish immigrant to the United States, featured the maxims of Hillel on millions of product labels. He referred to these as "Rabbi Hillel's Moral ABC." The label texts were later collected into a self-published book titled ''The Moral ABC I & II'' by Dr. Emmanuel Bronner. On page 23, Bronner wrote, "Rabbi Hillel taught Jesus to unite the whole human race in our Eternal Father's great, All-One-God-Faith." On page 39, he stated that "Small minds discuss people. Average minds discuss events. Great minds teach Rabbi Hillel's Moral ABC." These references to Rabbi Hillel remain in print in the book and on the million more soap labels manufactured since Dr. Bronner's death.<ref>https://www.drbronner.com/resources/images/read-the-moral-abcs/Moral_ABC_book.pdf {{dead link|date=April 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}} "The Moral ABC I & II" by Dr. Emmanuel Bronner.</ref>
* In 1951's ''[[The Living Christ Series]]'', [[Nicodemus]] argues with other rabbis, including [[Caiaphas]] about [[Houses of Hillel and Shammai|the School of Hillel and the School of Shammai]]. Caiaphas agrees with Shammai's more orthodox and rigid interpretation of the Torah, while Nicodemus agrees more with Hillel's more flexible and empathetic interpretation. 
* [[Primo Levi]]'s 1982 novel about Jewish partisans in World War II, [[If Not Now, When? (novel)]].
* In ''The Chosen Image: Television's Portrayal of Jewish Themes and Characters'' by Jonathan Pearl and Judith Pearl (MacFarland, 2005), the authors mention "episodes of [the 1960s series] '[[Have Gun – Will Travel]]' [in which] Paladin, the program's erudite gunslinger [...] employs an adage from the sage Hillel"—and they continue by noting that "Rabbi Hillel's popularity as disseminator of wisdom extended to a 1973 episode of '[[Medical Center (TV series)|Medical Center]],' where series star Dr. Gannon appears to be an admirer of him as well"<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DJZdteZ2H1oC&q=Rabbi+Hillel%27s+popularity+as+disseminator+of+wisdom+extended&pg=PA59 |title=The Chosen Image: Television's Portrayal of Jewish Themes and Characters |author=Jonathan Pearl and Judith Pearl |publisher=MacFarland |date=2005|isbn=9780786405220 }}</ref>
* In a [[National Public Radio]] transcript of a broadcast called "Modern Lessons From Hillel," which originally aired on the news show ''[[All Things Considered]]'' with co-hosts [[Melissa Block]] and [[Robert Siegel]] on September 7, 2010, Siegel said: "Well, I mentioned something that a great Jewish sage, Rabbi Hillel, said not long before the time of Jesus. A man asked Rabbi Hillel to teach him the entire Torah, the five books of Moses, while standing on one foot. ..."<ref>https://www.npr.org/2010/09/07/129706379/modern-lessons-from-hillel "Modern Lessons From Hillel" by Melissa Block and Robert Siegel (NPR, September 7, 2010)</ref>
* In ''The Jewish Story Finder: A Guide to 668 Tales Listing Subjects and Sources'' by Sharon Barcan Elswit (McFarland, 2012), the famous story of the man who stands on one foot is told, including this passage, "The man then goes to the great Rabbi Hillel. He tells Hillel that he does not have much time. ... Rabbi Hillel replies ..."<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=VGDtzZ-jVqAC&dq=%22Rabbi+Hillel%22&pg=PA33 ''The Jewish Story Finder: A Guide to 668 Tales Listing Subjects and Sources''] by Sharon Barcan Elswit (McFarland, 2012)</ref>
* In "Do Justly, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly with God," [[Dale G. Renlund|Dale Gunnar Renlund]] of the [[Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (LDS Church)|Quorum of the Twelve Apostles]] of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, spoke about Hillel the Elder to a worldwide audience in a live broadcast of General Conference in October 2020: "The importance of not mistreating others is highlighted in an anecdote about Hillel the Elder, a Jewish scholar who lived in the first century before Christ. One of Hillel's students was exasperated by the complexity of the Torah—the five books of Moses with their 613 commandments and associated rabbinic writings. The student challenged Hillel to explain the Torah using only the time that Hillel could stand on one foot. Hillel may not have had great balance but accepted the challenge. He quoted from Leviticus, saying, "Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." Hillel then concluded: "That which is hateful unto you, do not do to your neighbor. This is the whole of the Torah; the rest is commentary. Go forth and study."<ref>Dale G. Renlund, [https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2020/11 "Do Justly, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly with God,"] ''Liahona'', November 2020.</ref>
*In Episode 5 of the [[Christians|Christian]] television drama [[The Chosen (TV series)|''The Chosen'']], Hillel's phrase "If not now, when?" is a key line exchanged between [[Jesus]] and [[Mary, mother of Jesus|Mary]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=FilmChat|date=2020-06-25|title=The Chosen -- season one, episode five|url=https://www.patheos.com/blogs/filmchat/2020/06/the-chosen-season-one-episode-five.html|access-date=2021-11-11|website=FilmChat|language=en}}</ref> In the second season, Pharisees Yanni and Shmuel discuss the politics of the [[Sanhedrin]], which they see as dividable into two schools of thought: Shammai and Hillel.<ref>{{Citation|title=THE CHOSEN Season 2 Episode 5{{!}} Did you understand this? Let me help! (part 4)| date=3 June 2021 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUXuVBD1Fag|language=en|access-date=2021-11-08}}</ref> 
*Hillel's maxim "If not now, when?" features prominently in the 2018 film [[Robin Hood (2018 film)|''Robin Hood'']]. It is repeated several times throughout the film and appears on a title card afterwards (without citation).

== See also ==
* [[Pharisees]]
* [[Prozbul]]
* [[Simeon ben Hillel]]

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{Cite book|last=Hertz |first=J. H. |year=1936 |title=The Pentateuch and Haftoras. Deuteronomy |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=London}}
* {{JewishEncyclopedia
|title=Hillel
|url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=730&letter=H
|first=Solomon |last=Schechter |authorlink=Solomon Schechter
|first2=Wilhelm |last2=Bacher |authorlink2=Wilhelm Bacher
}}

== External links ==
{{Wikiquote}}
* [http://jewishhistorylectures.org/2012/09/06/hillel-foundations-of-rabbinic-culture/ "Hillel: Foundations of Rabbinic Culture," Video Lecture by Dr. Henry Abramson]
* [http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=730&letter=H Jewish Encyclopedia: Hillel]
* [http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=956&letter=B Jewish Encyclopedia: Bet Hillel and Bet Shammai]
* {{Wikisource-inline|list=
** {{Cite NIE|wstitle=Hillel|year=1905|short=x |noicon=x}}
** {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Hillel|short=x |noicon=x}}
** {{CathEncy|wstitle=Hillel|noicon=x}}
** {{Cite Americana|wstitle=Hillel|short=x |noicon=x}}
** {{Cite Collier's|wstitle=Hillel the Elder|short=x |noicon=x}}
** [[s:Mishnah|Mishnah]]
}}

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{{succession box | before = [[Sh'maya (Mishnah)|Sh'maya]]| title = [[Nasi (Hebrew title)|Nasi]] | years = c. 31 BCE–9 CE | after = [[Shimon ben Hillel]]}}
{{s-end}}
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[[Category:People from Babil Governorate]]
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[[Category:Sanhedrin]]
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