Hillel, << HIHL ehl, >> I (70 B.C.?-A.D. 10?) was the most prominent spiritual leader among the Jews of Palestine from 30 B.C. until his death. He was called Hillel the Elder and was known for his humility and his love for others. Hillel described the meaning of Judaism in simple terms. He said: “What is hateful to thee, do not unto thy fellowman; this is the whole Law; the rest is mere commentary.”
A descendant of the house of David, Hillel was born in Babylonia. He settled in Palestine and studied with two great scholars, Shemaiah and Abtalion. He became an authority on interpreting Biblical law.
Because of his great learning, Hillel was made a prince of the Sanhedrin, the highest court in the Jewish state. In 30 B.C., he became president of this court, and he held office with distinction for 40 years. Hillel reorganized the extensive body of Jewish law. He made it easier to study by arranging the laws under six headings, where there had previously been 600. These six headings form the six major divisions of the Talmud, the book of Jewish laws. In addition, Hillel is described as the first sage to have devised logical rules for interpreting the scriptures.
Hillel founded a school, which was named for him. Thousands of students came to Jerusalem to study under him. Some of them became important enough to be mentioned in the Talmud, the Jewish book of civil, religious, and ethical laws. Hillel’s chief rival was Shammai, who founded a more conservative school of interpretation. Some discussions on their differences in interpretation appear in the Talmud. Since 1923, a Jewish cultural youth organization that is named after Hillel has set up branches at many universities.
