ENDLESS TRANQUILITY
Chazal remind us, “One should always be humble and patient like Hillel, and not impatient like Shammai.”
Two people once made a bet: whoever managed to anger Hillel would receive four hundred zuz. Friday afternoon, while Hillel was bathing in preparation for Shabbos, one of the men tried to irritate him. He passed by the door of the great sage and called out with chutzpa, “Is Hillel here? Where’s Hillel?” Hearing him, Hillel dressed, went outside, and asked how he could help.
“I have a question to ask,” said the man. “Ask, my son,” Hillel prompted.
This was his question: “Why are the heads of the Babylonians round?” To which Hillel answered, “My son, you have asked a great question. It’s because they don’t have skillful midwives.”
The man left, waited a while, then returned, calling out once again, “Is Hillel here? Where’s Hillel?” Hillel once again dressed and went outside and asked how he could help.
“I have a question to ask,” the man said. “Why are the eyes of the Tarmodayim bleared?”
Hillel listened patiently and replied, “My son, you have asked a great question. It’s because they live in sandy places.”
Then a third time. “Is Hillel here? Where’s Hillel?” Hillel again put on his robe and asked, “My son, what do you require?”
The new question was: “Why are the feet of the Africans wide?” “My son, you’ve asked another good question,” Hillel tolerantly replied. “It’s because they live in watery marshes.”
The man continued roughly, “I have many more questions to ask, but I’m afraid you may become angry.” Thereupon Hillel sat down before him and said, “Ask all the questions you have.”
As if he was unaware, the man asked, “Are you the Hillel who is called the Nasi of the Yidden?” “Yes,” Hillel replied. The man retorted, “If that is you, may there not be many like you!”
“Why, my son?” “Because I have lost four hundred zuz because of you,” he replied.
“Always be careful of your moods,” Hillel answered. “You can lose four hundred zuz this time, and yet lose another four hundred zuz – but Hillel will never take offense.”
(מסכת שבת ל"א ע"א)
PATIENCE BROUGHT THEM CLOSE
A goy once approached Shammai and asked, “How many Torahs do you have?” “Two,” Shammai answered, “The Written Torah and the Oral Torah.”
“Regarding the Written Torah, I believe you,” replied the goy, “but not with respect to the Oral Torah. I want you to convert me on condition that you teach me only the Written Torah.”
Shammai scolded him and sent him on his way.
When the goy approached Hillel with the same request, he accepted him as a ger, teaching him on the first day, “Alef, beis, gimmel, daled.” The next day Hillel changed the order of the letters. “But yesterday you didn’t teach them to me like this,” the ger protested.
“Then you need to rely on me, don’t you?” explained Hillel. “Then rely upon me with regard to the Oral Torah as well.”
On another occasion, a different goy asked Shammai to convert him on condition that he teach him the entire Torah while he stood on one foot. Shammai pushed him away with the ruler in his hand. When the same goy approached Hillel, he was told, “What is hateful to you, do not do to another. That is the entire Torah, while the rest is an explanation; go and learn it.”
Another goy once passed by a beis midrash, and heard the melamed teaching his pupils about the garments of the Kohen Gadol. The goy told Shammai, “I want to convert on condition that you appoint me as Kohen Gadol.” Shammai pushed him away with the ruler in his hand.
When the goy went to Hillel with the same request, Hillel asked him, “Can any man be appointed as a king if he is not knowledgeable in the workings of government? Go and learn how the government functions...”
So the goy sat down and began to study Torah – but when he came to the possuk stating that a stranger who approaches the Mishkan will die, he asked, “To whom does this apply?”
He was told, “Even to Dovid, the king of the Yidden.”
The goy thought, “If Bnei Yisroel, who are called the firstborn son of HaShem, have this written about them, how much more so must it apply to a mere ger, who comes along now with his staff and traveling bag!”
He later returned to Shammai and asked, “How could I possibly have been fit to be a Kohen Gadol? Isn’t it written otherwise in the Torah?” He then returned to Hillel and exclaimed, “O humble Hillel! May brachos rest upon your head for bringing me under the wings of the Shechina!”
Some time later the three gerim met and each one told his story. Together, they concluded, “Shammai’s impatience sought to drive us out of the world; Hillel’s humility brought us under the wings of the Shechina!”
(מסכת שבת ל"א ע"א)
A man once asked Rav to teach him Torah. Rav took him in and began by teaching him the alef-beis. As soon as he said “alef,” the man immediately challenged him: “Who says that’s an alef?” When Rav taught him beis, he did the same, so Rav chased him out angrily.
The man then repeated his performance with Shmuel. Shmuel grabbed him by the ear until he cried out, “My ear!” “Who says that’s an ear?” Shmuel challenged.
“Everyone knows that’s an ear!” the man retorted. “Here too,” Shmuel told him, “Everyone knows that this is an alef and that’s a beis.”
Sitting down humbly, the man was now ready to study Torah.
(קהלת רבה פ"ז)
CONSIDER
How did Hillel muster such patience to these strange questions?
Why didn’t Shammai display patience to the three gerim?
Was he not interested in bringing them close?
