Hillel: If Not Now, When? »

Joseph Telushkin is the author of sixteen books, including Jewish Literacy, The Book of Jewish Values, and A Code of Jewish Ethics, the first volume of which received a National Jewish Book Award in 2006. He is a Senior Associate of CAL, serves on the board of the Jewish Book Council, is the rabbi of the Synagogue for the Performing Art in Los Angeles, and lectures throughout the United States. He lives in New York City.

“What is hateful unto you, do not do unto your neighbor. That is the whole Torah, all the rest is commentary. Now, go and study.”
 
This is the most famous teaching of Hillel, one of the greatest rabbis of the Talmudic era. What makes it so extraordinary is that it was offered to a gentile seeking conversion. Joseph Telushkin feels that this Talmudic story has great relevance for us today. At a time when religiosity is equated with ritual observance alone, when few Jews seem concerned with bringing Jewish teachings into the world, and when more than 40 percent of Jews intermarry, Judaism is in need of more of the openness that Hillel possessed two thousand years ago.
 
Hillel’s teachings, stories, and legal rulings can be found throughout the Talmud; many of them share his emphasis on ethical and moral living as an essential element in Jewish religious practice, including his citing the concept of tikkun olam (repairing the world) as a basis for modifying Jewish law. Perhaps the most prominent rabbi and teacher in the Land of Israel during the reign of Herod, Hillel may well have influenced Jesus, his junior by several decades. In a provocative analysis of both Judaism and Christianity, Telushkin reveals why Hillel’s teachings about ethics as God’s central demand and his willingness to encourage the process of conversion began to be ignored in favor of the stricter and less inclusive teachings of his rabbinic adversary, Shammai.
 
Here is a bold new look at an iconic religious leader.

Publishers Weekly

A rabbi, lecturer, ethicist, novelist, playwright, and author, Telushkin demonstrates his unusual versatility in this 15th entry in the Jewish Encounters series. This new book about Hillel, "perhaps the greatest rabbi of the Talmud," is not a conventional biography, since little is known about Hillel's life. What is known comes as maxims and teachings based on stories in the Talmud and the Midrash; speculation places the period of Hillel's religious leadership from about 30 B.C.E. to 10 C.E. During that time, he and his followers, the School of Hillel, frequently had disputes with the School of Shammai, led by Hillel's adversary. One argument they had dealt was with the attitude to be taken toward a potential convert. Hillel offered this instruction: "That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. This is the entire Torah! All the rest is commentary. Now, go and study." Telushkin points out that this response is about ethics, not about rituals or even about God, thereby underlining Judaism's ethical essence. Telushkin's lucid explanations are a model of clarity, enabling readers to better understand and appreciate the significant contributions of Hillel and their contemporary applications. (Sept.)

Introduction

Part I "While Standing on One Foot": The Unique Teaching of Hillel

1 Hillel, the Most Ardent of Students 3

2 Hillel's Rise to Leadership 9

3 "While Standing on One Foot" 18

4 Hillel and the Three Converts 24

5 Repairing the World 47

6 Five Traits 59

Part II Hillel versus Shammai: The Talmud's Most Famous Adversaries

7 Hillel the Interpreter, Shammai the Literalist 83

8 Thieves, Brides, and When Lying Is a Virtue 90

9 Issues Regarding Women 97

10 Shammai Beyond Stereotype 103

11 Two Torahs: Deciding Between Hillel and Shammai 112

Part III Hillel and Jesus

12 The Jewish Sage and the Christian Messiah 129

Part IV Lessons from the First Century for the Twenty-first Century---and Beyond

13 "Teach Everyone": Outhreach in the First Century 145

14 "The Highjly Impatient Person Cannot Teach": For Today's Teachers and Parents 151

15 "One Who Is Bashful Will Never Learn": Why It Is Essential to Question 156

16 "Do Not Say, 'When I Have [Free] Time, I Will Study,' Lest You Never Have [Free] Time": The Eternal Challenge 161

17 "If I Am Not for Myself, Who Will Be for Me? And If I Am [Only] for Muself, What Am I?": Passionate Moderation 164

18 Final Thoughts: Why We Need Hillel Now More Than Ever 168

Appendix 1 "He Who Does Not Increase, Will Decrease": Addtional Teaching of Hillel 181

Appendix 2 Hillel's Seven Middot of Torah Interpretation 197

Appendix 3 Hillel's Tachings in Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) 203

Glossary 207

Notes 219

Bibliography 235

Acknowledgments 241