Entry 1033

a) [In the Mishnah Berakhot 1:3, 6:5, 8: (and see Beit Shammai and in all places mentioned together) Shevi'it 9:3, 11:2, Gittin 4:3, Bava Metzia 5:9, Edyot 1:1, 2, 3, Arakhin 9:4. Niddah 1:1]:

(b) The Nasi of Israel on his father's side is from Binyamin, and on his mother's side is Shafatia ben David, as it is written, and the fifth is Shafatia ben Avital, the wife of David, as mentioned in Bereshit [(Perek 3 and Perek 8)] and in Ketubot Perek HaNosei [(see above regarding R. Chiya)] and in Perek BeMa Behemah Rabbi who comes from David, etc. [(see there)] and in the Tosafot Perek 1 of Sanhedrin [(5a)] the Exilarch of Babylon is from the males, and the Nasi who comes from Eretz Yisrael is from the females of the seed of David [(see above regarding Rosh Galuta).

And in Nehemiah in the Seder HaDorot, he wrote the lineage] that in Sanhedrin Perek D’Mai, for Zerubbabel is Nehemiah ben Chachaliah, and they say that from him came Hillel, but from the Talmud it seems to be Shafatia. [(And the Shalshelet HaKabbalah (26a) states that Hillel was the brother of Chizkiyah mentioned in the lineage of the seed of David who remained in Babylon for the leadership, see SMG Mitzvot 138 and 203, and I have not found anything regarding this, and in the book Brit Menucha (2:282) it is written that this Hillel was from the sons of Neriya from the sons of David as found in the Chronicles)]. And he is the head of the family of the Nesi'im, and from the sons of Beitira, the law of Passover in its time, which overrides Shabbat, was hidden, and Hillel knew and appointed Hillel as Nasi, and why was the law hidden from them to give greatness to Hillel as it is stated in Perek Eilu Devarim in Pesachim [(56a)]:

3) And his leadership began forty years before the destruction, and Hillel and Shammai, the disciples of Shammai and Abtalion, accepted the year 3688 from creation for the building of the House. [In chapter 3 of Nazir (19b) and in Ketubot (7a), the House of Hillel ruled that Helene should be a Nazirite for another seven years, and the Tosafot wrote (there 72b) that although Helene was from the Hasmonean house, being the mother of Monbaz the king as stated in Yoma (37), and the kingdom of Herod lasted 63 years before the Temple, Hillel did not assume leadership until three years after the reign of Herod, as we say in Shabbat (15a) that Hillel and Shimon ben Gamliel and Shimon held leadership before the Temple for forty years.

Nevertheless, he already had students at that time who taught.

Thus, it is to be questioned, for three years after Herod is the year 5744, so Hillel's leadership extended from 3688 to 5744, which is 56 years, and the Sages said that a leader lasts for 40 years]. And he lived 120 years, and at 40 he ascended from Babylon, at 40 he learned, and at 40 he led Israel. [It is written in the book of Keritut that Hillel and Shammai were in the Second Temple from the Sanhedrin].

4) In the beginning, there were Hillel and Menachem [(as mentioned)] and during the days of Menachem, Shammai was a student of Hillel. After this, Shammai became a colleague of Hillel, and he was very humble, as it is stated in Shabbat, chapter Bava Metzia [(14)] and due to his great humility, he would sleep for the sake of peace, which caused him to mistakenly say that a male offering was a female for the peace offering, as it is written in Beitzah [(20, Mishnah 1)].

Therefore, he merited to establish a halacha like him, as it is stated in Eruvin, chapter 1 [(13b)], because they are agreeable and humble, and they would teach their words and the words of Beit Shammai, and they would precede the words of Beit Shammai to their own words (and see Shammai in Mishnah Shabbat, why do they precede the words of Beit Shammai)] and in Yerushalmi, chapter 1 of Berakhot, a heavenly voice went out declaring that the halacha is like Beit Hillel. [And see Yerushalmi, chapter 1 of Yevamot, Rabbi Bibi in the name of Rabbi Yochanan in Yavneh, a heavenly voice went out declaring that the halacha is like Beit Hillel. And see the responsa of the Maharit, part 2, section 20].

Aside from one halacha in chapter 5 of Terumot, Beit Shammai returned to rule like Beit Hillel; apart from this, Beit Shammai did not return to rule like Beit Hillel [(the 9th of Adar, Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel argued)] and they only disagreed in three matters, as it is stated in chapter 1 of Shabbat [(14b)], for those who came after them did not serve all their needs, there was a dispute between Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel [Sotah (47), Sanhedrin (8)]. Beit Shammai in the place of Beit Hillel does not change the Mishnah.

Some say that it means if Beit Shammai is lenient and Beit Hillel is stringent, and they do not change the Mishnahs mentioned in Edyot, it does not mean that one must distort the Mishnah and read it in the opposite way; see Tosefot, chapter All the Meat, Mishnah 1, and in Niddah, chapter 4, Mishnah 3, and the beginning of Niddah and chapter 3 of Yevamot.

Nevertheless, in most places where this is mentioned in the Talmud, it is impossible to interpret it this way; see Berakhot (36b) and chapter 1 of Beitzah (11b) and chapter 1 of Yevamot (9a) and Rashi on Shabbat (135a) and Tosefot on Eruvin (72b) and Chagigah (6a) and the Rif on chapter HaZahav, and in chapter Mi Shemet, it is evident that it means it is not a Mishnah, that the words of Beit Shammai are entirely nullified as if they were not mentioned, and it is less than other disputes of Tannaim. The reason seems to be that Beit Hillel is the majority, combined with the agreement of the heavenly voice, as Tosefot states regarding the oven of Akhnai. (And previously, Shammai in six places the halacha is like Beit Shammai; see the responsa of Chavot Yair and see the book Mal'ach Ratzon at the end of his book).

Hillel and Rabbi Eliezer the Great and our holy Rabbi, as well as the Arizal, are the secret of the foundation of Abba or of Zeir Anpin or of Yaakov (Chassidut, from the source of the five rivers, 25). Hillel is from the side of kindness (see Shammai); see Rabbi Menachem Pinchas. Hillel and Shammai are one from the side of the mercy of the vapor and one from the judgment of the vapor, kindness and fear, the ranks of Abraham and Isaac.

And see G'neza, letter Dalet; Hillel is David, therefore they expounded, "and HaShem is with him," that the halacha is like him, thus the halacha is like Hillel. And Shammai is Yonatan, as our Sages said (in part) in every matter, Shaul said, "My sons are like him," and when they told him that the halacha is like him, his mind weakened; thus, the halacha is not like Beit Shammai. In letter Vav, it is written that Hillel is a reincarnation of Shlomo, and this is what is said, "And I turned to see wisdom and folly," hinting at Hillel, and his root was from the foundation which is mercy; therefore, he did not get angry.

And Shammai was a reincarnation of Yehoshua ben Nun, and this is what he had already done, and his root is kingship, which is strength and judgment; therefore, Shammai was quick to anger, and the halacha is not like him. In letter Pe, it is written that Aharon is on Ezra, Hillel is from one spark, which Moshe made before all Israel, the Torah of Hillel.

He) Herod was very respectful towards Hillel because he desired his kingship [(see above, Shamai)]. In his youth, he prophesied about his kingship. He was called Hillel the Babylonian, as he was of the distinguished lineage from Babylon, as it is stated in Chapter 10 of Yichusin. He ascended to the Land of Israel and spoke in the Babylonian tongue, and he stated four things in the Mishnah against Shamai: "If one loses his name, it is as if he has lost everything," and similarly, "As you have been treated, so shall you treat others," etc.

He also said, "There is no pit that fears sin" [(see R. Shimon ben Gamliel the Elder)]. He learned Torah out of poverty, and he obligated the poor, as it is stated in the section "A. The Appointed" [(L.

H. B')]. Concerning him, it is said, "Whoever fulfills the Torah out of poverty will ultimately fulfill it out of wealth." In Sotah, it is stated that Hillel and Shabna were brothers; Hillel engaged in Torah, while Shabna was involved in business. Eventually, he said to him, "Let us mix and divide," and he went out to Bava Kamma and said, "If a man gives all the wealth of his house..." because he did not give him anything before he began to learn from Shimon, the brother of Azariah [(see there)].

Hillel was of the last letter of the Name of HaShem, which has the gematria of Adonai, the secret of poverty, for he was poor and had nothing from himself (see R. Eliezer ben Charsum). From Moshe until the sons of Betira, they would teach the Tana'im the orders of the Mishnah, and Hillel taught six orders by heart and much Torah in Israel. In Chapter 17 of Masechet Sofrim, Hillel did not leave any wisdom that he did not learn, even all the languages of the conversations of palm trees [(see Aruch)] and hills and mountains and trees and animals and demons and the sayings of laundresses and foxes.

At the end of the seventh year [(and in Gittin (36a) in the Tosefta)], he established the Prozbul because he knew by prophecy that the Temple would be destroyed; thus, R. Tzadok explained. And he went out to Bava Kamma, for it was fitting that the Divine Presence should rest upon him [Sotah (48b), Sanhedrin (11a), Rabbah of Shir HaShirim, Chapter "If it is a wall"]. He was called a disciple of Ezra, and in the first chapter of Sukkah, it is stated that when the Torah was forgotten from Israel, Ezra ascended and re-established it.

When it was forgotten again, Hillel the Babylonian ascended and re-established it. He had eighty students, the greatest of them all was Yonatan ben Uziel, and the smallest was R. Yochanan ben Zakkai, Sukkah, Chapter 2 [(28a)], and Bava Batra, Chapter 9 [(134a)]. Onkelos translated the Torah in his days.

And he said, "Son of the living, living," and "Son of the one who is great, great." And the elders of Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel went to visit R. Yochanan the Chornit. And they went to R. Yochanan ben Betira [(see there)].

His burial is in the village of Miron (see R. Shimon bar Yochai).