Am I misunderstanding you, or are you suggesting that Hillel was a follower of Jesus? The reason I ask is because that's absolutely impossible.
Just caught this ( as I saw the thread was brought up from earlier this year) - and IMHO, misunderstanding I think is occurring - as I was not of the mindset that Hillel was a follower of Yeshua. What was said was that there were others within the school of Hiliel (i.e. his teachings, philosophies, ideals) who later came to follow Yeshua in light of how Yeshua taught many things predominately in line with the camp of Hiliel - as opposed to the school of Shammai.
It's the same as sayinmg that others were in the school of Booker T.Washington who later came to be followers of Johnny Douglass - even though Booker T.Washington and Johnny were not in the same timeframe. Hope that makes sense....and on the issue, yes -
I believe Yeshua taught in accordance with the school of Hiliel predominately (as he was much in line with the Pharisees discussed in #
116 , #
74, #
162 ) ...even though he also taught things in other camps as well -
namely, the Essenes (as shared before in #
2 , #
26 , #
30 #
94, #
46 , #
115 , #
523 ). Shalom
Do you have a website in mind where one can check out Hillel's work?
Saw this from earlier and never got to address it. But on the issue, for more, one can go
here,
here or to any of the following (as much of it deals with his direct quotations/writings and what other rabbis have said on it):
Rabbi Joseph Telushkin's -
a brilliant rabbi who
has done a lot in bringing the Jewish world of Yeshua's time alive - made a book entitled
Hillel: If Not Now, When? which is an excellent resource on the issue that I wish others kept in mind more some of the things he said. For the book talks about Hillel's teachings and how there are multiple things we can learn from him and apply to our world today. The book is fascinating and thought-provoking, and it is really inspiring me to remember Hillel's teachings and try to apply them to my own life in that never-ending effort to become a better person and member of this world (Tikkun Olam). One of the teachings that Rabbi Telushkin spoke about is what Hillel told to the man who wanted Hillel to teach him the entire Torah while he stood on one foot. It was in relation to a conversation he had with a non-Jew:
“Convert me to Judaism on the condition that you can teach me the whole Torah while I’m standing on one foot,” the non-Jew said.
Hillel replied: “What’s hateful unto you don’t do to your neighbor. This is the whole Torah; the rest is commentary. Now go and study.”Telushkin noted that Hillel didn’t speak about God or even Jewish law, but rather focused on ethics. Specifically, Hillel also chose the negative expression of this idea rather than say, “love your neighbor as yourself.”
Why would that be? As Telushkin notes, “Love your neighbor as yourself is a very high-minded ideal, and yet it’s hard to know what it actually is....Hillel offers a different definition because it’s something that you can more immediately incorporate into your life.”
The story with standing on one foot is a very famous story about Hillel, who, unlike his contemporary Shammai, takes up the challenge. Hillel's summary of the Torah is, "What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow: this is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation; go and learn" (Shab. 31a). And as said earlier/in other discussions, what Hiliel says draws a striking resemblance to Jesus’ words: “
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets (
Luke 10:26-28/
Luke 10 ,
Mark 12:30-32 Mark 12 ) - and this is also similar toPaul’s teaching: “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." (
Galatians 5:13-15 /
Galatians 5:5-7 &
Romans 13:7-9 ).
Hillel's summary of the Torah shows that the most important thing for the Jews (as well as the Gentiles) is to act ethically and morally. This can relate to the necessity of doing
tzedakah, because it literally means "justice" or "righteousness." Rabbi Telushkin says that Hillel did not say, "love your neighbor as you love yourself" because that is much harder to follow. For people may not always love themselves, or maybe your neighbor doesn't love the same things you do. Rather, by putting the commandment in the negative form, Telushkin argues that Hillel made this something more people could follow. What Hillel said is something that can be easy for us to put into practice in many small ways, and thereby make the world a better place for all to live in
Hope the information helps in your journey. Shalom
