Hillel: If Not Now, When? (Jewish Encounters) [Hardcover]

Joseph Telushkin (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 14, 2010 | Series: Jewish Encounters

Part of the Jewish Encounter series

“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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. 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.
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Review

“Rabbi, lecturer, ethicist, novelist, playwright, and author, Telushkin demonstrates his unusual versatility in this fifteenth entry in the Jewish Encounters series. . . . 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.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Joseph Telushkin’s portrait of the ancient Jewish leader Hillel jumps off the page with its contemporary resonances. Hillel’s lessons and sayings as a Talmud scholar have universal application for anyone interested in bringing dignity and peace to the world. In Hillel we find a master educator and a person of profound learning, spiritual depth, humility, and tolerance.”
—David Gregory, moderator, Meet the Press
 
“Here’s a book to start quite a little intra-Jewish conversation, and I, for one, will be eavesdropping with interest.”
—Jack Miles, author of God: A Biography
 
“The venerable and much-quoted Rabbi Hillel has a lot to teach us twenty-first-century Jews. Thanks to Joseph Telushkin’s book, we experience Hillel at his most optimistic, succinct, and radical, insisting on the primacy of righteous behavior, an arms-wide welcome for converts, the challenge and blessing of lifelong Jewish learning, and the importance of Jewish educators who love their students and studies in equal measure.”
—Anita Diamant, author of Choosing a Jewish Life: A Handbook for People Converting to Judaism and for Their Families and Friends and president of Mayyim Hayyim Living Waters Community Mikveh
 

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Schocken (September 14, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805242813
• ISBN-13: 978-0805242812
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1 x 7.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #328,283 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, spiritual leader and scholar, is the acclaimed author of nine other nonfiction books, including The Book of Jewish Values, The Golden Land: The Story of Jewish Immigration to America, and Jewish Literacy, the most widely read book on Judaism of the past two decades. He is a senior associate of CLAL, the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, serves on the board of the Jewish Book Council, and is the rabbi of the Los Angeles-based Synagogue for the Performing Arts. He lives with his family in New York City and lectures regularly throughout the United States.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 43 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars You'll Be Surprised,You'll Learn, You'll Enjoy October 4, 2010

By Roger Silk

Format:Hardcover

Hillel may be the only ancient rabbi that most Jews, and many non-Jews, have heard of. The Jewish outreach program on many university campuses is named after this famous rabbi. And many people have also heard (part of) Hillel's famous statement summarizing the Torah while standing on one foot: "What is hateful to you, do not do unto others." But, as Rabbi Joseph Telushkin lucidly explains, there is a very great deal more to Hillel's life and work.

And not only is there more, Rabbi Telushkin argues, much of Hillel's core teaching is a) more relevant to the Jewish condition than it has been at any other time in the past 2000 years, and b) most Jews, including perhaps even most practicing rabbis, do not appreciate or act upon these core teachings.

Hillel taught many important lessons. I will discuss only one of them here. To learn about the others, and to learn far more detail than I can mention here, I urge you to read Rabbi Telushkin's well-written book Hillel: If Not Now, When? (For those familiar with his recent works on ethics, this book is much shorter, and although it will reward careful study, can be read through like a biography.)

Hillel is best-known for the above quoted statement of the golden rule. But as Rabbi Telushkin observes, the context of the quote, as well as the complete quote, are much less well-known.

The context is that Hillel is responding to a pagan who has approached him and requested that Hillel convert him to Judaism, and explain the Torah to him while standing on one foot. Hillel agrees! While such openness to conversion might not surprise a Christian, it does surprise most Jews, including most rabbis, today. Rabbi Telushkin is obviously troubled by the modern Jewish antipathy toward interested non-Jews.... Citing Hillel, Telushkin argues that in societies that permitted it, Jews were very open to potential converts.

With the Roman destruction of the second Temple in the year 70, and the subsequent expulsion of the Jews from the Land of Israel, Jews found themselves almost everywhere among more or less hostile hosts. For much of this time, in both Christian and Muslim lands, conversion to Judaism was punishable by death. In fact, still today, conversion out of Islam is punishable by death in many parts of the Muslim world. Over these many centuries of oppression, Jews adopted the idea of resistance to accepting converts.

Telushkin presents a strong case, based on Hillel, that this resistance, while understandable, is an aberration. In addition to the famous one-foot story, Telushkin presents two other similar stories in which Hillel quickly accepts people who wish to convert. However, in each case, it is clearly understood that once they convert, they will need to learn more.

In fact, this immediate acceptance, before learning or study, is how most Jews alive today became Jews: they were immediately accepted into the Covenant knowing little or nothing about it, and they were then expected to learn about it. That is simply another way of saying that Judaism accepts young children as Jews if they happen to be born to a Jewish mother. These Jews, having been immediately accepted before they study extensively, remain Jews, regardless of whether they ever learn or practice anything Jewish.

Rabbi Telushkin is gently observing that the practice of being hostile to converts, as so many Jews today are, is a) inconsistent with historical teaching and practice pre-Roman-expulsion b) inconsistent with the often stated goal of keeping the Jewish community thriving and c) unfair and hurtful, since it discriminates against some people based on an accident of birth.

The close of the famous one-foot story is: "Now go an learn." A good place to start is Hillel: If Not Now, When? Read more ›

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A top pick and a 'must' for any Judaic studies collection December 17, 2010

By Midwest Book Review

Format:Hardcover

This addition to the Jewish Encounters series offers a new book about Hillel, a scholar and rabbi of the Talmud, but doesn't offer the usual biography format, as little is known about Hillel's life. Instead it gathers his stories, teachings, and legal rulings from the Talmud and provide insights on his perspective on ethical living and Jewish life, offering clear explanations and details of Rabbi Hillel's perspective. A top pick and a 'must' for any Judaic studies collection.

16 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent November 19, 2010

By Joseph Oppenheim VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

The author, who has written many remarkable books about Judaism, thinks it is relevant to do a biographical take on Hillel, because Hillel is arguably the greatest rabbi of the Talmud and still considered probably the greatest of Jewish sages. And, because Hillel was a moderate in interpreting Jewish law, is even more important now because Judaism seems to be at a crossroads of surviving because the Diaspora has lead to so much intermarriage and the resultant reducing the percentage of Jews and hence, Jewish values, among the world's population. Fundamentalism is fine for some, but not for all Jews. Plus, Telushkin points out that Jewish law doesn't just come from the Torah and Jewish bible, the written law, but also the oral bible, rabbinical writings of the Talmud, etc. Judaism never was a frozen religion and so the importance of Hillel is just as important, if not more so, now, as it has been over the about 2000 years. So, some things I found worth noting from the book are........

1. We don't know of Hillel's mom, dad, or wife.

2. The contemporaneous rabbi, Shammai, a fundamentalist, would drive many potential converts away and had many disputes with Hillel.

3. Years of Hillel's religious leadership - 30 BCE -10 CE. beloved for legal daring, passion for learning, openness to converts, and imaginative acts of kindness. He was poor, hungry for learning and knew literally what it was like being on the outside looking in. He didn't judge people by wealth or social status, but achievements - acts of human kindness are what to begin with. His rise to leadership occurred after the brutal Herod became King of Israel in 37 BCE.

4. Hillel famous for "That which is hateful to you, do not do unto your neighbor, all the rest is commentary.... Now go study" when approached by a potential convert and wanting him to summarize Judaism. The reason for the negative twist on the golden rule is because it is easier to follow than the positive. e.g. One really can't mourn the death of someone else's dad as much as one would their own.

5. Because people hood is what separates Judaism from other faiths, that is why Ruth, a convert, who is a an ancestor of King David and supposedly the messiah will descend from David, is so important to Judaism. That is why Hillel is so open to converts, being too restrictive could block the emergence of many great Jews. Also, romantic attraction is OK, like relating to non-Jew marrying a Jew. Tikkun Olam - therefore greater chance to improve the world using Jewish values.

6. Sometimes obeying laws can have unintended negative consequences like honoring one's parents might encourage some to want to be orphans.

7. Author attributes 5 traits to Hillel - a) extreme patience b) moral imagination c) optimism d) nonjudgmental nature e) intense curiosity.

8. Sometimes lying can be a virtue - like at a wedding and complimenting bride on her beauty.

9. Argument is good, because sometime literal interpretation can be the more liberal - as with marriage, fundamental rules more protective of women.

10. Although Hillel preceded Jesus by 2 generations, Hillel was the most significant Jew of Jesus' time, so likely influenced him. Jesus still believed in the binding laws of the Torah and said "Don't imagine that I have come to abolish Law (Torah) or the prophets" to disciples. But, more striking are differences - a) Hillel for knowledge, Jesus not, extols prayer b) Jesus forgives all c) Jesus a pacifist, Judaism - resist the wicked d) Jesus said one can reach G-d only through him, Judaism, one has a personal relationship with G-d. So, Hillel a moderate, Jesus a radical. Jesus: "If anyone comes to me without hating his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes, and his own life, too, he cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14-26). Also, sell everything and give to the poor to get to Heaven.

11. Hillel, teaching is so important that Jewish schools should have easy admittance. The highly impatient teacher (overly strict) shouldn't teach. One who is bashful will never learn / questioning is important - grows both the student and teacher.

12. Hillel, "If I am not for myself, who will be for me? and if I am only for myself, who am I?" - call for moderation.

13. The only way to grow is to continually study.

14 Not a lot of talk of the afterlife in Judaism, because Egypt and their "Book of the Dead" led to distorted views. Also, led to torture during the Inquisition.

15. Hillel's 7 Middot for interpreting biblical law.- a) conclusions drawn from lenient laws applying to stricter ones, b) comparing similar words to explain different biblical passages, c) general principle applying to all related ones, d) when general law followed by specific only specific applies, e) opposite of "d)", f) interpret word or passage based on context, g) inferences drawn from elsewhere. Read more ›

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars "Why We Need Hillel!" And, Some Other Observations. HILLEL: A Biography: A Critical Review June 2, 2011

By Andre Lawrence TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

When Rabbi Joseph Telushkin remarked, "Why We Need Hillel Now More Than Ever!," it was not an attempt to make an exaggerated proclamation. I suggest, Telushkin was calling out to the Hillel who resides in each of us.

This book is Rabbi Telushkin's quest to open a discussion on the extraordinary life and ideas of The Talmud's most famous teacher.

Hillel lived in the 1st century BCE and during the reign of King Herod. Under the dominion of Rome and still the object of interest from the Greeks. Roman and Greek citizens living side by side with Jews in Jerusalem. This was the focus of the priests' wrath: foreign culture, foreign language, foreign education and foreign religious beliefs. Add to that, you had the migration of Babylonian Jews back to Jerusalem (and often victims of disparaging remarks from "native" Jews, as were the citizens of those imperialist nations.)

This was the environment that Hillel and Shammai had to work in.

We often typecast Hillel and Shammai as polar opposites in terms of understanding and ruling--halakha--the Truth as Telushkin lays out in his book that the issues are not cut and dry; it's not exactly liberal and conservative. These were two men who looked at their country's situation, had the responsibility of teaching Torah and had varying interest in Judaism from foreigners. What were they supposed to do?

Now, the early chapters, Telushkin discusses the issue of conversion and observation. For Shammai, to make it easy for conversion *may have* thought that the problem of Jewish observance (which had always been an issue) would become exponentially worse if the community was integrated with foreigners and perhaps their lack of interest in what they'd deem as benign....

Hillel, also understanding the landscape, looked at the possibility that there'd come a day when Jews wouldn't think it necessary to marry another Jew. His decision was practical and balanced with optimism. He felt, as Telushkin reminds us, that there'd be a possibility that when converts experienced the beauty of Judaism, they'd be less likely to throw it away and any offspring would have the benefit to be reared in a household where Torah is observed and loved.

There's also the issue of divorce. Here, it seems as if Shammai is more appreciative of women's rights. For Hillel, divorce was a man's domain. If, as Shammai ruled that in the case of infidelity a divorce was granted to either party, something that later rabbis considered a balance in terms of remuneration for the injured party. Hillel left the decision of separation as a matter of a husband's right to be happy or satisfied. Telushkin surmised that Hillel takes Deut. 24:1 as the line which determines that a man is seen as the aggressor in forming the union and as such he has the *right* to renounce that decision if he finds anything "unseemly" with his wife.

The issue of education was also an issue of division of between them. Education for the affluent only? Or, teach everyone at every opportunity?

I understand Hillel a whole lot better. With few exceptions, Hillel's thoughts and rulings are indeed life changing.

With all of the contemporary concerns involved with Jewish intermarriage which seems to be the mainstay of our luminaries' (like Alan Dershowitz') national dialog , Hillel's hope in the power and the glory of Torah will withstand any threat--real or imagined--to the Jewish people.

And, Jewish people of all stripes.

HILLEL: IF NOT NOW, WHEN? By Rabbi Joseph Telushkin... 5 stars. Read more ›