El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-11-16
By RABBI MARTIN ZIELONKA

, who refused to do so when Hinel
would not adopt commercial career.
| Meager as these exact details of his
daily life may be, the stories current
in tradition reveal the true character
of a man who was loved as a teacher
and who taught and practiced
philanthropy, fear Of God and humil-
ity.
When he first came to the holy land,
he earned his livelihood as a wood
chopper. But work was not always
plentiful The physical needs Of a
growing boy demanded attention and
the dOOrkeeper at the academy of
Shemayah and Abtalian demanded his
fee. This was always an important
factor with Hillel, but the time came
when he had no money TO give. His
craving for knowledge must, however,
be satisfied. He climbed a window
where he might prass an ear against
an opening and gather in the words of
wisdom So intent was he to hear the
discussion of the class room, that he
did not notice the snow falling and
gradually covering him. The next
morning, a Sabbath morn. the teachers
returned to their school but could not
understand the continued darkness IN
til they diSCerned the figure of a youth
mOtiOnless against the opening They
rushed out and brought Hiuel in and
though il was the Sabbath. made a fire,
prepared food for him and rubbed his
body with oil, justifying their break
ing Of the Sabbath law with the as
sertiOn that this youth would live to
keep many SabbathS for the one they
had disObeyed. And later in life Hillel
taught the maxim. THE sabbath was
given TO you and not you TO the Sab
bath"
sat at the Feet of Teachers.
Thus Hilleu sat at the feet Of the
master teachers and drank in their
words But a time of strife was at
hand in the schools. The unsettled
and warlike condition of the country
was reflected in the deterioration Of
the houses of learning" The places
of honor were no longer given to those
expert in the law but to those whose
influence was the strongest. Hlllel re-
turned to BabylOnia and though we
know nothing of his life there, we must
conclude from the ripe scholarship and
judgment he displayed on his return
to the holy land that the days were
not spent in idleneSs but in drinking
deeper and deeper from the wells of
truth and light.
The desire for life in Jerusalem drew
him to the holy city again and he came
at a time when a Weighty ritualiStic
question, which the leaders of the peO-
pie could not answer, came before the
people. When he was appealed to as
a teacher from q foreign land. many de-
rislyely declared, can anything good
come from Babylon" Yet by subtle
reasoning and reference to the tradi-
ton of his teachers. Shemaya and Alb
Italian. he decided the question so sat
isfactOriIy that he was proclaimed
head of the academy
TrOublOus Times in the Land.
But those were trOublOuS times.
Herod. the great. bloodthirsty tyrant
and fiend. spent his Establishments
upon the mighty men of Rome in or
der to strengthen his position as ruler
of Judea, while the Judea pODulace,
trembled for fear and suffered from
exacting tributes and taxes Terrible
crUelties were common and the
descendant of the duncan slave ruled
with an iron hand
And because Hillel. the meek teach
er. lived and taught in such trOublOus
times. his character shines forth more
beautifully and his even temperament
became. prOverbial by contrast
A heather came to him and offered
to embrace Judaism if all the laws and
commandments were taught while he
stood on one foot Shammai. HuIeIs
coworker, had driven the insolent fell
low from the house. but Hillel turned
and said. What is hateful TO thee, do