Long, long ago, a non-Jew came to the great Rabbi Hillel and demanded, “Teach me the entire Torah while I stand on one foot!” Now, how long can you stand on one foot? This is the entire Torah; the rest is commentary. by Rabbi Nachman Simon. “And I can stand on somebody else’s foot for a lot longer than that!” Life After Death Experience (NDE) with Steve Gardipee, Vietnam War Story | One of the Best NDEs - Duration: 16:38. Listen to Torah On One Foot episodes free, on demand. That is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation of this—go and study it! Shammai, bothered by the chutzpah of this non-Jew (imagine going to a nuclear physicist and asking … So we could actually, loosely divide the Torah’s commandments into three sections: Mitzvot bein adam le-atzmo – the commandments between a person and themselves, mitzvot bein adam la-Makom – the commandments between a person and G-d, Mitzvot bein adam l’chaveiro – and the commandments between a person and his friend. Shammai promptly ejected the Roman from his house, and frankly, I would have done the same. He is often mentioned together with his colleague, Shammai, with whom he often disagreed on the interpretations of Torah law: Shammai often follows the stricter interpretation, whereas Hillel tended toward a more lenient understanding of the law. The rabbis who created the set format for the seder gave us the Four Questions to help break the ice in case no one had their own questions. That teaches us to judge men by their individual actions. Torah on One Foot. November 12, 2012 By: Rabbi Jay Kelman |. The entire Torah on one foot that Hillel taught him was “that which you hate, don’t do to others–a paraphrase of the command to love your neighbor. Now, Hillel said, “that which is hateful unto you don’t do unto your friend.”  I would like to suggest, as is alluded to in Rashi, the great commentary from 11th Century France, that friend has to be understood in a bit of a broader way than just your fellow person. 2. Available On. Bonus and ad-free content available with Stitcher Premium. This gentle sage accepted the challenge, and said: "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. The study of Torah is the relationship to one’s own soul. The great Talmudic sage Hillel was born in Babylonia in the first century BCE. ... Book review: The Great Principle of the Torah: Examining Seven Talmudic Claims to the Defining Principles of Judaism; I hope to make further materials available for download and use in the future. We unroll the Torah scroll to its fullest extent, over 100+ feet … I keep finding it told in this seemingly mistaken manner online. According to a popular Talmudic tale, a stranger once approached Hillel and Shammai, the great sages of the first century, with a request: "Teach me the Torah while I stand on one foot." Asking questions is a core tradition in Jewish life. Blog Archive 2010 (1) 2 When he came before Hillel, (he also … All the rest is commentary. First, he brought the request to Shammai. Hillel then went on to say “That which is hateful unto you, do not do unto your friend, the rest [of the Torah] is commentary, go and learn.”. Text and image by chassidic artist Shoshannah Brombacher. Hillel was a very humble and patient man, and there are many stories that illustrate this. The Talmud teaches that Shammai picked up a builders rule, a piece of a two by four, and smacks him along side of the head, and the man left him. Indignant, Shammai chased him away with a builder’s tool. Reply, Rabbi on one foot The entire Biblical book of Song of Songs describes G-d and the Jewish people as a man and woman in love. Perhaps Pharaoh would have behaved differently if he had encountered Hillel, but time moves forwards and not backwards and forwards. It would have been hard for Pharaoh to study that which had yet to be written or spoken. One famous account in the Talmud (Shabbat 31a) tells about a gentile who wanted to convert to Judaism. (2) the second mistake we often make is ignoring the last few words of this parsha’s famous Biblical verse. Kindness to others is clearly the category of relationships with other people. ..." [37] In The Jewish Story Finder: A Guide to 668 Tales Listing Subjects and Sources by Sharon Barcan Elswit (McFarland, 2012), the famous story of the man who stands on one foot is told, including this passage, "The man then goes to the great Rabbi Hillel. In the Rebbe’s last edited discourse he explains the difference between Russian and American Jewry. One of the most famous Talmudic stories is that of the potential convert who conditioned his conversion on whether or not he could be taught the Torah while standing on one foot. Shammai pushed him aside with the measuring stick he was holding. Wars of the Jews. Then he came to Hillel and made the request, "Teach me the Torah as I stand on one foot." Every Jew is Moshe. He was initially a very poor, but brilliant student, and became a famous Torah scholar and eventually the Nasi (president) of the Sanhedrin. The Maharal, (and I am taking some liberty in my interpretation, but I think and hope that the Maharal might agree with me). Reply. Nice painting. 7-26-20 — 11 – Fifth portion of Chumash. Go study it.” Another story in the Talmud concerns a non-Jew who came to Shammai and agreed to be converted if he could teach him the entire Torah while standing on one foot. Facebook Badge. 1-845-290-8710 On One Foot The great Talmudic sage Hillel was born in Babylonia in the first century BCE. Each one of these is a category of relationship. The heathen forgot that he had come only to jeer. This is actually the Torah, on not one foot but two. Torah On One Foot Rabbi Matthew Berger Where is Moses? Posted on August 6, 2020 July 27, 2020. This happened not infrequently, and this individual stated that he would accept Judaism only if a rabbi would teach him the entire Torah while he, the prospective convert, stood on one foot. The Haftorah. On the "Golden Rule" Once there was a gentile who came before Shammai, and said to him: "Convert me on the condition that you teach me the whole Torah while I stand on one foot. To view or purchase Ms. Brombacher's art, © Copyright, all rights reserved. First, he came to the sage, Shammai and he makes his request, "Teach me the Torah, Rabbi, as I stand upon one foot." A man asked Rabbi Hillel to teach him the entire Torah, the five books of Moses, while standing on one foot. Torah On One Foot JewishPodcasts.org Judaism Listen on Apple Podcasts. To then interpret this as the wiseguy standing on one foot requires the intelligence of one who says "I could care less." Very well, I shall teach you the Torah while you stand on one foot. Hillel encouraged his disciples to follow the example of Aaron the High Priest to "love peace and pursue peace, love all G‑d's creations and bring them close to the Torah." Torah on One Foot. It is packed with articles, podcasts, critical times, and more! I would like to try to explain a very strange statement in the Talmud. In the great majority of cases, his opinion prevailed. The Maharal maintains that the Mishnah is telling us that human was created to develop relationships. ", Ra and Osiris Why would a rabbi be upset if the asker wanted to spend months, years, standing on one foot? This podcast is powered by JewishPodcasts.org. Reply, the askers was to stand on one foot? Clip Featured in Haggadot's Typographic Haggadah. Fill out the form below to subscribe now. A certain non-Jewish “wise-guy” came to scoff at the Torah, first to the home of Shammai, then to the home of Hillel. Reply, Time moves forwards This is why, I suppose, the principle corruption of humanity is the worship of idols.The idols confound rather than clarify.And they can lead us into grave errors. The Talmud in Tractate Shabbos 31a relates the following well-known story of Hillel: “On another occasion it happened that a certain heathen came before Shammai and said to him, “Make me a proselyte, on the condition that you teach me the whole Torah while I stand on one foot.” 1 Thereupon he chased him away with the builder’s cubit that was in his hand. Perhaps the problem lies with translation and pronoun. I always heard this as the guy wanted the rabbi to stand on one foot while teaching the Torah. Click jewishpodcasts.fm/signup to get started. As a young man he came to the Holy Land to study Torah at the feet of the sages of Jerusalem. Open Content License. The easiest way to listen to podcasts on your iPhone, iPad, Android, PC, smart speaker – and even in your car. Our soul is also our friend, and our closest companion. Shabbat 31b: One-Foot Judaism. Don't Be Afraid-Torah on One Foot 2020-11-18: Play: Download 9: Overcoming Obstacles on "Torah on One Foot" 2020-11-17: Play: Download 10: Higher Morals-Parsha Toldos-2 Torah on One Foot 2020-11-16: Play: Download ← This is our Holy Torah: 'What is hateful to you, do not do unto others.'" G-d is called “our beloved”  One friend to which Hillel refers is G-d Himself. Shammai, sensing his true intention, had him thrown out forthwith. The Talmud tells a story of Rabbi Hillel, who lived around the time of Jesus. Listen on Apple Podcasts.