""The merciful man does good to his own soul (Proverbs 11:17)," this [refers to] Hillel the Elder, who, at the time that he was departing from his students, would walk with them. They said to him, "Rabbi, where are you walking to?" He said to them, "To fulfill a commandment!" They said to him, "And what commandment is this?" He said to them, "To bathe in the bathhouse." They said to him: "But is this really a commandment?" He said to them: "Yes. Just like regarding the statues (lit. icons) of kings, that are set up in the theaters and the circuses, the one who is appointed over them bathes them and scrubs them, and they give him sustenance, and furthermore, he attains status with the leaders of the kingdom; I, who was created in the [Divine] Image and Form, as it is written, "For in the Image of G-d He made Man (Genesis 9:6)," even more so!..."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Midrash VayikraRabbah
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Hillel_the_Elder
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Hillel the Elder
Hillel the Elder (c. 110 BCEโ10 CE) was a Jewish religious leader who was born in Babylon and lived in Jerusalem during the time of King Herod. He is one of the most important figures in Judaic history, associated with the Mishnah and the Talmud. He was the ancestor of a long line of rabbis, including Judah haNasi, who compiled the Mishnah, and Judah's son, Hillel the Younger.
13 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Hillel the Elder โ
Related Quotes
"ืืขืื ืกื ื ืืืืจื ืื ืชืขืืื. ืื ืืื ืื ืืชืืจื ืืืื, ืืืืื ืคืืจืืฉื ืืื: ืืื ืืืืจ"
"Be of the disciples of Aaron, loving peace and pursuing peace, loving your fellow creatures and drawing them near to โฆ"
"A name made great is a name destroyed. He who does not increase his knowledge decreases it."
"ืื ืืื ืื ื ืื, ืื ืื? ืืืฉืื ื ืืขืฆืื, ืื ืื ื? ืืื ืื ืขืืฉืื, ืืืืชื?"
"Do not say "When I have leisure, I will study", perhaps you will not have leisure."
"A boor cannot be sin-fearing, an ignoramus cannot be pious, a bashful one cannot learn, a short-tempered person cannoโฆ"
"In a place where there are no men, strive to be a man."
"One who increases flesh, increases worms; one who increases possessions, increases worry; one who increases wives, inโฆ"
"A person should always be patient like Hillel and not impatient like Shammai"
"when he died, they eulogized him (in the following manner): Alas pious one, alas humble one, student of Ezra"