The Babylonian Talmud preserves a group of stories that circulated in the amoraic period (after 200 C.E.) in Babylonia. These stories contrast Hillel with his colleague Shammai. The stories picture Hillel as patient and Shammai as abrupt. These stories clearly reflect the fact that it was by and large the House of Hillel whose views dominated in halakah. One of the stories is particularly important in that it emphasizes the need for an oral law to accompany the written.

Our Rabbis taught: A man should always be gentle like Hillel, and not impatient like Shammai.

It once happened that two men made a wager with each other, saying, “He who goes and makes Hillel angry shall receive four hundred zuz.”
Said one, “I will anger him.”

That day was the Sabbath eve, and Hillel was washing his head. He went, passed by the door of his house, and called out, “Is Hillel here? Is Hillel here?”

Thereupon he robed and went out to him, saying, “My son, what do you seek?”

“I have a question to ask,” said he.
“Ask, my son,” he said to him.

He asked, “Why are heads of the Babylonians round?”
“My son, you have asked a great question,” he said. “Because they have no skillful midwives.”

He departed, tarried a while, returned, and said, “Is Hillel here? Is Hillel here?”

He robed and went out to him, saying, “My son, what do you seek?”
“I have a question to ask,” said he.
“Ask, my son,” he said.

He asked, “Why are the eyes of the Palmyreans bleared?”

“My son, you have asked a great question,” said he. “Because they live in sandy places.”
He departed, tarried a while, returned, and said, “Is Hillel here? Is Hillel here?”
He robed and went out to him, saying, “My son, what do you seek?”
“I have a question to ask,” said he.
“Ask, my son,” he said.
He asked, “Why are the feet of the Africans wide?”
“My son, you have asked a great question,” said he. “Because they live in watery marshes.”
“I have many questions to ask,” said he, “but fear that you may become angry.”
Thereupon he robed, sat before him and said, “Ask all the questions you have to ask.”
“Are you the Hillel whom they call the nasi of Israel?”
“Yes,” he said.
“If that is you,” he said, “may there not be many like you in Israel.”
“Why, my son?” said he.
“Because I have lost four hundred zuz through you,” complained he.
“Be careful of your moods,” he answered.
“Hillel is worthy that you should lose four hundred zuz and yet another four hundred zuz through him, yet Hillel shall not lose his temper.”

Our Rabbis taught: A certain heathen once came before Shammai and asked him, “How many Torahs have you?”
“Two,” he replied, “The Written Torah and the Oral Torah.”
“I believe you with respect to the Written Torah, but not with respect to the Oral Torah. Make me a proselyte on condition that you teach me the Written Torah [only].” He scolded and repulsed him in anger.
[When] he went before Hillel, he accepted him as a proselyte. On the first day he taught him, Alef, bet, gimmel, delet [= A, B, C, D]; the following day he reversed [them] to him.
“But yesterday you did not teach them to me thus,” he said.
“Must you not rely upon me? Then rely upon me with respect to the Oral [Torah] too.”³⁰

On another occasion it happened that a certain heathen came before Shammai and said to him, “Make me a proselyte, on condition that you teach me the whole Torah while I stand on one foot.” Thereupon he repulsed him with the builder’s cubit³¹ which was in his hand.

[When] he went before Hillel, he converted him. He said to him, “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. That is the whole Torah, while the rest is the commentary thereof; go and learn [it].”

On another occasion it happened that a certain heathen was passing behind a school and heard the voice of a scribe reciting, “And these are the garments which they shall make: a breastplate, and an ephod.”³²

Said he, “For whom are these?”
“For the high priest,” they said.

Then said that heathen to himself, “I will go and become a proselyte, that I may be appointed a high priest.”

So he went before Shammai and said to him, “Make me a proselyte on condition that you appoint me a high priest.” But he repulsed him with the builder’s cubit which was in his hand.

He then went before Hillel. He made him a proselyte.

Said he to him, “Can any man be made a king but he who knows the arts of government? Go and study the arts of government!”

He went and read. When he came to “And the stranger that comes nigh shall be put to death” (Num. 1:51), he asked him, “To whom does this verse apply?”

“Even to David, King of Israel,” was the answer.

Thereupon that proselyte reasoned within himself a fortiori [qal va-homer]: “If Israel, who are called sons of the Omnipresent, and whom in His love for them he designated ‘Israel is my son, my first born’ (Ex. 4:22), yet it is written of them, ‘And the stranger that comes nigh shall be put to death’—how much more so a mere proselyte, who comes with his staff and wallet!”³³

Then he went before Shammai and said to him, “Am I then eligible to be a high priest? Is it not written in the Torah, ‘And the stranger that comes nigh shall be put to death’?”

He went before Hillel and said to him, “O gentle Hillel: blessings rest on your head for bringing me under the wings of the Shekhinah [divine Presence]!”

Some time later the three met in one place. Said they, “Shammai’s impatience sought to drive us from the world, but Hillel’s gentleness brought us under the wings of the Shekhinah.”

29. Trans. Neusner, From Politics to Piety, pp. 37–9.

30. The ability to read the written Torah depends on the oral tradition.

31. Measuring rod.

32. Ex. 28:4.

33. Lacking any previous merit, having only material possessions.