Today’s daf TB Shabbat 31 relates
several very famous stories about Shammai and Hillel. I’m choosing the one that
seems most relevant to our situation today.
"The Sages taught in a baraita: A person should
always be patient like Hillel and not impatient like Shammai. The Gemara
related: There was an incident involving two people who wagered with each other and said: Anyone who will go and
aggravate Hillel to the point that he reprimands him, will take
four-hundred zuz. One of them said: I will aggravate him. That
day that he chose to bother Hillel was Shabbat eve, and Hillel was
washing the hair on his head. He went and passed the entrance to
Hillel’s house and in a demeaning manner said: Who here is Hillel,
who here is Hillel? Hillel wrapped himself in a dignified garment and
went out to greet him. He said to him: My son, what do you seek? He said to
him: I have a question to ask. Hillel said to him: Ask, my son, ask.
The man asked him: Why are the heads of Babylonians oval? He was
alluding to and attempting to insult Hillel, who was Babylonian. He said to
him: My son, you have asked a significant question. The reason is because
they do not have clever midwives. They do not know how to shape the child’s
head at birth. That man went and waited one
hour, a short while, returned to look for Hillel, and said: Who
here is Hillel, who here is Hillel? Again, Hillel wrapped himself and
went out to greet him. Hillel said to him: My son, what do you seek?
The man said to him: I have a question to ask. He said to him: Ask, my son,
ask. The man asked: Why are the eyes of the residents of Tadmor bleary [terutot]?
Hillel said to him: My son, you have asked a significant question. The
reason is because they live among the sands and the sand gets into their
eyes. Once again the man went, waited one hour, returned, and said: Who here
is Hillel, who here is Hillel? Again, he, Hillel, wrapped himself
and went out to greet him. He said to him: My son, what do you seek? He said to
him: I have a question to ask. He said to him: Ask, my son, ask. The man
asked: Why do Africans have wide feet? Hillel said to him: You have
asked a significant question. The reason is because they live in
marshlands and their feet widened to enable them to walk through those
swampy areas. That man said to him: I have many more questions to
ask, but I am afraid lest you get angry. Hillel wrapped himself and sat
before him, and he said to him: All of the questions that you
have to ask, ask them. The man got angry and said to him: Are you Hillel
whom they call the Nasi of Israel? He said to him: Yes. He said
to him: If it is you, then may there not be many like you in
Israel. Hillel said to him: My son, for what reason do you say this?
The man said to him: Because I lost four hundred zuz because of you.
Hillel said to him: Be vigilant of your spirit and avoid situations of
this sort. Hillel is worthy of having you lose four hundred zuz and
another four hundred zuz on his account, and Hillel will not get
upset." Sefaria.org translation)
I hope that you have been self-sheltering
to flatten the curve of the pandemic coronavirus. I have to admit though that
the four walls of our homes sometimes can seem more like a prison than anything
else. Who hasn’t become a little stir crazy because we should not go outside! Who
knows how well our zoom Seders will go and what type of technical difficulties
will happen? In these situations a person can become impatient and angry at the
littlest things. Tension ensues and that makes self-sheltering worse. That’s
why I have always taught that danger is only one letter away from the word
anger. Especially during these difficult days we should strive to be more like
Hillel than Shammai.
Rabbi Zelig Pliskin suggests how we can become more
patient.
“If you would like to
access a state of patience right now: Allow yourself to start breathing the way
you would breathe if you were totally patient. Allow all your muscles to be the
way they would be if you were totally patient right now. Sit or stand the way
you would if you were totally patient. Think the thoughts you would think if
you were totally patient. Think of a person who accomplishes a lot and yet is
very patient. Imagine for a few moments that you are this person and become as
patient right now as that person is. How would you talk and what will you say
if you were in a patient state? Close your eyes and repeat yourself slowly and
gently “Patience, patience.” Visualize yourself being totally patient and let the
feeling of patience permeate every cell and every muscle…..
“From now on, view
impatience as your teacher. Study the lessons your patience teaches you.
Develop the habit of saying, ‘This is an opportunity to become more patient.’
Feel joy every time you feel a bit more patient.” (from Begin again now!,
page 245-6)
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