Rabbi Kook

At the moment that they make a man enter his judgment [after his death], they ask him: “Did you do your dealings with honesty? Did you set time for Torah study? Did you involve yourself in procreation? Did you look forward to salvation? Did you delve into wisdom? Did you understand one thing from another?”

At the moment that they make a man enter his judgment [after his death], they ask him: “Did you do your dealings with honesty? Did you set time for Torah study? Did you involve yourself in procreation? Did you look forward to salvation? Did you delve into wisdom? Did you understand one thing from another?”

At the moment that they make a man enter his judgment [after his death], they ask him …

Reish Lakish said: What is referred to by the pasuk (Yeshaya 33:6): “And it shall be the belief of your times, the power, the salvations of, the wisdom of, and the knowledge”? “ The belief of” refers to the Order of Zeraim (agricultural laws); “your times” refers to the Order of Mo’ed (the holidays); “the power” refers to the Order of Women (family law); “the salvations of” refers to the Order of Nezikin (monetary law); “the wisdom of” refers to the Order of Kodashim (laws of the Temple); “and the knowledge” refers to the Order of Taharot (laws of purity). Even so, “fear of Hashem is its storehouse” (ibid.)

Reish Lakish said: What is referred to by the pasuk (Yeshaya 33:6): “And it shall be the belief of your times, the power, the salvations of, the wisdom of, and the knowledge”? “Emunat (the belief of)” refers to the Order of Zeraim (agricultural laws); “itecha (your times)” refers to the Order of Mo’ed (the holidays)…

One day the three [candidates for conversion, who were rejected by Shammai and accepted by Hillel] happened to be in the same place. They said: The kapdanut (exacting, intolerant nature) of Shammai attempted to have us lose our place in the world, and the anvatanut (humility, patience, tolerance) of Hillel brought us close under the wings of the Divine Presence.

[In this piece, the convert who had wanted to be a Kohen Gadol thanked Hillel for his faith in him.] He said: Hillel, the anvatan (humble and patient), may blessings rest on your head, for you have brought me close, under the wings of the Divine Presence.

There was another story, of a non-Jew who passed behind a shul and heard a teacher say: “These are the clothes they will make …” (Shemot 28:4). He asked who has such clothes and was told it is the Kohen Gadol. [He decided to convert in order to become Kohen Gadol, came before Shammai with the proposition, and was harshly rejected.] He came before Hillel, and he converted him. Hillel said: Is there such a thing as one who does not know how a king is to act who is appointed king? Go and learn the rules of kingship (i.e., how to be a Kohen Gadol). He went and read. Once he got up to “The ‘stranger’ who draws forward will die” (Bamidbar 3:10), he asked: “For whom is this pasuk written?” He said: “Even for David, King of Israel.”

There was a case of a non-Jew who came before Shammai and asked him: “How many Torahs do you have?” Shammai answered: “Two – the Written Law and the Oral Law.” The non-Jew said: “About the Written Law, I believe you. About the Oral Law, I do not believe you. Convert me on condition that you will teach me the Written Law.” Shammai scolded him and sent him away angrily.