Tonight, I would like to return to  the primary sources that back up the previous segment, which included the  struggle Hillel experiences regarding accepting help from his brother. The story  about Shebna and Hillel and their sharing of wealth and learning is surrounded  by many legends and there are numerous interpretations of the meaning of the  behavior of the two brothers. However, in the Talmud itself it is mentioned only  in passing, at the last paragraph of Folio 21a, Tractate Sotah.  To me it seems that it is not pretending to be historically accurate, but  that rather it is meant to show that the merit of learning cannot be bought. 
 
                                                      Tractate  Sotah, Folio  21a

 if there may be a lengthening of  thy tranquility,1 and it is written: All this  came upon king Nebuchadnezzar,2 and it is written: At the end  of twelve months!'3 — [The teaching is] certainly  R. Ishmael's and he found a verse which mentions [the period] and repeats it;  for it is written: Thus saith the Lord: For three transgressions of  Edom.4 But why [was it said] that  although there is no proof of this, yet there is some  indication?5 — It may be  different with heathens upon whom [God] does not execute judgment immediately. 

What would you do if a person  you trusted entirely, with all your heart, a  person whom you thought you understood completely, a person you respected and  even admired, turned out, all  of a sudden, to be very different? What if he/she  proved to be not only a liar,  but a fool? What if your discovery was of  something terrible that he/she allowed  the whole world to see, thinking that  it’s okay since he/she was above  criticism or reproach? How would you react,  what do you think you would you do?

You could lie awake at  night,  crying, or worse, not being able to cry, just hurting and hurting until  the  first rays of the sun would come through the window and you would get up  and  drag yourself to attend to the dark day ahead. You could do it night after   night, but that will not help you at all. Would Hillel recommend it? No, he   would not. He would tell you that you should not allow your self esteem to die   because of the actions of another person. At least that is what I think. What do  you think?

What about revenge? Yes, you could do an enormous damage to this person, and for a few moments you will experience relief from the pain he/she caused you. But it won’t last. The joy of revenge is temporary and in the end it brings more pain. Would Hillel advise it? No. His major principle was “Do not unto others what you would not have them do unto you.” That means, in plain language, “Don’t hurt anyone.” So he would fiercely object to revenge. I am sure of that, but I may be wrong. What do you think?

I think he would advise you to  get away from the  person who hurt you. Take the person out of your life fully,  without  hesitation, without doubt, without regret. Even if you feel that you  can’t,  that you are addicted to this person’s company, tear him/her out of your   system, cold turkey. Yes, it would be very hard, but I cannot see Hillel   recommending any other road. What do you think? 

What do you think?

“It’s a stone house,” said Penina, “sturdy and nice. I  like it very much.” She was carrying a plate of flat bread, and Simeon, walking  behind her very carefully, held a jar of olives tightly in his two little  hands. They placed the food on the center of the mat spread on the floor. A  plate of lentils mashed in olive oil and mixed with spices and vinegar was  already set there, surrounded by some greens.  They sat down to their breakfast on the second story, the area where the  family usually lived in this type of home. The lower level was devoted to  storage, and also for the care and feeding of domestic animals, if the family  owned them. 
             
“We have figs for dessert!”  Simeon said proudly. 

On his way to the Academy in the early hours of the  morning, Hillel noticed that the light has changed. The weather was still hot, but there was no doubt that autumn was on its way and the angle of the sun was  clearly lower. Normally he would be interested in weather patterns, would  speculate on the possibility of the first rain, the Yoré,  and would look forward with anticipation to botanical discoveries which had  interested him since childhood. But for days, all he could think about was the  imminent arrival of his family. The only time he was free of thoughts about them  was during study at the Academy, when his attention was so focused he felt  relief from the tension and worry about their safety on the road. He knew that  he really did not have to worry about a highway robbery, the way it happened to  him, because Shebna would never take any chances. He would arrange for the  family to join a caravan that attached itself to a group of Roman soldiers on  their way to Judea – and no robber in his right mind would attack the Romans. In  addition, Shebna, Penina, and Simeon were, to the best of his knowledge, in  excellent health. And yet he could not stop worrying, a mental state he had  never experienced before.

Due to unforeseeable circumstances (a euphemism for  horrible deadlines on several projects) I am sorry to say that Hillel and I will  not make our Sunday visit this week. Hopefully the dust will settle soon and we’ll be back, but if you feel like leaving insulting comments and calling me a  lazy writer, I’ll understand completely…