Vision for Conservative Early Childhood Programs: A Journey Guide

While Standing on One Foot: A Story of Talmud Torah (Jewish study)
A very, very long time ago, in Jerusalem, lived two great
rabbis named Hillel and Shammai. They spent their days
teaching students the Torah and its laws. Like all teachers,
they had different ways of teaching their students. Hillel
was very patient and Shammai was very strict.
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One day a stranger came to Shammai’s school. This man was not Jewish, but he had a
question he wanted to ask the rabbi. Shammai was teaching a lesson and was annoyed
when the man interrupted him. “Can’t you see that I am in the middle of teaching this
lesson to my students?” he said. The man apologized, but said that he was traveling
through Jerusalem and did not have much time. He wanted Shammai to teach him the
meaning of the whole Torah while he stood on one foot! Shammai was shocked and told
the man it was impossible to learn all the laws and wisdom of the Torah while standing
on one foot. “Silly man,” he yelled. “Torah is much too important to learn so quickly in
such a foolish way! Go away!”
The stranger went to see Hillel, and he asked the same thing. “I am only here in
Jerusalem for a very short time,” he said. “Could you
teach me all the laws and wisdom of your Torah
while I stand here on one foot?”
Hillel was very surprised at the man’s request. He
thought about it for a minute and said to the man, “I
never have been asked to do something like this. I
have spent my whole life trying to understand the
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laws and wisdom of the Torah. But if I were to explain it while you stand on one foot this
is what I would say: What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. That is the whole
Torah, the rest is the explanation. Now go and study.”
The man was so happy with Hillel’s simple answer that he decided to stay and learn
more.
For class discussion:
1. How do you like to learn? Do you prefer a teacher who is patient or a teacher who
is strict?
2. Do you think Rabbi Hillel gave the man a good answer? Why or why not?
3. What do you think is important in the Torah?
4. Why would the man want to learn more from Rabbi Hillel?
For class life:
1. Invoke Hillel’s Golden Rule when there is strife in the classroom. For example:
“Jonah, I can see that Sarah does not like to be pushed. Do you like to be pushed?
No? Do you remember Hillel’s Golden Rule from the Torah? Hillel reminds you
that you don’t like to be pushed, so you should not push your friends. Let’s find a
better way for you to tell Sarah that you think it is your turn to ride the bike.”
Vision for Conservative Early Childhood Programs: A Journey Guide
USCJ Department of Education
Maxine Handelman
Handelman@uscj.org
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