Hillel is something that we all have most likely scene and/or participated in during our times at college. Yet what is it? Jewishenyclopedia.com, that well-known source of Hebraic wisdom, recalls the rabbi Hillel, who taught his followers to imitate “his love of peace….his love of man…and…leading mankind to a knowledge of the Law.” Since the time of that rabbi, Hillel has evolved into an organization supporting Jewish life on campus, and is indeed much more than that, with its celebration of Jewish identity and bringing together of all elements of our religious life into a community. How does the organization match up to the rabbi?
The organization itself is devoted to helping “students find a balance in being distinctively Jewish and universally human,†as its website, www.hillel.org, declares. I doubt that distinction was made in the rabbi’s lifetime. Judaism in his time was his life—or what would develop into modern Judaism. The worshipping of G-d, the following of His teachings, and the furtherance of His community were what he tried to further, so that he became “embodiment of the religious and moral teachings of Judaism.†The rabbinic tradition of modern day owes much to him after the exile of the Jews from Israel—the maintenance of the moral teachings taught by the rabbis in select communities kept the Jewish tradition alive all over the world.
But what does it mean to be “distinctively Jewish and universally humanâ€? To me, it means maintaining a balance of oneself and of otherness. As Jews, we’re often conscious of the fact that we are, and have been, a minority for millennia. That fact and our distinctive religious practices mark us apart from others. Our Jewish identity is something that has been preserved for so long that it marks us as the heirs to the things that G-d promised Abraham and the forefathers of Israel. Indeed, we are “distinctively Jewish,†too, for we each follow our own brand of Judaism with a unique twist. One can be a follower of any number of divisions within the faith, but each individual has a personal relationship with G-d that one that echoes Jews of the past; each person is “distinctively Jewish” in their own way in their own take on the religion. Here, the teachings of the rabbi Hillel come into practice. He advocated leading men to a study of Jewish law—yet, no matter how many rabbis or sages would study the law, each interpretation would be different.
Individualism must exist, though, within the context of everyone else’s world. Being “universally human†means, to me, to be a part of the world at large. We cannot sequester ourselves in insular communities and must make ourselves part of the secular world to spread our good faith and good will. We must maintain peace, whether religious, political, or of any other kind, between different groups, all of which are just as human as we are. Forgive others’ faults and keep your own faith strong in order to follow the rabbi Hillel’s recommendation. True self-confidence in one’s faith and Jewish identity will promote a sense of harmony between groups without pressing that faith upon others; we can encourage others to maintain a sense of personal peace, too, of any kind.
The other command of the rabbi, to love one’s fellow man, echoes in the sense of community that Hillel does foster on campuses. Bringing Jews together from all different denominations in common practices, both secular and religious, can strip away apparent differences and emphasize the similarities between our student lives. I especially appreciate when the organization co-sponsors multi-cultural events with other religious or ethical groups; the sense of campus pride and student cooperation makes me proud to attend my school.
In the end, no one can follow every teaching letter-by-letter. Nor are those rules the only ones that Hillel espoused. But I think that, if he looked down at the organization that bears his name today, a lot of his followers would do him proud.
