Midrasch zu Bamidbar 3:10

7...

Our Rabbis taught: A man shall always be as patient as Hillel and not as excitable as Shammai. Once it happened that two men laid a wager with one another (Fol. 31a) that whichever would succeed in putting Hillel out of temper should receive four hundred zouzim "I shall go and put him out of temper." said one. It was on Friday afternoon, and Hillel was washing Himself, when the man passed by the door of his house, shouting: "Does Hillel live here? Does Hillel live here?" Hillel wrapped his mantle round him and went out to meet him. "My son," he said to him, "what do you wish?" "I have a question to ask," was the reply. "Ask, my son, ask,"' said Hillel. "Why are the heads of the Babylonians round?" the man asked. "A great question hast thou asked, my son. Because they have no trained midwives." The man went away and after a while, returned calling out, "Does Hillel live here? Does Hillel live here?" Hillel again wrapped his mantle round him and went out to meet him. "My son," he said, "what do you wish?" "A great question have I to ask," he said. "Ask, my son, ask," said Hillel. "Why are the, people of Tarmod (Palmyra) weak-eyed?" asked he. Hillel said: "Thou hast asked a great question. Because they live in a sandy country." The man went away, and after waiting a while, came back shouting: "Does Hillel live here? Does Hillel live here?" Hillel wrapped his mantle round him and went out to meet him. "My son," he said, "what do you wish?" "I have a question to ask." said the man. "Ask. my son, ask.," said Hillel. "Why are the feet of the Africans so broad?" "Thou hast asked a great question! Because they live in marshy land." "I have many more questions to ask," said the man, "but I am afraid lest I shall make thee angry." Hillel, drawing his mantle around him, sat down before the man, saying to him: "All the questions thou hast to ask, please ask." "Art thou Hillel," said he., "who is called Prince of Israel?" "Yes," answered Hillel. "If thou art the one, then I pray there may not be many more in Israel like thee." "Why is that, my son?" asked Hillel. "Because," said the man, "I have lost four hundred zouzim through thee." "Be cautious with thy temper," said Hillel. "Better is it that thou shouldst lose four hundred zouzim, and four hundred more zouzim, but that Hillel should not become excited." Our Rabbis taught that a heathen once came before Shammai and said: "How many Torahs have you?" Shammai replied: "We have two; the written Torah and the oral Torah." The heathen then said to him: "In the written Torah I believe thee, but in the oral Torah I do not believe thee. Make me, therefore, a proselyte on condition that you teach me the written Torah only." Shammai rebuked him sharply and sent him away angry. The heathen then appeared before Hillel, and the latter made him a proselyte. On the first day, Hillel taught him the Aleph, Beth, Gimel, Daleth. On the morrow, Hillel reversed the order of these letters (beginning with the last letter). "Thou didst not teach me so yesterday," said the proselyte to him. "True," said Hillel. "Dost thou not rely upon me? Why then dost thou not rely upon me with the oral Torah?" On another occasion it happened that a heathen appeared before Shammai and said: "Convert me to Judaism but on condition that thou teachest me the whole Torah, while I am standing upon one leg." Shammai drove him off with the builder's cubit (measure) which he held in his hand. Then the heathen appeared before Hillel, and he made him a proselyte, and said unto him: "That which is hateful to thee do not do unto thy neighbor, this is the whole Torah, and the rest is merely its commentary." Again it happened that while a heathen passed by the rear of a synagogue he heard the voice of a scribe who was saying, And these are the garments which they shall make; a breast-plate and an Ephod and a robe. (Ex. 28, 4). "For whom are these?" asked the heathen. "For the High Priest," replied the scribe." So the heathen said to himself: "I shall go and become a proselyte on condition that I be made a High Priest." He came before Shammai and said to him: "Make me a proselyte upon condition that you make me a High Priest." Shammai drove him away with the builders cubit which he held in his hand. The heathen then came before Hillel; the latter made him a proselyte, and said to him: "Is it possible for one to be made a king unless he knows the court ceremonials? Go, study first the court ceremonials." The proselyte thereupon went and learned the Torah. When he came to the passage (Num. 3, 10.) And the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death, he asked: "For whom is that passage meant?" "Even for David, the King of Israel," Hillel replied. Then the proselyte came to the following conclusion: "If for Israelites, who are called the sons of God and who on account of God's love shown to them, were called (Ex. 4. 22), My son, my first-born, Israel, a warning is written, And the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death, how much more does this apply to the mere proselyte who came with but his staff and traveling bag?" He went to Shammai and said to him: "Am I then eligible to be a High Priest? Behold! It is written in the Torah, And the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death." He then went to Hillel and said to him: "O thou forbearing Hillel, may blessings rest upon thy head, because thou hast brought me under the wings of the Shechina." Later all the three proselytes happened to meet in one place and they said: "Oh, the impatience of Shammai could drive us out of this world, but the patience of Hillel brought us under the wings of the Shechina!"