Shabbat 31: Aggravating Hillel & Shammai, Torah on One Foot, Dying in Childbirth

We are told that Hillel is patient and Shammai is impatient.  A story is told about a person who bets 400 zuz that he can aggravate Hillel.  On erev Shabbat, interrupting Hillel from washing his hair, this person rudely says, "Who is Hillel?" and proceeds to ask an insulting question: while do Babylonians have oval heads (Hillel is a Babylonian).  Hillel says that this is a good questions and says it is because the midwives do not shape their heads well at birth.  The questioner waits an hour between each of the next three questions, each as rude as the first.  Hillel does not become agitated.

A person came to Shammai and asked how many Torahs there were.  Shammai responded that there were two, the Written Torah and the Oral Torah.  The person asked to be converted but only to learn the Written Torah, and Shammai kicked him out. That person went to Hillel, who agreed to convert him and taught him the aleph-bet.  The next day he taught the person the aleph-bet differently, and the person challenged him.  Hillel noted that the person had relied on him the day before and should rely on him now - the Oral Tradition must accompany the Written Torah.

One of the most famous quotations from the Talmud follows.  A person approaches Shammai and asks to be converted on the condition that Shammai teaches him the entire Torah while the person is standing on one foot.  Shammai pushes him out with a builder's cubit he is using.  Hillel converts this person, saying that "That which is hateful to you, do not do to another. That is the entire Torah, the rest is interpretation.  Go study."

More aggadot are shared, including a person who approaches Shammai and then Hillel, asking to be converted on the condition that he be installed as High Priest (after hearing about the High Priest's garments).   He is converted by Hillel who explains why he cannot be installed as High Preist.  

After a number of other discussions, we are introduced to a new Mishna that is connected to our previous conversation about lighting Shabbat lights.  It teaches that women can be punished and die in childbirth for three transgressions:

• if they are not careful in the halacha regarding menstruation
• if they do not properly separate the challah from dough
• if they do not light the Shabbat lamp

The Gemara very briefly begins to share rabbis' thoughts about the meanings behind this statement.