Hillel: Jewish rabbinical teacher, 30 BC - 10 AD, considered in his time as the foremost master of biblical commentary and interpretation of Jewish tradition.  Hillel was born in Babylonia, but as a young man he went to Palestine to continue his studies under the Pharisees.  He is represented in accounts of his life as a person of exemplary virtues, a model of patience, a fervent advocate of peaceful conduct, a lover of all men, a diligent student, a persuasive teacher, a man of thorough and cheerful trust in God, and the most considerate of hosts.  While he is not described as the originator of rules to guide the student in the interpretation of the Holy Scriptures, Hillel is certainly one of the most influential scholars of the Talmud.  The rules he applied were to serve as the basis for more elaborate rules in the 2nd century, and as the head of a school called the House of Hillel, he succeeded in gaining wide acceptance for his approach, which is seen as having liberated texts and law from literal and too strict interpretation.

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