Hillel was a famous Jewish religious teacher who lived in Jerusalem during the time of King Herod around the beginning of the Common Era (d. 10-20 C.E.). He is one of the most important figures in Jewish history, associated with both the Mishnah and the Talmud. He was the founder of what was later known as the Beit Hillel ("House of Hillel"), a major and eventually dominant school of rabbinical thought.
Known for his mild and open-hearted approach to interpreting the spirit of the law, Hillel and his followers engaged in an often bitter battle against the strict-minded disciples of Shammai, Hillel's younger contemporary and successor as the president of the Sanhedrin, or ruling Jewish council. From about 80 C.E. until about the fifth century of the Common Era, Hillel's disciples formed an intellectual dynasty that determined much of the character of later Judaism.
