Hillel (the Elder)

According to traditional biographies, Hillel was born in Babylon and lived to 120 years of age. On his father’s side, Hillel is said to have descended from the Tribe of Benjamin, and from his mother’s side, he descended from the family of David. At age 40, Hillel went to Jerusalem and spent 40 years in study there; for the remainder of his life, he acted as the spiritual head of the Jewish people. Hillel founded the House of Hillel School for Tannaïm (Sages of the Mishnah) and is also associated with the development of the Talmud, Rabbinic Judaism’s central text.