Aggadah, World Weary

For two and a half years the rival Talmudic schools of Shammai and of Hillel debated the question but they could not resolve it. The adherents of Shammai argued that it would have been far better for man had he never been created. The followers of Hillel maintained that it was good that man had been created. Finally, both schools concluded their controversy on a compromise: that it would have been far better for man had he never been created, but, since he is already here on earth, it is his obligation to make the best of it and live uprightly.

Aggadah | Orach Chayim | Home