Rabbi Abba said in the name of Shmuel: For three years, the House of Hillel and the House of Shammai argued. One said, 'The halakha is like us,' and the other said, 'The halakha is like us.'A heavenly voice spoke:"These and these are the words of the living God, but the halakha is like the House of Hillel."

A question was raised: Since the heavenly voice declared: "Both these and those are the words of the Living God," why was the halacha established to follow the opinion of Hillel? Because the students of Hillel were pleasant and gracious. They taught their own ideas and the ideas from the House of Shammai.Not only for this reason, but they went so far as to teach Shammai's opinions first.

Like that which we taught: One whose head and majority of their body are in the Sukkah and their table is in the [adjacent] house - Beit Shammai said it is invalid, and Beit Hillel said it is valid.Beit Hillel said to Beit Shammai: Is there not a story in our hands that the elders of Beit Shamai and Beit Hillel went to visit Rabbi Yochanan ben HaChoranit, and they found him sitting with his head and majority of his body in the Sukkah and his table in the house? [Doesn't this imply it's permissible?]Beit Shammai said back to them:From there you bring a proof?Even they said to himthat if this is how you act, you never fulfilled the mitzvah of Sukkah in your life!

[This story is] to teach you that whoever degrades himself, the Holy Bountiful One raises them and whoever raises themself, the Holy Bountiful One degrades them.Whoever runs toward greatness, greatness flees from them and whoever flees from greatness, greatness runs toward them.Whoever uses their time wisely, the time stretches out, and whoever procrastinates, the time stands still.

It was taught in a baraita:For two-and-a-half years the Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel argued. These said:Better for humanity never to have been created than to have been created. And these said:Better for humanity to have been created that not to have been created.They counted and decided:Better for humanity never to have been created than to have been created. Now that they have been created, they should sift through their actions.And there are those who saythey should examine his actions.

Come and Hear: Though these forbid and these permit, Beit Shammai did not refrain from marrying women from Beit Hillel, nor did Beit Hillel [refrain from marrying women from] Beit Shammai.

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Come and hear: Although Beth Shammai and Beth Hillel are in disagreement on the questions of rival wives, sisters [in levirite marriages], an old bill of divorce, a doubtfully married woman, a woman whom her husband had divorced and who stayed with him over the night in an inn, money, valuables, a perutah and the value of a perutah, Beth Shammai did not, nevertheless, abstain from marrying women of the families of Beit Hillel, nor did Beit Hillel refrain from marrying those of Beth Shammai. This is to teach you that they showed love and friendship towards one another, thus putting into practice the verse: Love the truth and the peace. (Zechariah 8:19)

Rabbi Simon said: "When the time came for the Holy Bountiful One to create the first human being, the serving angels broke up into opposing groups. Some among them say: 'S/he should be created.' Some among them say: 'S/he should not be created.' This is what is written: 'Kindness and truth met; righteousness and peace kissed.' (Psalms 85:11)

Kindness says: 'Let humans be created because they will bestow kindnesses.'

Truth says: "Let humans not be created because they are entirely (made of) lies.'

Righteousness says: 'Let humans be created because they will do righteous acts.'

And peace says; 'Let humans not be created because they are entirely dissension.'

What did the Holy Bountiful One do? God took truth and flung it to the ground. Thus it is written: 'You will cast truth to the ground.' (Daniel 8:12)

The serving angels said before the Holy Bountiful One 'Master of worlds! Why do You despise Your seal of truth? Let truth rise from the ground as it is written: 'Truth will grow from the earth.' (Psalms 85:12)

Our Rabbis said in the name of Rabbi Hanina son of Rabbi Idi and Rabbi Pinchas and Rabbi Helkiyah in the name of Rabbi Simon: “Me’od” is human, as it is written: “And God say all that God did, and it was tov me’od / very good.”

Rabbi Hunah the rabbi of Tzippori said: "While the serving angels were arguing with one another and occupied with one another, the Holy Bountiful One created the first human."

God said to them: "Why are you debating? The human is already created."

Any dispute for the sake of Heaven will have enduring value, but any dispute not for the sake of Heaven will not have enduring value.

What is an example of a dispute for the sake of Heaven? the dispute between Hillel and Shamai. What is an example of one not for the sake of Heaven? the dispute of Korach and all his company.

(14) He [Rabbi Hillel] used to say: If I am not for me, who will be for me? And when I am for myself alone, what am I? And if not now, then when?

(17)You shall not hate your kinfolk in your heart. Reprove you kinsman but incur not guilt because of them. (18) You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against your countrymen. Love your fellow as yourself: I am the Eternal.

Rabbi Elazar said that Rabbi Ḥanina said: Torah scholars increase peace in the world, as it is said: “And all your children [banayikh] shall be taught of the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children” (Isaiah 54:13). If all the children of Israel are taught of the Lord, there will be peace for all.The Sages interpreted this verse homiletically: Do not read your children [banayikh], but your builders [bonayikh]. Torah scholars are those who build peace for their generation. As it is stated: “Those who love Your Torah have great peace; there is no stumbling block for them” (Psalms 119:165); and “May there be peace within your walls, prosperity within your palaces” (Psalms 122:7), because: “For the sake of my brothers and friends, I shall say: Peace be within you. For the sake of the House of the Lord, our God, I will seek your good” (Psalms 122:8–9), and “May the Lord give strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace” (Psalms 29:11).

It is taught in a baraita that Rabbi Yosei said: Initially, discord would not proliferate among Israel. Rather, the court of seventy-one judges would sit in the Chamber of Hewn Stone. And there were two additional courts each consisting of twenty-three judges; one would convene at the entrance to the Temple Mount, and one would convene at the entrance to the Temple courtyard. And all the other courts consisting of twenty-three judges would convene in all cities inhabited by the Jewish people.

If the matter was unclear and it was necessary to ask and clarify it, those uncertain of the halakha would ask the court that is in their city. If the members of the court heard a clear halakhic ruling with regard to that matter, they said it to them, and if not, they would come to a court that is adjacent to their city. If the members of the court heard a clear halakhic ruling with regard to that matter, they said it to them, and if not, they would come to the court at the entrance to the Temple Mount. If the members of the court heard a clear halakhic ruling with regard to that matter, they said it to them, and if not, they would come to the court at the entrance to the Temple courtyard.

And the elder whose ruling deviated from the ruling of his colleagues says: This is what I interpreted and that is what my colleagues interpreted; this is what I taught and that is what my colleagues taught. If the members of the court heard a clear halakhic ruling with regard to that matter, they said it to them, and if not, these judges and those judges would come to the Chamber of Hewn Stone, where the Sanhedrin would be convened from the time that the daily morning offering is sacrificed until the time that the daily afternoon offering is sacrificed.

And on Shabbatot and Festivals, when court is not in session, the members of the court would sit at the rampart. When a question was asked before them, if the members of the court heard a clear halakhic ruling with regard to that matter, they would say it to them, and if not they would stand for a vote on the matter. If the judges who deemed the item in question ritually impure outnumbered those who deemed it pure, the court would deem the item impure. If the judges who deemed the item in question ritually pure outnumbered those who deemed it impure, the court would deem the item pure.

From the time that the disciples of Shammai and Hillel grew in number, and they were disciples who did not attend to their masters to the requisite degree, dispute proliferated among the Jewish people and the Torah became like two Torahs. Two disparate systems of halakha developed, and there was no longer a halakhic consensus with regard to every matter.

The baraita continues its discussion of the workings of the Sanhedrin: From there, the Sanhedrin writes and dispatches the following statement to all places: Anyone who is wise and humble and the minds of people are at ease with him shall be a judge in his city. If he is successful in his city, from there, they promote him to the court at the entrance to the Temple Mount if there is a vacant seat on the court, and from there they promote him to the court at the entrance to the Temple courtyard, and from there to the court in the Chamber of Hewn Stone.

Apropos the appointment of judges, the Gemara relates that they sent the following statement from there, i.e., Eretz Yisrael: Who is the one destined to receive a place in the World-to-Come? It is one who is modest and humble, who bows and enters and bows and exits, and who studies Torah regularly, and who does not take credit for himself. The Sages cast their eyes on Rav Ulla bar Abba, as they perceived him as the embodiment of all these characteristics.

The mishna teaches: If the rebellious elder returned to his city and he taught in the manner that he was teaching previously, he is exempt from punishment, unless he instructs others to act on the basis of his ruling. The Sages taught: He is not liable unless he acts in accordance with his ruling, or he instructs others and they act in accordance with his ruling.

§ The Gemara discusses the ruling of Rabbi Yoḥanan: From where is this matter derived? Abaye says: As the verse states: “God has spoken once, twice I have heard this; that strength belongs to God” (Psalms 62:12). Abaye explains: One verse is stated by God and from it emerge several explanations, but one explanation does not emerge from several verses. Alternatively, the school of Rabbi Yishmael taught that the verse states: “Is not My word like as fire? says the Lord; and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces” (Jeremiah 23:29). Just as this hammer breaks a stone into several fragments, so too, one verse is stated by God and from it emerge several explanations.