I recently re-read a well-known quote from Rabbi Hillel, which pre-dated the Christian Golden Rule, "What is hateful to you do not do to another. The rest is commentary. Go and learn it."
The last statement puzzles me. Just what did he mean by and "Go and learn it?"

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"What is hateful to you do not do to another. The rest is commentary. Go and learn it."

I think it means to learn that verse. Here is an interesting take on it.

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Originally posted by Geoff:
"What is hateful to you do not do to another. The rest is commentary. Go and learn it."
The last statement puzzles me. Just what did he mean by and "Go and learn it?"

I think that's an incomplete quote. My understanding is that quote was passed down orally for centuries before it was ever written down. That may account for the slight variations I've seen.

The Jewish Encyclopedia explains it this way:

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Love of man was considered by Hillel as the kernel of the entire Jewish teaching. When a heathen who wished to become a Jew asked him for a summary of the Jewish religion in the most concise terms, Hillel said: "What is hateful to thee, do not unto thy fellow man: this is the whole Law; the rest is mere commentary" (Shab. 31a). With these words Hillel recognized as the fundamental principle of the Jewish moral law the Biblical precept of brotherly love (Lev. xix. 18).

On another site, an article titled "Babylonian Talmud: Tractate Shabbath Folio 31a" tells it this way:

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On another occasion it happened that a certain heathen came before Shammai and said to him, 'Make me a proselyte, on condition that you teach me the whole Torah while I stand on one foot.' Thereupon he repulsed him with the builder's cubit which was in his hand. When he went before Hillel, he said to him, 'What is hateful to you, do not to your neighbour: that is the whole Torah, while the rest is the commentary thereof; go and learn it.'

Wikipedia has an article, "The Golden Rule," which says:

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• The concept of the Golden Rule originates most famously in a Torah verse (Hebrew: "ואהבת לרעיך כמוך"):
  
  You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against your kinsfolk. Love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.
  —Leviticus 19:18, the "Great Commandment"
  
  
• The Sage Hillel, an elder contemporary of Jesus of Nazareth, formulated a negative form of the golden rule. When asked to sum up the entire Torah concisely, he answered:
  
  That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. That is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation; go and learn.
  —Talmud, Shabbat 31a, the "Great Principle"

The Wikipedia article, Hillel the Elder, says:

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The comparative response to the challenge of a Gentile who asked that the Torah be explained to him while he stood on one foot, illustrates the character differences between Shammai and Hillel. Shammai dismissed the man. Hillel said: "What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow: this is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation; go and learn" (Shab. 31a). Hillel recognized brotherly love as the fundamental principle of Jewish moral law. (Lev. xix. 18).

The Wikipedia article, The Golden Rule," quoted Leviticus 19:18. The Jewish Virtual Library quotes it slightly different:

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Vayikra - Leviticus
Chapter 19
18 Thou shalt not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am HaShem.

Interesting, Tinman. It sounds like the go and learn might be more general...such as in "go and learn the Torah."

I'm rather intrigued how Shammai happened to have a builder's cubit in his hand. A cubit was a measure of length so I assume that a builder's cubit was what we'd call a yardstick or rule. Was he doing some DIY at the time, or did he carry it for the express purpose of beating off impertinent goyim? I suppose he could have been a builder, but it hardly seems the sort of occupation for a revered (and presumably elderly) scholar.

The image of the would-be proselyte standing on one leg while learning the teachings is also distinctly comical.

I don't think there's much doubt (for me, anyway) about what Hillel intended. Asked to sum up the teachings of the Talmud he replied about not doing to others what you wouldn't do to yourself. All the rest is elaboration, which you need to go away and learn.

It's interesting that he expressed the "Golden Rule" in a negative form - not doing to others what you wouldn't do to yourself - rather than Jesus' version: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you".

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I'm rather intrigued how Shammai happened to have a builder's cubit in his hand

It may have been a Rubik's cubit.

Shammai ran his own school. He probably carried around his (golden) ruler (builder's cubit) to discipline his students when they pestered him with questions. He differed philosophically from Hillel, and he succeeded Hillel as president of the Sanhedrin after the latter died.

I agree with Kalleh, that it refers to the Torah (literally, the Law). As with many students, there is a tendency to want a quick education. The heathen in the story wanted Torah for Dummies version of Judaism (the executive overview). So, Hillel chose one verse (Lev 19:18) as the law, and said the rest is commentary, which you should go and read now and learn the rest. Interestingly enough, the Talmud is a commentary on the Mishnah, which is a commentary on the Torah. So, it's commentaries all the way down ...

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This message has been edited. Last edited by: zmježd,

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Originally posted by zmježd:
Shammai ran his own school. He probably carried around his (golden) ruler (builder's cubit) to discipline his students when they pestered him with questions.

A tradition picked up by Catholic school nuns, I hear.

I asked for exegesis and I got it! Thanks, y'all! Not that I'm any less perplexed. Now let's see - where did I leave my copy of Maimonides?