Talk:Hillel the Elder/Comments

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DHC comments. It has not been made sufficiently clear what is the difference between the original version of the Rule and Hillels version. The original rule calls for almost saintly behavour between people living in close proximity. Whilst there are doubts as to the practically of this, the fact that it is not at all easy to love somebody from a great distance means that in this for the rule applies to ones neighbor rather than to ones fellow citizen.

However when one looks at Hillel's version or corrolory, namely not to do harm, the application can be a lot more wide-spread and still be very practical. Thus by avoiding the use of petreoleum combustion and CO2 emmissions one is helping the whole world, not just oneself or the surrounding community. This is not a possible effect if only the positive version of the rule were being followed. Thus Hillel's version is both more practical and also far more general. It applies to business ethics in a macroeconomic setting and (for example) would stop a person from holding land out of use for purposes of speculation, because in so doing he causes the competition to use the rest of the land to raise land prices and the its rent (ground-rent). Thus by the universal adoption Hillel's version of the rule there would be less poverty and unemployment.

The original version of the rule implies the need for giving charity. This when attempted on a national scale results in socialism and the welfare state. There are srtrong religious overtones to both of these views, which deserve attention in another article.

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The economic consequences of Hillel's corrolory to the Rule are a means of appreciating the differences between the original and Hillel's version. The original rule applies to a local community and it is therefore a micro-economic form of social behavour. However the Corrolory of Hillel is not limited to the surrounding community because (for example) by burning fuel and damaging the ozone layer and increasing the hot-house gasses effect etc., the action affects a far greater nubmer of people. Therefore Hillel's version of the Rule is a macro-economic instruction about behavour and as such is drastically changed. This is not the first example of where Hillel chose to change our "unchangable" Torah, the introduction of the Prosbul is the other case in point.