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These two sages lived from about the end of the first century B.C.E. to the beginning of the first century C.E. During that time they laid the foundation of Rabbinic law. However, more often than not, the two rabbis disagreed in their interpretation of these laws. Both were leaders of the Sanhedrin or the Supreme Bet Din, the highest Jewish court that made legal and religious decisions. In most rulings Hillel was the more liberal or lenient of the two.

Little is known about Shammai's early life except that he was a builder by trade. He founded the great school named after him, Bet Shammai. This school took a conservative view of most matters. Hillel was a native Babylonian, though he spent his early days in Jerusalem, where he studied with Avtalyon and Shemaiah, leading teachers of the time. He was given the title of Elder (Zaken), a term denoting a person with a position of honor, usually a leader of the community or a member of the Sanhedrin.

Probably the most often cited disagreement between Hillel and Shammai came about when a non-Jew asked each man to teach him the Torah while standing on one foot. In anger, Shammai beat the man with his stick and sent him away. Hillel replied "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. That is the Torah; all the rest is commentary. Now go and study."

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