nly the Law but many languages of the Gentiles occupied the
active mind of Rabbi Jochanan. The following description of him is
handed down to us by tradition: "He had never been known to engage in
any profane conversation. He had always been the first to enter the
Academy. He never allowed himself, wittingly or unwittingly, to be
overtaken by sleep while in the Academy. He had never gone a distance
of four cubits without meditating on the Torah and without
phylacteries. No one ever found him engaged in anything but study. He
always lectured in person to his pupils. He never taught anything
which he did not hear from his masters. He had never been heard to say
that it was time to leave the Academy." He advised a certain family in
Jerusalem, the members of which died young, to occupy itself with the
study of the Torah, so as to mitigate the curse of dying in the prime
of life.

_Rabbi Jochanan as Teacher and Commentator_

Rabbi Jochanan ben Zakkai may be designated as the representative of
Halachic Judaism, founded by the great master Hillel, rather than as
an originator or independent thinker. Hillel, the most respected of
all the teachers of the Law, had given to Judaism a special garb and
form. He had drawn the Law from the midst of contending sects into the
quiet precincts of the Beth-Hamidrash, and labored to bring into
harmony those precepts which were apparently opposed to one another in
the Law. Rabbi Jochanan employed and developed Hillel's method. Like
Hillel, he was also liberal in his general views. Thus he seems to
have frequently engaged in discussions with heathens. And such was his
general affability and courtesy to all that no man was ever known to
have anticipated his salutations. The Haggadic tradition connects
numerous and various sayings with the name of Rabbi Jochanan. The
Haggadah was a peculiarly fascinating branch of study. Abounding in
brilliant sallies, displays of ingenuity, and wonderful stories, it
gave special scope for the cleverness and the rich imagination of the
lecturers. By it a Halachah might be illustrated, or a passage of
Scripture commented upon in a novel fashion. Without binding himself
to any strict exegetical principles, the Haggadist would bring almost
anything out of the text, and interweave his comment with legends. At
the same time, the Haggadah remained only the personal saying of the
individual teacher, and its value depended upon his learning and
reputation, or upon