There is a Talmudic story of 3 gentiles who indivudually approached Shammai and Hillel desiring to convert to Judaism. The last of the three was passing by a house of study and heard a verse from this week's Torah reading, And these are the garments which they shall make: a breastplate, and an ephod and a robe and a checkered tunic, and a mitre and a girdle... (Exodus 28:4) The majesty of the clothing intrigued him and he asked “For whom are these?” “For the Kohen HaGadol” he was told. The non-Jew decided to convert to Judaism and went to Shammai and said, “Convert me on condition that you appoint me a Kohen HaGadol” – to which Shammai took a building ruler and drove the man away. The man then went to Hillel with the same request and Hillel converted him and then said to him that before a person can become king, he must learn the art of governance – go and study the laws. The convert learned that only someone born into the Priestly class may serve as the Kohen HaGadol. The convert went to Shammai to apologize for his earlier inappropriate demand; then he went to Hillel and said, “blessings rest on your head for bringing me under the wings of the Shechinah!” The three converts later met in one place and said, “Shammai's impatience sought to drive us from the world, but Hillel's gentleness brought us under the wings of Gd.”
