Simeon the Just שמעון הצדיק
High Priest, the last of the men of the Great Assembly
Shimon HaTzadik stands in Avot immediately after the men of the Great Assembly: «Shimon the Just was of the remnants of the Great Assembly. He used to say: on three things the world stands — on Torah, on the service, and on acts of kindness.» It is among the most quoted sentences in Judaism.
He served as High Priest for some forty years. The Talmud lists the signs that occurred in the Temple in his lifetime and ceased at his death: the Yom Kippur lot came up in the right hand, the crimson thread turned white, and the western lamp burned continuously.
The famous story of his meeting with Alexander the Great belongs to around 3448. As the Greek army approached Jerusalem, Shimon went out in his priestly vestments, and the king dismounted and bowed, telling his officers he had seen this figure in a vision before each victory. The Temple was spared.
The Talmud also records his words about Nazirites, and his single exception: a shepherd boy who took the vow out of fear of his own vanity.