Commentary for Gittin 135:13

כי נקיט ליה ואתי מטא דיקלא חף ביה שדייה מטא לביתא שדייה מטא גבי כובא דההיא ארמלתא נפקא

He said to the Rabbis, How shall I manage [without iron tools]? — They replied, There is the shamir<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A fabulous worm which could cut through the sharpest stone. [So Maimonides, Aboth, v. 6. and Rashi, Pes. 54a, though none of the old Talmudic sources states explicitly whether the Shamir was a living creature or a mineral. The Testament of Solomon, however, seems to regard it as a stone. V. Ginzberg Legends, V, p. 55, n. 105, and VI, p. 299, n. 82, also Aboth, (Sonc. ed.) p. 63, n. 6.] ');">¹²</span> which Moses brought for the stones of the ephod. He asked them, Where is it to be found? — They replied, Bring a male and a female demon and tie them together; perhaps they know and will tell you. So he brought a male and a female demon and tied them together. They said to him, We do not know, but perhaps Ashmedai the prince of the demons knows. He said to them, Where is he? — They answered, He is in such-and-such a mountain. He has dug a pit there, which he fills with water and covers with a stone, which he then seals with his seal. Every day he goes up to heaven and studies in the Academy of the sky and then he comes down to earth and studies in the Academy of the earth, and then he goes and examines his seal and opens [the pit] and drinks and then closes it and seals it again and goes away. Solomon thereupon sent thither Benaiahu son of Jehoiada, giving him a chain on which was graven the [Divine] Name and a ring on which was graven the Name and fleeces of wool and bottles of wine. Benaiahu went and dug a pit lower down the hill and let the water flow into it<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' From Ashmedai's pit by means of a tunnel connecting the two. ');">¹³</span> and stopped [the hollow] With the fleeces of wool, and he then dug a pit higher up and poured the wine into it<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' So that it should flow into Ashmedai's pit. ');">¹⁴</span> and then filled up the pits. He then went and sat on a tree. When Ashmedai came he examined the seal, then opened the pit and found it full of wine. He said, it is written, Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whosoever erreth thereby is not wise,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Prov. XX, 1. ');">¹⁵</span> and it is also written, Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the understanding.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Hos, IV, 11. ');">¹⁶</span> I will not drink it. Growing thirsty, however, he could not resist, and he drank till he became drunk, and fell asleep. Benaiahu then came down and threw the chain over him and fastened it. When he awoke he began to struggle, whereupon he [Benaiahu] said, The Name of thy Master is upon thee, the Name of thy Master is upon thee. As he was bringing him along, he came to a palm tree and rubbed against it and down it came. He came to a house and knocked it down. He came to the hut of a certain widow. She came out

Explore commentary for Gittin 135:13. In-depth commentary and analysis from classical Jewish sources.