Who knows where the shamir is found? Who knows what shamir is? Nobody knows? No problem! Even King Solomon, the wisest of the wise, had never heard of any Shamir.
When King Solomon decided to build a Temple in Jerusalem, he ordered huge stones to be delivered for construction. The stones were delivered, but the problem is: how to process them? How to cut into pieces? After all, these sacred stones could not be cut with a knife, sawed with a saw, or chopped with an ax. What to do? One advisor advised the king:
“I heard people say that there is such a thing in the world, a stone - not a stone, an animal - not an animal, only the size of a barley grain. It's called Shamir. He is very strong - this shamir. Easily chews stones, glass and even iron into pieces.
“Find this shamir and deliver it to the construction of the Temple,” King Solomon ordered.
Many royal servants set out in search. They searched and searched, but never found it, because no one knew where the magic shamir was.
Then the adviser turned to the king again:
“I heard people say that there is a cave near the city of Ashkelon, and in that cave live eighty sorceresses.” Maybe they know where to find shamir.
King Solomon equipped his chief commander, the hero Bnayag, the son of Igoyad, and with him eighty heroes on a campaign for the magic shamir. The heroes set out on their journey. Everyone took with them a large dark blanket and a jug. The blankets were folded into jugs, and the jugs were carried on their heads and covered with them from the rain, because the day was cloudy and rainy. The heroes came to Ashkelon, stopped opposite the entrance to the cave of the witches, and Bnayahu the hero said:
- Listen to me carefully: when I whistle once, throw the covers over yourself. I’ll whistle a second time - everyone go into the cave and invite the witches to dance. During the dance, the sorceresses must be lifted and lifted off the ground, because everyone knows that they are only strong as long as their feet touch the ground. And when they lose their evil power, ask them about shamir.
This is what Bnayahu said to his heroes, then he looked into the cave and shouted loudly:
- Oim! Oim! ——exactly what sorcerers and witches call each other.
-Who's there? - came from the depths of the cave.
- I am a sorcerer, just like you! - Bnayahu answered, - I am the son of Britchen. Let me in!
One sorceress looked out of the cave, examined Bnayaha from head to toe and asked:
“Where did you come here from, so dry and clean, when it’s raining outside?”
“I ran between the raindrops,” answered Bnayahu.
- Why did you come here? - asked the witch.
- Study and teach. Learn all sorts of magic from you and teach you some new things.
The sorceress opened the door for him, Bnayagu the hero entered the cave, and there it was pitch black and eighty sorceresses hid. But Bnayahu was not afraid, because he was a hero and a hero and really wanted to get the shamir.
“Now let’s see what you can do,” Bnayahu said to the sorceresses. The sorceresses perked up and began to show their skills. The cave was immediately filled with beautifully set tables, and on the tables were all kinds of food and drinks in luxurious vessels. A magical aroma spread around.
- Well, what about you? What can you do? - the witches were worried.
- I? Well, you have prepared all sorts of food and drinks here. And I will whistle twice, and eighty good fellows will appear, they will sing and dance with you, and we will have a huge feast.
The witches were delighted and let’s ask Bnayagu to quickly invite his fellows. Bnayagu whistled once - the fellows heard and threw their blankets over themselves. He whistled a second time - the fellows entered the cave. Out of nowhere, music started playing, every young man invited the witch, and everyone began to dance madly. And when the witches danced with all their might, the fellows lifted them up with strong arms and asked:
-Where is Shamir? Tell us where to find shamir? And the sorceresses could not do anything bad to them at that moment and said:
- We don't have it. But Asmodeus is the king of devils, he knows about it. Far, far from here, among the dark mountains, he dug himself a well and every evening he comes there to drink.
The fellows heard this, thanked the sorceresses and went to look for Asmodeus. They walked for a long time. Their path was difficult. The fellows were very tired and could not continue the hike. Then Bnayahu the hero went alone to the cherished place. He took with him jugs of wine, an iron chain and a ring with the name of God.
How long or short did Bnayagu the hero walk, he descended into a valley among the dark mountains and found the well of Asmodeus there. So what did Bnayahu do? He poured wine from jugs into the well, covered the well with a stone, climbed a tree and waited. In the evening Asmodeus came. He was very thirsty, threw back the stone and in one gulp blew out the entire contents of the well to the bottom. The wine went to his head, he fell to the ground and immediately fell asleep. Then Bnayahu climbed down from the tree and tied Asmodeus with a thick iron chain. Asmodeus woke up, let’s kick with his feet, scratch with his claws, but he can’t do anything, because Bnayahu has a magic ring.
“Give me a shamir for the construction of the Temple, and I will free you,” he said.
- Shamir is not with me. “He is with the King of the Sea,” Asmodeus answered.
Bnayahu took off the chains from Asmodeus and set off on the road to look for the King of the Sea.
Bnayag the hero had to travel a long way before he reached the seashore. Bnayagu the hero tied himself with a thick rope and began to little by little descend to the dwelling of the King of the Sea. He went down for a long time, and suddenly heard a cry:
- Where?! Stop now!
Huge waves came running, broke the rope and threw Bnayaha ashore, because the peace of the King of the Sea must not be disturbed.
What did Bnayahu the hero do? He built a glass chamber, climbed into it, closed it and began to plunge into the depths of the sea. He sank deeper and deeper until he finally reached it. King of the Sea - lord of the waves and fish of the sea.
The King of the Sea became agitated and furious and asked menacingly:
-What do you want here? Don’t you know that it is forbidden for the son of man to descend into the depths of the sea?
“I came here because I have to find the shamir.” Without him, it is impossible to build the Temple of God,” Bnayahu the hero bravely answered.
“I don’t have a shamir,” the King of the Sea softened. — The Big Eagle that lives on the top of the highest mountain is guarding the shamir.
He thanked Bnayagu the King of the Sea and began to emerge. He floated until he reached land and went to a high mountain.
Here is a high, steep mountain, like a wall. It goes far beyond the clouds. Bnayahu the hero began to climb it. He climbed all the way to the clouds, but couldn’t go any further. Then he harnessed thirty mighty eagles to a chariot made of clouds, sat down in the chariot and the eagles carried him to such a height that the Earth below was like a ball, and the sea like a saucer of water. Bnayahu the hero looked around at the top, saw the Great Eagle’s nest and began to approach it.
- Who disturbs the peace of my chicks? - Big Eagle asked menacingly. “Don’t you know that the person who climbed up here will never come back down?”
Bnayahu the hero answered him:
“I was sent here to get shamir to build the Temple of God.” Many miracles have already happened to me. I am sure that this time the Almighty will not leave me.
“Well, if that’s the case, I have the shamir,” said Big Eagle, “but I can’t give it to you.” I swore I wouldn't give it to the man.
- What are you doing with this shamir? - asked Bnayagu.
“I take a small shamir and put it on a bare rock, where neither grass nor trees grow. A moment later, a crack forms in the rock. Then I bring here the seeds of trees, herbs and flowers, sow them into these cracks, and soon the rock will bloom with greenery and flowers,” explained Big Eagle and refused to give the shamir to Bnayag the hero.
What did Bnayahu the hero do then? When the Great Eagle flew off to get food for its chicks, Bnayahu blocked the entrance to the nest with a sheet of white glass. Then he climbed a tree and waited. The Big Eagle flew in and wanted to feed its chicks, but that was not the case - the entrance to the nest was closed with glass. The Big Eagle immediately flew and brought a shamir in its beak. Bnayahu the hero looked at the shamir and saw a tiny creature, no larger than a grain of barley and gray in appearance. Big Eagle placed the shamir on the surface of the glass, and Bnayahu took and threw a small pebble onto the glass. Shamir jumped and fell at the foot of the tree on which Bnayahu the hero was sitting. Big Eagle wanted to grab the shamir, but Bnayagu the hero got ahead of him. He jumped from the tree and snatched the shamir from the Eagle's claws. And Big Eagle could not do anything with him, because on his finger there was a ring with the name of God.
When Bnayahu the hero was descending from the mountains, a strong earthquake began, and Bnayahu the hero found himself in a gorge, surrounded on all sides by blind rocks. Bnayahu the hero was not at a loss, he placed a magic shamir on the rock, and the rock split in two. Bnayahu climbed into the crevice and descended into the valley, carrying the shamir with him.
Bnayag the hero had to go a long way until he reached Jerusalem and appeared before King Solomon. The builders placed a small shamir on large stones, and the shamir instantly chewed them up as planned.
Time passed, and a Temple grew in Jerusalem, beautiful in its perfection and splendor. Its walls were made of large and beautiful stones, covered with greenish-blue marble. Its gates were made of pure gold. The courtyards and halls in the Temple are spacious. Gold lamps, decorated with flowers and leaves, forged from gold. This Temple was beautiful in every corner and every shrine.
And thanks to whom was the Temple built? Thanks to King Solomon, who conceived it. Thanks to the craftsmen who erected and decorated it. And thanks to Bnayag the hero, he obtained a magical shamir, only the size of a barley grain, but with the help of which the Temple was built.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru