Entity · literary_object
The shamir in the Talmudic story
A reference page linking a name, group, or concept to the materials that discuss it.
A remarkable stone-cutting creature in Gittin 68's Temple-building story, not an identified archaeological tool.
Text
In Gittin 68a, Solomon asks how the Temple stones can be prepared without the sound of iron tools. The sages answer that a creature called the shamir can cut them. The search leads to Ashmedai, who says in 68b that a bird keeps it. [1]
The story says the bird splits rock with the shamir and that Solomon's servants obtain it by covering the bird's nest with glass. This is a narrative explanation of Temple building, not evidence that archaeologists have identified a stone-working technology called the shamir. [2]
References and notes
- The specified source portion only; this does not imply reading the entire book. Gittin 68a:7–10 read through public API. Return to the text ↑
- The specified source portion only; this does not imply reading the entire book. Gittin 68b:6–8 read through public API. Return to the text ↑
Research history
Substantive changes are retained here. Minor copy edits remain in the internal operational log.
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Cite this record
IL Archive, «The shamir in the Talmudic story», Edition 3, https://ilarchive.com/en/entities/shamir-talmud