Our Gemara on Amud Beis continues the discussion from the previous daf regarding potentially idolatrous practices that can turn a slaughter into a pagan sacrifice, or give the appearance of such. Our Gemara mentions an entity known as the “Ministering Angel of the Sea.” As we discussed on yesterday’s daf, Judaism has traditions about these entities, and acknowledging their existence is not idolatrous; though treating them as a deity is forbidden.

Who was the “Ministering Angel of the Sea”? He makes an interesting appearance in the famous Aggadah about Solomon’s quest for the elusive Shamir. The Shamir was a worm-like creature that had the ability to cut through stone. This was important because King Solomon needed to build the Temple, but was not allowed to use iron or metal utensils to cut the stone, as they were regarded as instruments of warfare and anathema to the Temple. The Gemara Gittin (68b) tells us that the Shamir was entrusted to the Ministering Angel of the Sea. We are told that this Ministering Angel entrusted the Shamir to the wild rooster, known as the Duchifas, who was sworn to safeguard and return it. Why does the Duchifas need the Shamir? The Gemara tells us that it takes the Shamir to barren mountain and rocky areas so as to make cracks in the rocks and plant seeds. This allows vegetation to grow and support civilization’s penetration into previously uninhabited areas.

Solomon was able to trick the Duchifas by covering its nest with a glass enclosure. The Duchifas saw its young behind the glass and could not get to its young so it used the Shamir to dissolve the barrier. Once Solomon saw the Shamir he was able to grab it for his own use. The Duchifas was so distraught for having failed to fulfill his oath to safeguard the Shamir that she commits suicide.

What does this Aggadah mean? It occurs to me that this is a parable about the appropriate use of technology. Let us note a number of data points and see how it all comes together.

1. There is tension between the directive to construct an elaborately engineered object, the Temple, which requires technology and ambition (aggression), which are contrary to the spirit of worship and humility. The compromise is this enigmatic creature that somehow splits stone without using metals.

2. The agent entrusted with the Shamir is the Ministering Angel of the Sea, who midrashically represents a primordial force that wants to cover the earth and obliterate civilization. Only by God’s directive, the sea petulantly recedes. In fact the Gemara Bava Basra (74b) reports that God had to kill this Angel in order to subdue it. Sefer Haikkarim (Maamar IV:8) also speaks of the sea as this force that runs contrary to civilization and a reminder to mankind of their temporary nature and existence by grace of God.

3. Consistent with this idea, the Duchifas uses the Shamir to bring civilization to uninhabited areas.

4. The downfall of the Duchifas was that she used the Shamir for personal purposes to access her young, a selfish act that misused the sacred function.

I believe the story of the Shamir is the story of Solomon. The Maharsha (Gittin ibid) says that humans could not be entrusted with the Shamir as they would misuse and override the “technology,” thereby destroying mountains and destroying the natural order. Solomon was a wise king and leader in a time of prosperity who sometimes let his ambition and power overtake him (Sanhedrin 20b). The Temple was a grand undertaking and required economic and technological prowess. However, even with its grandeur it shunned the use of metals that were reminiscent of weapons and aggression. Technology must be used with caution in service of Godly and civilized aims without getting carried away.