THE STONES OF THE HOLY TEMPLE
When King Solomon built the first Holy Temple, he built it from hewn stones. Halacha (Jewish law) teaches us that when we build the Holy Temple, it is appropriate that the Temple and its courtyards be built only with perfectly hewn stones, just as it was by Solomon.
How were the stones of Solomon's Temple hewn?
Iron was not used in the construction of the Holy Temple during the days of Solomon. This prohibition against using iron is stated in the Torah specifically regarding the altar, as we read in Exodus 20:22:
"And when you make for Me an altar of stones, you shall not build them of hewn stones, lest you wield your sword upon it and desecrate it.”
Iron, from which swords were fashioned, was considered to symbolize violence, and therefore implements made of iron were forbidden in the construction of the stone altar. As Rashi puts it, "the altar was created to lengthen man’s days, and iron was created to shorten man’s days [because it is used to make swords].”
King Solomon, however, took this ban on iron one step further and didn't allow the use of iron for hewing the stones used in the Temple itself. So how were the stones of the Temple fashioned?
One tradition holds that a worm-like creature known as the shamir was used for the cutting of the stone blocks used in the Temple. According to Midrash, the shamir was one of ten unique things created by G-d on the sixth day of creation, just before sunset and the onset of Shabbat. The shamir had the power to cut through stones and metals simply by gazing upon them. Solomon sent his artisans on a search for the shamir, which was the size of a barleycorn. The shamir worms were then shown the slabs of stone that needed cutting. The stones were marked where they were to be cut and the shamir, eyes focused on the markings, cut the stones with its laser-like gaze.
Some say that the shamir was also employed to engrave the names of the twelve tribes on the gemstones of the Kohen Gadol's (High Priest's) breastplate.
Others say that King Solomon simply had the Temple stones cut with iron implements before transporting them to the Temple Mount.
In any case, the shamir has since disappeared from the world.
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