Hiram, king of Tyre, the Phoenician ruler who had once sent cedar and skilled craftsmen to his friend Solomon (1 Kings 5:1), grew so rich that he tried to build heaven for himself. The legend in the Ma'aseh Book describes the result in detail, floor by floor.
Hiram erected seven artificial heavens on iron pillars. The first was made of clear glass, in which he set a sun, a moon, and stars. The second was iron, with a lake of water suspended inside it. The third was tin, across which precious stones could be rolled to mimic the rumble of thunder. The fourth was lead, the fifth copper, the sixth silver, the seventh gold. On top of the seventh sat a couch of gold, pearls, and gemstones.
Whenever Hiram wanted to stage a storm, he set the stones rolling in the third heaven and the thunder echoed. When he wanted lightning, he moved the couch above, and the precious gems scattered beams of scintillating light. He had built himself a private cosmos in which he could play God from a throne.
The prophet Ezekiel, the legend says, was carried up to Hiram in a vision to deliver the verdict. Ezekiel prophesied (Ezekiel 28:2), Yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God. Although you have been promised long life, said the prophet, you will not live forever. The seven heavens will rust, the lake will drain, the stones will stop rolling. You are a man.
This exempla from The Exempla of the Rabbis (Gaster, 1924), drawn from the Ma'aseh Book, turns Hiram's wealth into a parable. You can build a ceiling of gold, but heaven does not open because you ask it to.