We talked before about how King Solomon, wisest of men, tricked Asmodeus into revealing the secret of the shamir, the magical worm that could cut stone for the building of the Temple (Ginzberg, Legends of the Jews, Vol. 4). But the story doesn’t end there. Solomon, never one to miss an opportunity, kept Asmodeus around even AFTER the Temple was finished.

Can you imagine the chutzpah? "Hey, thanks for the help, but you know, I'm still not convinced demons are all that great if I can keep you locked up." That’s basically what Solomon said, according to the legends. Asmodeus, naturally, wasn’t thrilled.

"Greatness, huh? You want to see greatness?" the demon king retorted. He proposed a deal. If Solomon would just remove his chains and lend him his magic ring – the very ring that gave Solomon power over the supernatural – Asmodeus would show him what real power looked like. Big mistake, Solomon. Huge.

Solomon, ever the curious (and perhaps a bit arrogant) king, agreed. The moment Asmodeus was free, he transformed. Picture this: one wing stretched all the way to heaven, the other scraping the earth. A colossal, terrifying figure.

And then, in a flash, he snatched up Solomon – who, remember, had foolishly parted with his protecting ring – and flung him four hundred parasangs away from Jerusalem! A parasang? That's an ancient Persian unit of distance, somewhere around 3-4 miles. So, we're talking over a thousand miles! Poof! Gone.

Then, Asmodeus, in the ultimate power move, impersonated Solomon and took his place as king. Talk about a hostile takeover!

The sages don't often portray Solomon as foolish, but here, blinded by curiosity and perhaps a bit of hubris, he walks right into Asmodeus's trap. It's a stark reminder that even the wisest among us can be outsmarted, and that true power lies not just in control, but in understanding the limits of that control.

It makes you wonder, doesn't it? What's the real lesson here? Is it about the dangers of pride? The cunning of demons? Or maybe, just maybe, it's about the importance of knowing when to let go.