Midrash sobre I Reyes 6:7

Another matter, “have you seen a man diligent in his labor,” this is Solomon son of David. “He will stand before kings,” as he was diligent in the construction of the Temple; that is what is written: “He built it in seven years” (I Kings 6:38), and another verse says: “Solomon built his palace in thirteen years” (I Kings 7:1). Is the result that the construction of Solomon’s palace was finer and more elaborate than the construction of the Temple? Rather, this is what they said: In the construction of his palace, he was indolent; in the construction of the Temple he was diligent and was not indolent. Huna [said] in the name of Rav Yosef: If everyone assists the king, all the more so that everyone assists for the honor of the King of kings, the Holy One blessed be He, even spirits, even demons, and even ministering angels.
Yitzḥak son of Rav Yehuda bar Yeḥezkel said: It is written: “I have built [bano baniti] an abode for You” (I Kings 8:13); I have built for you a built building.⁶The verse is quoting Solomon as saying that he put up a building, the Temple, that was actually built by itself. Rabbi Berekhya said: “The House that they were building,” is not written here, but rather: “The House, in its construction” (I Kings 6:7), [indicating that] it was built on its own, as it is stated: “It was built of whole stones that were transported” (I Kings 6:7). “Built” is not written here, but rather, “it was built [nivna].”⁷The midrash understands the term nivna as a reflexive term, indicating that it built itself. This teaches that the stone would lift itself and be placed on the row of stones. Rav said: Do not be astonished by this. What is written below? “One stone was brought and placed at the entrance to the den” (Daniel 6:18). Were there stones in Babylon?⁸Babylon has only lowlands and soft earth, and no mountains. Rather, it flew from the Land of Israel at that moment and came and settled at the entrance to the pit. Rav Huna said, in the name of Rav Yosef: An angel descended in the image of a stone lion and settled at the entrance of the pit. That is what in written: “My God sent His angel and closed the lions’ mouths” (Daniel 6:23). Do not be astonished; if in honor of that righteous one [Daniel], it is written: “One stone was brought,” in honor of the Holy One blessed be He⁹For the building of the Temple. all the more so.
“He will stand before kings”—he will stand before kings of the Torah. “He will not stand before dark ones,” this is the group of the wicked. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: When [the Sages] voted, and concluded that three kings and four commoners do not have a portion in the World to Come, they sought to add Solomon to them.¹⁰This was due to what is described in I Kings 11:1–10. A Divine Voice emerged and said: “Do not touch My anointed ones” (Psalms 105:15). Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon said: Moreover, he is listed as the head of a [royal] genealogical lineage, as it is stated: “Reḥavam the son of Solomon [reigned in Jerusalem]” (I Kings 14:21). Rabbi Yudan bar Simon said: Moreover, the Divine Spirit rested upon him and he composed these three books: Proverbs, Song of Songs, and Ecclesiastes.

... Another explanation. “And all the work that king Solomon had wrought in the house of the Lord was finished.” (Melachim I 7:51) What does ‘all the work’ mean? It was built by itself, rising and floating up – thus it does not say when the house was built, but rather “And the house, when it was in building…” (Melachim I 6:7) “…was built of stone finished at the quarry (masa)…” (ibid.) What does ‘finished at the quarry’ (masa nivne) mean? R’ Brechia said: the stone picked itself up (nosah atzma), rose up and was built by itself. This is what Shlomo said in his song “I have surely built You a house to dwell in…” (Melachim I 8:13) He says ‘I have surely built’, meaning ‘I built a building and the stones rose up and flew into place themselves’. If you are shocked that the Holy One would do such a thing for a single righteous person, “And a stone was brought and placed on the mouth of the pit…” (Daniel 6:18) And where did they get a rock in Bavel? Our Rabbis said that it rolled all the way from the land of Israel and came in an instant. So if the Holy One did such a thing for flesh and blood, are you surprised that He would do so for the building of a house to the Holy One?

(Ecc. 2, 8) I procured men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, and Shidda and Shidath; i.e., men singers and women singers, refers to different musical instruments and the delight of the sons of men refers to swimming pools and bath houses. As to Shidda and Shiddath here (in Babylon) it was interpreted to signify male demons and female demons, while in the West (the land of Israel) they said it means carriages [for lords and ladies, respectively]. Said R. Jochanan: "Three hundred" different kinds of demons were to be found in Sichin [all of whom were known to me], nevertheless the kind called Shidda is unknown to me." The master said above: "Here (in Babylon) it was interpreted to signify male demons and female demons." For what purpose did King Solomon require them? The following passage will answer (I Kings 6, 7) And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither, etc. For before the operation [of the Temple] commenced Solomon asked the Rabbis: "How shall I accomplish this?" (without using tools of iron.) Whereupon they replied: "There is the Shamir, with which Moses cut the precious stones of the Ephod." "Where is it to be found?" Solomon asked the Rabbis. To which they replied, "Let a male demon, and a female come' and do thou coerce them both; perhaps they know and will reveal it to thee." He then conjured into his presence a male and a female demon, and tortured them. But in vain, for they said: "We do not know his whereabouts, and cannot tell; perhaps Ashmedai, the king of the demons, knows." "But where is he to be found?" Solomon inquired of them. They answered: "In yonder mount is his residence. There he has a pit and, after filling it with water, covered it over with a stone and sealed with his own seal. Daily he ascends to heaven and studies in the school up there; then he comes down and studies in the school down here. After this he goes and examines the seal, then opens the pit and after quenching his thirst covers it up again and seals it and departs."