Golem Legend

In the times of Rudolf II, Czech king and German emperor, in Prague Jewish ghetto, there lived Rabbi Jehuda Löw ben Bezalel, a very learned and experienced man. He knew perfectly not only Talmud and cabala but also Mathematics and Astronomy. Some secrets of Nature that were hidden for others were recognized by him and he did certain peculiar things so that people were amazed by his magic power.

Among other things Jehuda Löw's servant Golem was fascinating. Mighty Rabbi moulded him out of clay and brought him to life by putting a piece of paper, on which magic words were written, into the Golem's mouth - Shem.

Golem worked like two people. He served, cleaned, drew water, chopped wood, swept and did all hard house works. The curious thing about him was that he neither ate, drank, nor breathed, and he did not need to rest. But at the time of Sabbath, Fridays night, when all work had to stop, Rabbi Löw used to take the Shem out of Golem's mouth, when he at once became a dead lump of clay, stood still, did not move and mount as a stooge in a corner and remained so until Sabbath was over and Rabbi placed the magic Shem into his mouth.

However once, Rabbi Löw, preparing himself to go to the Old-New Synagogue to consecrate the Sabbath, forgot Golem and did not take out the Shem from his mouth. As soon as the Rabbi entered the house of prayer, and he was beginning the first psalm, people from his home and the neighborhood came in a hurry, all horrified and with awe, they started to announce, screech, what was happening, what had mattered that Golem was furious, storming and raging at home, and that soon all the rabbi's possessions would be destroyed. Nobody was able to come close to him because he would kill everyone.

Rabbi hesitated a while; Sabbath was coming, the psalm had just begun. All types of work, the least effort was a sin since that moment. But he had not finished the psalm, by that prayers always start, the true time of Sabbath had not began yet. He rose and hastened home. When he neared his house, a noise as of breaking furniture reached his ears; Golem had finished his work of destruction in the house and was now busy in the yard. When Rabbi entered the house - the other people, full of fear, went several steps behind him - he had seen mayhem; broken dishes, knocked-over and smashed tables, chairs, benches and chests, books thrown loosely in different directions. With gory hands and damp locks of black hair hanging over his face, surrounded by the dead chickens, cats and dogs he had killed, Golem was engaged in uprooting a lime tree as if it had been a stake in a fence.

Rabbi Löw went forward quickly with outstretched hand and took the Shem from Golem's mouth. Golem shivered at his master's touch, rolled his eyes, and fell at his feet a lifeless lump of clay. All the people, old and young, rejoicing and full of courage came to the prostrate Golem and laughed. But Rabbi breathed a sigh of relief, not having said a word strode back to the synagogue, where in twilight of oil-lamps started to read the psalm again and consecrated the Sabbath.

The holy day of Sabbath had finished, however, Rabbi Löw ben Bezalel would never brought Golem to life again by putting the Shem into his mouth. He was put into a loft over the Old-New Synagogue in Prague and, according to the legend, he lies there somewhere till today.
 
 

From Alois Jirasek: Old Czech Legends