The Holy One, blessed be He “gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore.” (I Kings 4:29) He could com¬mand the winds and birds to come whenever he called them. He even knew the languages of every bird and animal on earth.

From all nations people came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom. (I Kings 4:34)

Kings and queens from all over the world came to Jerusalem to pay homage to King Solomon, and he welcomed each one as a royal guest. Once the Queen of Sheba came to visit him. She brought him many precious gifts from her kingdom, and the king asked her what gift she would like in return.

“Oh, I would like something that no other queen on earth has ever had,” said the Queen of Sheba. “Build me a palace of bird beaks!”

“In that case,” King Solomon said, “let such a palace be built.”

Then King Solomon called forth all the birds in the world and commanded them to come to his palace, prepared to give up their beaks. Before even a day had gone by, thousands of birds filled the sky, beating their wings and swooping down to the palace. All came: the strong eagle, the tiny hummingbird, the bluebird, the mockingbird, and every bird that lived on earth. The birds were not very happy at having to give up their beaks. But what could they do? They were among the smallest creatures in the king-dom. Soon every bird had flocked to the palace except one – the hoopoe – a little bird with colorful feathers and a fine, pointed beak. As time passed and it did not arrive, the king became angry.

“Fetch the hoopoe and bring it here!” he shouted to his servants. “Let it be punished for failing to obey the king!”

At last the hoopoe was brought before the king.

“Where have you been?” King Solomon demanded. “Why have you kept me waiting ?”

“Please, your Majesty, do not be angry with me,” said the hoopoe. “I have come here from the ends of the earth. I have flown over gardens, forests, oceans, and deserts, and from all that I have seen, I have gained much wis¬dom. Punish me if you must, but first give me a chance to prove that I have not just been flying lazily about. Let me ask you three riddles. If you can answer them correctly, then do what you will with me. But if there is even one of them that you cannot answer, then spare my life.”

The other birds gasped. How dare a bird bargain with the king! King Solomon admired this bold little creature, and he accepted the challenge. “Very well,” he said, “go ask your riddles. After all, how can your wisdom be compared to the that of a king?”

So the hoopoe spoke. “This is the first riddle. Tell me, your Majesty, who is it who was never born and has never died?”

The king did not even pause to think. “The Holy One, blessed be He, ” he said at once. And as he spoke, King Solomon thought, “The Master of All Life who created all creatures to be free.”

The hoopoe continued. “Here is the second riddle. Tell me, your Majesty, what water never rises from the ground and never falls from the sky?”

King Solomon smiled, for he knew the answer. “The answer is a tear,” he said, “a tear that falls from an eye that cries with sadness.” And as he finished answering, King Solomon looked around and saw all those birds stretched out before him, waiting sadly and helplessly for their beaks to be cut off. The king too was saddened, and a tear came to his eye.

Now a strange thing happened. Although King Solomon was certain that his wisdom was perfect, for just a moment it occurred to him that perhaps he had done a foolish thing in agreeing to build a palace of bird beaks.

Then the hoopoe spoke again, and this time it trembled, for it had only one riddle left, only one more chance to save itself.

“Your Majesty, what is it that is delicate enough to put food in a baby’s mouth, yet strong enough to bore holes in the hardest wood?” It did not take King Solomon long to reply. “Why, a bird’s beak, of course!” he an¬swered. And looking around at that great gathering of birds, he realized how special those creatures were, and how very precious their beaks were to them.

Meanwhile the hoopoe bowed its head. “Punish me as you will, your Majesty, for you have answered my three riddles.” And it waited in silence to hear the harsh punishment of the king.

King Solomon smiled. “Dear hoopoe,” he announced in a loud voice, so that all the birds could hear, “I am known throughout the world for my wisdom, yet you are the one who is truly wise. You have shown me that a king should never be too proud to admit he has made a mistake. I have decided not to build a palace of bird beaks after all!”

At this, all the birds wanted to flap their wings in joy, but they did not dare to interrupt the king. Then the brave hoopoe spoke up and said, “Your majesty, how can we ever thank you? Even though we cannot give the Queen of Sheba a palace of bird beaks, we would be glad to build a palace of feathers for her.”

The Queen of Sheba was delighted by this offer, for such a palace would be just as unique as one built out of bird beaks. And as soon as she agreed, flocks of birds stirred up great winds as they swooped down to donate feath¬ers for the palace. And when there was a mountain of feathers lying before them, the birds built a palace of great beauty out of those feathers. And when they were finished, the Queen of Sheba was speechless, for never had she received such a beautiful gift.

Then King Solomon said to the hoopoe, “For your wisdom, hoopoe, you shall be rewarded.” Then the king called forth the royal jeweler and bade him make the bird a small crown, much like that of the king. And when the crown was finished, King Solomon placed it upon the head of the hoopoe. That is why the hoopoe wears a crown on its forehead to this day, to remind all the birds who see it of the wise hoopoe who saved their beaks.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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