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Spooky Judaism: Golems
Jewish Virtual Library
In the popular legend which adorned the figures of the leaders of the Ashkenazi ḥasidic movement with a crown of wonders, the golem became an actual creature who served his creators and fulfilled tasks laid upon him. Legends such as these began to make their appearance among German Jews in the 15th century and spread widely, so that by the 17th century they were "told by all" (according to Joseph Solomon *Delmedigo). In the development of the later legend of the golem there are three outstanding points:
(1) The legend is connected with earlier tales of the resurrection of the dead by putting the name of God in their mouths or on their arm, and by removing the parchment containing the name in reverse and thus causing their death. Such legends were widespread in Italy from the tenth century (in Megillat *Aḥima'az).
(2) It is related to ideas current in non-Jewish circles concerning the creation of an alchemical man (the "homunculus" of Paracelsus).
(3) The golem, who is the servant of his creator, develops dangerous natural powers; he grows from day to day, and in order to keep him from overpowering the members of the household he must be restored to his dust by removing or erasing the alef from his forehead.
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/golem
גׇּלְמִ֤י ׀ רָ֘א֤וּ עֵינֶ֗יךָ וְעַֽל־סִפְרְךָ֮ כֻּלָּ֢ם יִכָּ֫תֵ֥בוּ יָמִ֥ים יֻצָּ֑רוּ (ולא) [וְל֖וֹ] אֶחָ֣ד בָּהֶֽם׃
Your eyes saw my unformed limbs;
they were all recorded in Your book;
in due time they were formed,
to the very last one of them.-a
גּוֹלֶם m. (b. h. גֹּלֶם, גלם) a rolled up, shapeless mass, whence 1) lump, a shapeless or lifeless substance. Y. Nidd. III, 50ᵈ and the other limbs of the embryo look כמין ג׳ מצומתים like a lump, squeezed together. Gen. R. s. 14 העמידו ג׳ He made him stand, a large, lifeless mass. Ib. s. 24 ג׳ בראו וכ׳ He formed him into a huge body, which extended from one end &c. Ib. (ref. to Ps. CXXXIX, 16) ג׳ שראו עיניך (read גֹּולָמִים) the embryos which Thy eyes have seen, have all been recorded (preordained) &c.; Pesik. R. s. 23; a. fr.—Pesik. R. s. 33 גלומי היו (read גְּלוּמִין or גולמין) they were (hard) lumps (blocks). —2) unfinished matter, a vessel wanting finishing, opp. פשוט plain surface, forming no receptacle. Snh. 22ᵇ אשה ג׳ היא ואינה וכ׳ woman (unmarried) is an unfinished vessel, and she makes a covenant with (cares for) none but him who made her a vessel.—Pl. גֹּולָמִים, גֳּלָ׳, constr. גֹּולְמֵי. Kel. XII, 6 ג׳ כלי מתכות unfinished metal vessels, v. defin. Ḥull. 25ᵃ; Tosef. Kel. B. Mets. II, 10.—Ib. VII, 12 גֹלָמִין (ed. Zuck. גלמי) pumpkins in their natural shape, opp. to חתוכין ומנוקבין.—Sifré Num. 158 כלים ולא גלומים (Yalk. ib. 786 גֹּולְמִין) ‘vessels’ which means finished vessels but not half-finished.—Trnsf. uneducated, unrefined. Ab. V, 7. —3) body. Pl. as above. Sifré Num. 131; Yalk. ib. 771 the spear entered בשני ג׳ both bodies.

וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹקִים נַעֲשֶׂה אָדָם בְּצַלְמֵנוּ כִּדְמוּתֵנוּ (בראשית א, כו),... אָמַר רַבִּי יִרְמְיָה בֶּן אֶלְעָזָר בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁבָּרָא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶת אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן, אַנְדְּרוֹגִינוֹס בְּרָאוֹ, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (בראשית ה, ב): זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה בְּרָאָם. ...רַבִּי תַּנְחוּמָא בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי בְּנָיָה וְרַבִּי בֶּרֶכְיָה בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר אָמַר, בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁבָּרָא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶת אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן גֹּלֶם בְּרָאוֹ, וְהָיָה מוּטָל מִסּוֹף הָעוֹלָם וְעַד סוֹפוֹ, הֲדָא הוא דִכְתִיב (תהלים קלט, טז): גָּלְמִי רָאוּ עֵינֶיךָ וגו'.

... Said R’ Yirmiyah ben Elazar: In the hour when the Holy One created the first human, He created him [as] an androgyne/androginos, as it is said, “male and female He created them”.... R’ Tanchuma in the name of R’ Banayah and R’ B’rakhyah in the name of R’ Elazar said: In the time that the Holy One created Adam Harishon, [as] a golem He created him and he was set up from [one] end of the world and unto its [other] end – that’s what is written: “Your eyes saw my golem” [Ps 139:16]. ...

רבא ברא גברא שדריה לקמיה דר' זירא הוה קא משתעי בהדיה ולא הוה קא מהדר ליה אמר ליה מן חבריא את הדר לעפריך
Indeed, Rava created a man, a golem, using forces of sanctity. Rava sent his creation before Rabbi Zeira. Rabbi Zeira would speak to him but he would not reply. Rabbi Zeira said to him: You were created by one of the members of the group, one of the Sages. Return to your dust.