עָשִׂיתִי לִי גַּנּוֹת וּפַרְדֵּסִים, כְּמַשְׁמָעוֹ, וְנָטַעְתִּי בָהֶם עֵץ כָּל פֶּרִי, אֲפִלּוּ פִּלְפְּלִין. אָמַר רַבִּי אַבָּא בַּר כַּהֲנָא בָּרוּחוֹת הָיָה שְׁלֹמֹה מִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ וְשׁוֹלֵחַ לְהִנְדִּיקִי וּמְבִיאִין לוֹ מִשָּׁם מַיִם וּמַשְׁקִין כָּאן וְעוֹשֶׂה פֵּרוֹת. אָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי יַנַּאי בְּרֵיהּ דְּרַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן, אִם אַתָּה אוֹמֵר כֵּן נִמְצֵאתָ מְיַגְּעוֹ, אֶלָּא עָמַד שְׁלֹמֹה בְּחָכְמָתוֹ עַל מַשְׁתִּיתָהּ שֶׁל אֶרֶץ, וְרָאָה אֵיזֶה מַשְׁתִּיתָהּ מֻפְנֶה לְשָׁם וְנָטַע בָּהּ עַל מַשְׁתִּיתָהּ שֶׁל אֶרֶץ, וְכָךְ הָיְתָה עוֹשָׂה פֵּרוֹת.
“I made myself gardens and orchards, and I planted in them trees of every fruit” (Ecclesiastes 2:5). “I made myself gardens and orchards” – in its plain sense. “And I planted in them trees of every fruit” – even peppers. Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: Solomon would use the demons; he would send them to India and they would bring him water from there, and he would water [the pepper trees] here and they would bear fruit. Rabbi Yannai son of Rabbi Shimon said to him: If you say so, you are merely exhausting [Solomon]. Rather, Solomon, in his wisdom, ascertained the foundation of the land, and determined which foundation was directed to there. He planted it on the foundation of its land, and in that way it bore fruit.