Here is Another Story About Nochum Ish Gamzu
Once the Jews wanted to send a gift to the court of Caesar. They decided to send Nachum Ish Gamzu to deliver it because he was accustomed to have miracles performed on his behalf. They sent him with a chest filled with precious stones and pearls. On his way he spent a night at a certain residence. During the night the residents arose and took all the stones and pearls from the chest and replaced them with sand. The next morning he saw the dirt and said, “This too is for the good,” and went on his way to Caesar. He went to the palace and untied the chest. After the emperor saw the dirt he wanted to kill the Jews, as he thought they were mocking him. Nachum Ish Gamzu thought, “This too is for the best.”
Then Eliyohu HaNovi appeared as a Roman official. Eliyohu said to Caesar, “Perhaps this sand is from the sand of Avrohom Avinu (which was used in the battle of the four kings).” When Avrohom threw the sand at an enemy it turned into swords and when he threw straw it turned into arrows.
There was one city the Romans could not conquer. They tested some of this dirt against that city and they conquered it. After this they went to the emperor’s treasure vault and filled the chest of Nachum Ish Gamzu with precious stones and pearls in gratitude for his gift and off he went.
When they returned and spent a night at the same residence as before (where he had been robbed) the residents asked, “What did you bring to Caesar that he gave you such honor?”
Nachum replied, “Whatever I took from here (the residence).”
The residents immediately demolished their houses and brought the rubble to the palace. They said to Caesar, “The dirt that Nachum brought was from our residence.” They tested it in battle and, finding it contained no special powers, they executed the residents for attempting to defraud them.
