A king distributed amongst his servants various costly garments.  Now some of these servants were wise and some were foolish.  And those that were wise said to themselves:  “The king may call again for the garments; let us therefore take care they do not get soiled.”  But the fools took no manner of care of theirs, and did all sorts of work in them, so that they became full of spots and grease.  Some time afterwards the king called for the garments.  The wise servants brought theirs clean and neat, but the foolish servants brought theirs in a sad state, ragged and unclean.  The king was pleased with the first, and said:  “Let the clean garments be placed in the treasury, and let their keepers depart in peace.  As for the unclean garments, they must be washed and purified, and their foolish keepers must be cast into prison.”—­This parable is designed to illustrate the passage in Eccles., xii, 7, “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return unto God, who gave it”; which words “teach us to remember that God gave us the soul in a state of innocence and purity, and that it is therefore our duty to return it unto him in the same state as he gave it unto us—­pure and undefiled.”

Solomon’s Choice

of Wisdom, in preference to all other precious things, is thus finely illustrated:  A certain king had an officer whom he fondly loved.  One day he desired his favourite to choose anything that he could give, and it would at once be granted him.  The officer considered that if he asked the king for gold and silver and precious stones, these would be given him in abundance; then he thought that if he had a more exalted station it would be granted; at last he resolved to ask the king for his daughter, since with such a bride both riches and honours would also be his.  In like manner did Solomon pray, “Give thy servant an understanding heart,” when the Lord said to him, “What shall I give thee?” (1st Kings, iii, 5, 9.)

But perhaps the most beautiful and touching of all the Talmudic parables is the following (Polano’s version), in which Israel is likened to a bride, waiting sadly, yet hopefully, for the coming of her spouse: 

Bride and Bridegroom.

There was once a man who pledged his dearest faith to a maiden beautiful and true.  For a time all passed pleasantly, and the maiden lived in happiness.  But then the man was called from her side, and he left her.  Long she waited, but still he did not return.  Friends pitied her, and rivals mocked her; tauntingly they pointed to her and said:  “He has left thee, and will never come back.”  The maiden sought her chamber, and read in secret the letters which her lover had written to her—­the letters in which he promised to be ever faithful, ever true.  Weeping, she read them, but they brought comfort to her heart; she dried her eyes and doubted not.  A joyous day dawned for her:  the man she loved returned, and when he learned that others had doubted,