1
Why have I been given this parable, this teaching? There is a green hill in a far distant land, and upon it rests a soul whom you cannot see, whom you cannot hear.
2
You come near unto this hill and behold a great bridge that it ascends up into the stars. and behold, this bridge has a great many colors. The colors of fire. The colors of water. The colors of winds. The colors of the earth.
3
Why have I been given this parable? Why have I, Shem, been given this parable?
4
And when you come near unto this hill, you behold the spirit that it is a goodly spirit. When you do, this spirit shall ask for a token that you might cross this bridge. What a strange thing.
5
I, Mash, have been given a parable. And you shall see this spirit that he is in likeness unto a man. And in that time you shall say: What is this bridge that you behold. Whyfore does it stretch into the heavens?
6
And the spirit shall say: I have been set to guard this bridge that none who are not worthy cross her.
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And that spirit shall say: Give unto me a token, a gem or a ruby and I shall let you cross.
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And you shall say: Sir, I have no gems nor rubies, but I have this green stone.
9
And he shall say: Let me see this green stone.
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And you shall give it to him.
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And when this, behold, this green stone shall be turned into many great pieces of gold and silver before you and he shall let you cross.
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I Mash, who am Shem have been given this parable, this teaching, that all who are not worthy cross her not.
13
And in that day, you shall take a silver and a gold and shall begin to cross this bridge into the heavens. And you shall say: I now cross this bridge into the heavens, blessed am I!
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And in that day, you shall behold a fiend that he too guards the bridge. And what shall this fiend say unto you?
15
This fiend shall say: You are not worthy. Cross not this bridge and go your way.
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And when this, you shall take out your silver coin which had been given unto you by the first spirit. And you shall say: I am worthy, for I have been given leave to pass the first spirit, and he has given me this coin.
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And the fiend shall say unto you: Mock me not, for I see such a thing. Go your way and leave me in peace.
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And in that very instant you shall cross further on the bridge.
19
What a strange bridge.
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Why does this bridge lead into the heavens, into the stars?
21
I Mash, know the mysteries of these things.
22
I reveal them in a parable.
23
A man has seven brides. The first one he loves, the second one he hates, the third one, he has forgotten, the fourth one is a great friend and a help meet, the fifth one knows him not. The sixth one cannot find him, and the seventh bride is idle.
24
A day comes in which another man comes into his house and asks for the hand of one of his brides, and the man says: For the price of seven loaves of wheat I shall give unto you my first bride that she be yours.
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And the second man says: I have not seven loaves, but one only, but it is a fine loaf and it has been given unto me by a king. Pray, take this loaf.
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And the first man looked upon the loaf that it had indeed been given unto this man by a king.
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And the first man said: I shall give you my first bride for this loaf, for it is finer than all the other loaves of wheat which I have been thus given.
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And in that day he gave unto the man his first bride.
29
Now, time passed and a second man who was like unto the first, nevertheless, being different.
30
And the next man spoke, saying: I desire to wife the second bride whom you do not like. Pray, may I take her in?
31
And now, when the first man heard this, he spoke saying: For the measure of two sacks of barley I will give unto you this bride, whom I hate that I might be rid of her.
32
And it came to pass that the next man said: I have not two measures of barley, but a single only, but it is fine. Finer than all the measures of barley this side of the Euphrates. Pray, take this single measure of barley that I might have your second bride.
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And the man said unto the next: Take this bride whom I hate and be rid of her. I want her not.
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And the man left with the bride whom the master hated.
35
And now I, Mash, shall sing a song of everlasting love.
36
For it shall come to pass that when you shall cross this bridge, you shall come near unto tree, that it stretches high into the heavens and deep into the earth, and you shall desire to know this tree and learn all that it knows.
37
And it shall come to pass that when you shall behold this tree, behold, a star shall appear in the form of an eagle or a hawk or some bird of prey. And he shall say unto you: Come not near unto the tree, you who are unready. Touch not this tree that you be not condemned.
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And you shall say: But sir! I have a great burning desire to touch this tree. Bid me touch it.
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And the great bird of prey shall say: If it be your desire, then do as you wish.
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And then you shall go near unto the tree which had been planted in the east of the heavens, and you shall say unto it: Give unto me of your knowledge, and then you shall touch her.
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And in that very moment, you shall be transformed, and you shall see your sins and your dross and you shall weep and wail, for you are a wretched thing upon the earth and in the heavens.
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And it shall come to pass that that bird of prey, that eagle or that hawk shall come near unto you and shall say: You have committed a great and final sin. You must be removed from off this bridge.
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But you shall remember that golden coin which had been given you by that first spirit, and you shall hold it in the palm of your hand.
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And you shall say: Take, I beg, this coin for payment that I might not be removed from off this bridge, for I have come to love this bridge.
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Or perhaps, you shall hide the coin away, and cause that the bird of prey, that eagle or that falcon to take you from off the bridge.
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Nevertheless, perhaps you shall give the coin. And in the day that you shall give the token, shall the eagle say unto you: Behold, I see you have been given a coin most fine above all coins. I cannot take you from off this bridge, but I must usher you on forward. Nevertheless, you shall carry with you the knowledge of all that you have done.
47
And in that day, shall that falcon or that bird of prey, take you and usher you past the tree.
48
What a strange bridge.
49
And now, I Mash return unto the second parable that I have been given.
50
For it came to pass that soon after, there came another man unto that house in like manner after the second who was in like manner after the first. And he spoke unto the master of that house, the husbandman, saying: Give unto me your fifth bride, I beg, the one you know not that I may know her.
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And the master of the house, spoke unto the third man, saying: I cannot do this thing, for she is innocent and pure above all. But there is one whom I have forgotten. Take her instead.
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And the third man spoke, saying: I shall surely not take the one whom you have forgotten, for she cannot be found. Give unto me your fifth bride that I make her my bride.
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I Shem have been given this parable.
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And the master of the brides spoke, saying: I shall give you the fifth bride according to your wishes.
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Nevertheless, when the third man came near unto the fifth bride, he was burned, for her innocence he could not bear, and he fled from before her presence.
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I Shem have been given this parable. Understand it by the power of the Ruach.
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And now, the third man quivered and trembled and spoke, saying: I have been given the fifth bride, but she is too great for me, for I am a wicked man.
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And the master of the house came unto the third man and spoke saying: If you can produce a single weigh of grain or perhaps a single talent of silver, I shall pardon you and give unto you my third bride.
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Nevertheless, the third man spoke, saying: I have neither talent of silver or measure of wheat with which to give you. Nevertheless, let me labor in your house for a season.
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And now, this request was granted.
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And now, it was that the third man who was now a servant served in the house of his master for the space of six and seven years. And at the end of the six and seven years he was, given unto him, the third bride of the man.
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And now, the servant, after having served for six and seven years had become a new thing, and no longer lusted after the prides and glories of the world, but wanted to serve the man who had given him his wives.
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And now I, Mash, tell a parable which I have been told.
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For it shall come to pass that after you have been given the knowledge of the tree, and after you have placed upon it your hand, that that bird of prey, that eagle or that hawk, will take you and lead you unto a great moon, a great moon. Why a moon? You will ask. Whyfore is there a moon upon this bridge? What a strange bridge.
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And it shall come to pass that when you behold this moon, then you shall see within the moon, Gazelem, and you shall take of Gazelem and shall wear them around your neck, or perhaps upon your wrist. Perhaps you shall keep them in a pouch upon your hip.
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Nevertheless, you shall take of Gazelem which shall be your eye, and you shall pierce into the deep mists, and within the mists you shall behold a tree, and this tree shall be a distance from you. Nevertheless, you shall desire to come unto this tree above all things.
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Gazelem have shown you these things and you shall desire them.
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Then, you shall look at that bird of prey who is your guide, that hawk or that falcon and shall say unto it: Guide, how might I obtain this tree which I have beheld through my eye?
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And then that bird of prey shall say: Behold, take upon you Hashem and do good continually. HaShem shall be with you.
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And he shall say: Behold the moon which you have seen that it does move and circle around that tree which you have seen?
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And you shall say: I behold that this moon which I have seen thus circles around the tree I wish to behold.
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And then that bird of prey, that falcon, shall say: Take upon you Gazelem and peer into her and behold all that you wish to see.
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And in that very moment, you shall peer into Gazelem and shall see Urim and Thummim. You shall see the Moon and the Sun. Oh Elohimus!
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You shall seek to pierce the fog and break through her. With Gazelem you shall.
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Take upon you Gazelem and you shall begin to part the fog from before you.
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What an odd bridge.
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Now, I Mash return unto the second parable which I have been taught by YHVH.
78
And now, another man came unto the house, he being like unto the third man who had come already, nevertheless being different.
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And he spoke unto the master of the house: Master, I bid you come out that I might behold you and seek your face.
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And the master, that man with many brides, spoke unto the fourth man, saying: Come hither into the house that you might behold me, for I can neither come out, nor any of my brides come out hither to meet you. Thus it is meet that you come in hither unto us.
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And the fourth man spoke in despair, saying: Wont not, for I cannot enter. Wo be unto me, for I am but a man and cannot behold you nor those within your great house.
82
And now, it came to pass that the Master of the house had mercy upon the fourth man that he might enter into the house. Thus he sent out a servant whose name I cannot name.
83
Now, this servant came near unto the fourth man and spoke, saying: I see that you desire to enter the house of my master. Wish you to receive aid from me?
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And the fourth man spoke, saying: I wish to receive the fourth bride of your master.
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And the servant said: Behold, thus you cannot enter in now, nevertheless, take my hand and you shall peer through Tsohar, the window of the house that you might behold my master who wishes to see you.
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And now, the servant brought forward the hand of the forth man and took him unto a window that he might peer into the great house of the master.
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And now, behold, the fourth man beheld with an eye of faith the house through HaTsohar, and he spoke unto the servant, saying: What must I do that I might be brought into this house that I might wed and make marry with the master's fourth bride?
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And the servant pressed the man's hand against HaTsohar and spoke, saying: You must give of all you possess, even all that you have that you might enter, for my master cannot have the dross and needless things of the place from which you come, enter into his house.
89
And thus, the fourth man removed his clothing and his shoes and his saddle bag from off his horse. And he took off all the fine jewelry, his ear cuffs, his beads, and his crown, and placed them upon the ground before the man's house.
90
And now, when he had done this, the servant gave unto the man a robe that had come from within the house and said: Do no ill against this robe, for it is my masters. Nevertheless, you may yet borrow it for this time.
91
And thus, was the fourth man permitted to enter into the house. And thus, the master gave unto the man his fourth bride.
92
Now I, Mash, desire to return unto the parable which I have been told.
93
Hear you, hear you!
94
When you have thus peered through Gazelem and seen that tree, behold, that bird of prey, that falcon, will take your hand and lead you farther across this bridge.
95
What a strange bridge, for you shall come across a great field, and in this field there shall be a great many horses, each one pulling chariots and each one saddled.
96
And then you shall say: What a strange bridge. Whyfore are there many horses saddled and ready to ride all laden with chariots?
97
And the bird shall say: Look and behold, for there are not horses only but oxen and mules and there are birds in the air. Take one, I beg you and it shall lead you across the bridge.
98
And thus, you shall search out among the horses and the oxen and the asses and the birds a soul that shall aid you across this bridge.
99
And it shall come to pass that in that day you shall find an ass and he shall be not laden with chariots, nor with saddle bags, nor with anything, and he shall be pure and spotless, having not a black nor a grey hair upon his body, but white with white main and tail. Nevertheless, this ass shall not let you ride him, for he has no master. Nevertheless, you shall take hold upon the mane of this ass and he shall lead you onward.
100
And in that day you shall cross this bridge that the ass shall lead you across the remainder of this bridge until you shall find before you a man, and you shall query. Why is there a man? Have I not crossed across this mighty bridge that I might leave the place of men? Whyfore is there a man?
101
Now, I Mash return unto the other parable. Now, it came to pass that a fifth man came near unto the house of the master, he being like unto the first and the second and the third and the fourth.
102
And the fifth man drew near unto the house and beheld the servant whom the fourth man had seen. And the fifth man spoke unto the servant, saying: How may I enter into this house that I might behold the master and his many great things?
103
And the servant spoke unto the fifth man, saying: Desire you the fifth bride who knows no man?
104
And the man said: I do, but not that I may know her, but to protect her, and guard her from the whiles of the enemies of your father.
105
Now, with this the servant was satisfied and he spoke, saying: Come hither, I shall teach you how to enter this house that you might befriend my master's fifth bride.
106
And the servant drew near unto the door and spoke, saying: No man can enter my master's house who has not been cleansed of this world's dross. For I see you have mingled with the enemies of my master. You cannot enter in until you remove all the dross from off you.
107
And the man wept bitterly, saying; How must I do this thing? For I have been an enemy unto your master, and have spent my strength in harlotry and prostitution. I have sold myself for the things that are not of your master's house.
108
Now, the servant had mercy upon the man and gave him great knowledge, saying: Take from off you all the jewelry, and your neck pieces, your ear cuffs and place them upon the ground.
109
And this the man did.
110
And the Servant spoke: Take from off you those robes which you wear and place them upon the ground next to your jewelry.
111
And this the man did.
112
And when he had done this, the servant gave unto the man a pitcher of water that he might drink of it. And in that moment was the man healed.
113
Now, the servant gave unto the man an ember and said: You must carry into the house this ember. Without it you cannot enter.
114
And the man took of the ember and carried it, and it burned him. A great sacrifice. And he entered into the house.
115
And upon entering in, he beheld the fifth bride of the man that she was beautiful beyond all other women of the earth, and he took her in and she became like unto a sister for him. And she taught him of the ways of her master and they were glad.
116
Now, there came certain men unto the house from the camps of the master's enemies. And they spoke aloud, crying, saying: Master of this house, bring out that man and your fifth bride with whom the man makes merry. Do this that we may take them and bind them, for the man owes us still a great debt, and your bride is beautiful above all other women of the earth. Give us this and we shall leave you in peace.
117
And the fifth man came out and spoke unto the men, saying: I have no more debt that I must pay unto you, for the master of this house has sealed my debts with you. Therefore, be gone.
118
Now, the men pressed forwards in desire to seize the man, for they cared not for the money of the master of this house.
119
And it came to pass, that the man fled back into the house, or perhaps he allowed the men to take him. Nevertheless, let us assume that he stepped back into the house.
120
Now when he had done this, that ember which he held burned the men that they might not enter within, and they fled.
121
Now, I shall return unto the first parable.
122
Now, when you have gotten that ass who should be your guide, you shall come hither unto a place, and this place shall be like a great river of water. Aquamarine in color, clear like a stream. A mountain river.
123
Now, the ass that is your guide shall desire you to enter the water. Nevertheless, you shall fear, for the water shall be a thing you have not yet seen.
124
And when you shall fear, behold, you must take the donkey by the main, for it shall guide you into the stream.
125
And when he shall guide you into the stream, behold, you shall see another man standing in the stream. Now this man shall be a curiosity unto you, for you believed yourself to have left the world of men, for never have you seen another likeness of a man upon this curious bridge.
126
Nevertheless, you shall approach the man and he shall say unto you: Who are you that tries to cross this stream that you might enter into the place of fire and glass?
127
And then you shall remember the ass, that he was to be your guide.
128
And you shall return unto the ass and take him by the mane, and the ass will lead you to where this man stands.
129
Now again, this man shall ask: Who are you that attempts to cross into the place of fire and glass.
130
And now, you shall say unto the man: It is I who wish to cross this stream into the place of fire and glass. Here is this coin which I have received and here is Gazelem which I was given. And still here is the ass which guided me.
131
And when you shall give him all these things, still the man shall ask a question: What are all these things you give me that you may enter into the place of fire and glass?
132
And now, you shall wonder, for you will have nothing else to give. And now you shall ask: How else may I show myself unto you? What more can I give?
133
And when you shall ask this, then the man shall say: Keep in your heart the words which I shall say unto you.
134
And the man shall say unto you curious words which shall have no meaning unto you. Nevertheless, you shall keep those words within your heart.
135
And when you shall, then the man will reveal himself to you, and you shall see that he is the master of this bridge, he who keeps it.
136
And now, he shall return unto you your coin, and your Tsohar which is Gazelem, and the donkey which you have befriended.
137
And he shall say unto you: Come now, you may cross this river into the place of fire and glass, for you are now an inheritor of it.
138
I, Mash, have received this parable and stumble because of it.
139
What a strange bridge!
140
And now I finish the second parable which I, Mash, who is Shem, HaShem, have been given.
141
For it came to pass that after the fifth man had dwelt in the house for the space of a time, he beheld himself a new man. Now this new man came near unto the sixth bride and said unto her: How may I enter the chambers of your master, for I have yet to meet him.
142
And the sixth bride said unto him: I know not, for I have not found him. Pray, shall we seek him together?
143
And the new man spoke, saying: We shall.
144
And thus did the sixth bride and the man seek through the house to find the master of it.
145
Now, they came near unto a wall, now this wall was solid and could not be penetrated, and they queried and said: There must needs be a door, for we have searched far and wide throughout this house for the master. Why can we not find him?
146
And now came unto them the seventh bride. Now she was loyal unto the master, nevertheless, she was idle and wont not to come unto them. Yet, she drew near unto them, and when she did, behold, the man and the sixth bride were astonished, saying: Never has the seventh bride drew near unto us! Whyfore does she do this thing?
147
And the seventh bride spoke, saying: I know the way into this room where the master hides. All you must do is come with me.
148
Now, the seventh bride led the way, and the two followed her. And now, they came unto the wall that could not be entered. Nevertheless, the seventh bride knocked upon it and behold, a door which the man and the sixth had never seen.
149
And when the seventh had knocked, behold the master opened the door and spoke, saying: Who are you that desires entry?
150
And now, the man spoke, saying: It is I who have cared for your brides and for this house. I have not been idle and now I desire to meet you face to face, for I have met your brides and your servant, nevertheless, I have not met you.
151
And when he said this, behold the door was opened unto him, and he entered into the room where the master of the house dwelt.