343. Rabbi Aba was going to Cappadocia with Rabbi Yosi. As they were going, they saw a man approaching there who had a mark on his face. Rabbi Aba said: Let us leave this road as this man's face testifies that he transgressed the rules of incest in the Torah. Therefore, his face is marked. Rabbi Yosi replied: If he had this mark since childhood, what incest would be then with him? He replied: I see his face testifying that he transgressed on a sexual misconduct mentioned in the Torah.

344. Rabbi Aba called him. He said to him, Tell me this, what is this mark on your face? He replied: Please do not punish anymore this man, as his sins caused this mark. Rabbi Aba said: What happened? He answered: One day my sister and I were traveling, we stayed in one inn and we become intoxicated. All night, I held my sister. In the morning, I awoke and found the innkeeper arguing with another man. I intervened IN ORDER TO SEPARATE THEM. They struck me, one from one side and the other from the other side. This mark has remained on my forehead. I was saved by a doctor who was among us.

345. He said to him: Who is the doctor? He replied: He is Rabbi Samlai. He asked: What cure did he give you? He replied: Spiritual healing. From that day, I returned with repentance. Every day I see my face in the mirror, WITHOUT ANY CHANGE. I have wept before the Holy One, blessed be He, 'ים ןד the Master of the world for that sin. With these tears, I have washed my face. Rabbi Aba said: If repentance would not have been withheld from you, I would have removed the impression on your face, but I will announce upon you, "And your iniquity is taken away, and your sin is purged" (Yeshayah 6:7). He told him to repeat this three times. He said it three times and the mark disappeared.

346. Rabbi Aba said: Surely your Master wished to remove THE MARK from you, as you were in a state of repentance. He said to him: I vow from this day ONWARD to toil in Torah day and night. He said to him: What is your name? He replied: Elazar. He responded: El Azar, (lit. 'God helped'), surely the name has some bearing, as your Elohim helped you and was with you. Rabbi Aba sent him off and blessed him.

347. Another time, Rabbi Aba went to Rabbi Shimon. He entered his city and found THAT VERY SAME PERSON WHO PREVIOUSLY HAD THE MARK sitting and lecturing, "A brutish man does not know; nor does a fool understand this" (Tehilim 92:7). "A brutish man does not know..." Look how foolish people are, for they do not pay attention, know, nor examine in order to know the ways of the Holy One, blessed be He, for what purpose they are in the world. What blocks them from perceiving their own stupidity? It must be due to their not toiling in the Torah, for if these people would toil in Torah, they would comprehend the ways of the Holy One, blessed be He.

348. "Nor does a fool understand this (Heb. zot)," MEANING they do not look into nor know the practices of "zot," MEANING MALCHUT REFERRED TO AS ZOT, in the world. Even though THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, judges the world with His Judgments and PEOPLE see the Judgments of Zot, they come upon the righteous people and do not affect the guilty evildoers who transgress the words of Torah, as it is written, "When the wicked spring like grass..." (Ibid. 8). They inherit this world in all aspects and harsh penalties do not affect them, YET PEOPLE DO NOT KNOW WHY. Unless King David revealed this at the end of the verse, they would not know, as it is said, "That they shall be destroyed forever" (Ibid). HE PAYS THEM REWARD FOR THEIR GOOD DEEDS IN THIS WORLD in order to obliterate them from the World to Come. They will be THERE dust under the feet of the righteous, as it is written, "And you shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet" (Malachi 3:21).

349. Furthermore, He began to say, "And my leanness rising up against me bears witness to my face" (Iyov 16:8). HE QUESTIONS: What is the verse speaking about? HE ANSWERS: Fortunate is the man who toils in Torah in order to recognize the ways of the Holy One, blessed be He, for whoever toils in the Torah, it is as if he deals in His actual Name. Just as the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He, creates laws IN THE WORLD, so does the Torah. Come and see: One who infringes with matters of Torah, the Torah rises and then descends to make impressions on the face of that person in order that those on high and those below see him. All send their curses upon his head, AND THIS IS THE ESSENCE OF THE VERSE, "AND MY LEANNESS RISING UP AGAINST ME BEARS WITNESS TO MY FACE," MEANING THE MARKS THE TORAH MADE IN HIS FACE.

350. We have learned that all these eyes of Hashem, THE ANGELS OF PROVIDENCE, go and roam throughout the world to learn of the actions of men. They raise their eyes and all look at the face of that person, see him, and open their mouths: Woe, woe, woe to him in this world and woe to him in the World to Come. Remove yourselves from around him, as his face testifies that the spirit of defilement rests upon him. THIS IS THE ESSENCE OF THE VERSE, "BEARS WITNESS TO MY FACE," AS THE LEANNESS TESTIFIES TO HIS FACE. All these days, that mark testifies on his face. If he begets a son, he draws upon him the spirit of defilement. Such are the evildoers of the world, insolent people, whose Master allows them to stay in this world in order to vanquish them in the World to Come.

351. We have learned that the righteous who toils in Torah day and night, the Holy One, blessed be He, draws upon him a thread of grace, which is marked on his face. From that mark, both those on high and those below have fear. Likewise, whoever violates the words of Torah, a spirit of defilement is drawn upon him, which is marked on his face and causes those high and low to flee from before him. They all proclaim: Leave the vicinity of he, who violated the Torah and the commandments of his Master. Woe to him and to his soul, and this person draws the spirit of defilement that is with him and transmits it to his son. In such a man the Holy One, blessed be He has no part, and He spares him in order to destroy him in the World to Come.

352. Rabbi Aba said to him: You have spoken well. Where did you acquire this? He replied: I studied this. I also learned that this evil inheritance OF THE SPIRIT OF DEFILEMENT is acquired by all his children if they do not turn to penance, as nothing can stand in the way before repentance. So have I learned. This cure, NAMELY REPENTANCE, was given me once upon a time, when my face was marked. One day, I was walking and met one meritorious person, and through him was the mark removed from my face. He asked me my name. I replied Elazar. He announced me to be a different Elazar. RABBI ABA said to him: Blessed is the Merciful One that I have met you and deserved to see you accomplishing this. Blessed is your share in this world and the World to Come. It was I who met you.