And you shall behold the secret of the face

93. The secret of the face is for those who master inner wisdom. The features of the face are not RECOGNIZED by the outward impressions ON THE SKIN OF THE FACE, AS WAS SAID OF THE FOREHEAD, but by the impressions of inner secrets. For the features of the face are inverted AND APPEAR by force of impressions of the face, which are concealed in the spirit that dwells within. And from this spirit, the features of the face appear outside, which are recognizable only to the wise OF INTERNAL WISDOM, AS MENTIONED ABOVE.

94. The features of the face are recognized from the spirit. There is in man a spirit on which the secret of the letters are engraved, and all 22 letters are enclosed in that spirit. According to the seasons OF MAN, the impressions of these very same letters enter into the face. And as these letters come up, so does the face appear with these engraved impressions according to the time OF MAN. But this appearance does not last long, FOR THESE FEATURES SOON PASS. Only men of Wisdom see them, and they exist never to be forgotten by them.

95. There is a place which is called the 'World to Come,' WHICH IS BINAH. From there issues forth the secret of the Torah, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN THAT EMANATES FROM BINAH, with all its letters, consisting of 22 letters that comprise everything. And the river that goes forth from Eden, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, receives everything. When the spirits and the souls soar from it, all are stamped with the imprint of these same letters. And everything emerges in this manner. Therefore, the spirit of man is stamped with the imprint of these letters, and the imprint forms a shape on the face OF MAN.

96. Rabbi Shimon said to him, If so, the image of the mother OF THE SPIRIT, NAMELY MALCHUT, is not shaped from within that spirit, AS THE LETTERS COME FROM THE FATHER OF THE SPIRIT - NAMELY ZEIR ANPIN, AS MENTIONED. They replied to him, So we heard from our master, that the form of letters comes from above, FROM ZEIR ANPIN and the form of the mother - NAMELY MALCHUT CONTAINING FOUR FACES, LION, OX, AND SO ON - is formed in that spirit below. And the form of the letters, THAT COME FROM ZEIR ANPIN, are concealed within, and the form of Ima projects outwardly.

97. The form of Ima, WHICH IS MALCHUT, is the face of a man, the face of a lion, the face of an ox and the face of an eagle. And the spirit projects the image of all of them for a time, for everything belonging on the side of the spirit projects itself to the outside, and when it becomes visible, is IMMEDIATELY concealed. All these forms which become visible and are designed in the shape of letters, COME FROM ZEIR ANPIN, even though they are concealed FROM WITHIN, AS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED. These four forms are visible for a time to those who have eyes to see, AND THESE ARE MEN OF WISDOM who comprehend, by the mystery of wisdom, how to contemplate them.

98. The first form is as follows. When a man walks in the way of Truth, those who know the secret of their Master discern him, because the spirit within is established in him and projects the design to the outside, WHICH INCLUDES the full design; that form becomes the form of man. This form is the most perfect of all other designs, and this is the design that passes for a time before the eyes of the wise-hearted. When they look at his appearance from the outside, at that face that is before them, the eyes of the heart are moved to love him.

99. Four letter signs are impressed on it. One vein is conspicuous on his face in a depression, THAT IS TO SAY, IT IS NOT PROJECTED ON THE OUTSIDE, LIKE A CONSPICUOUS GROOVE, from the right side. There is another vein that includes and seizes two others that are attached to it from the left side OF THE FACE. These four signs are the four letters Ayin, Vav, Dalet, and Tav (Heb. edut, lit. 'testimony'). The sign Ayin is the vein on the right side and is conspicuous in its sunken position. The Dalet and the two letters attached to it, Vav and Tav, form a vein which includes two other veins ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE FACE. This is the secret of the phrase, "This He ordained in Joseph for testimony" (Tehilim 81:6), for everyone who saw him loved him in their heart, and in this love he was perfected.

100. In the seed of David, the colors are reversed. This is why Samuel erred, as it is written, "Look not on his countenance" (I Shmuel 16:7), since the Other Side was in Eliav, which was not so in David. For the features of David were covered, for the forms of the Other Side were included in his own features. And it is the form of the Other Side that is seen first, passing over the eyes temporarily and frightening the heart, yet afterwards, "a comely person, and Hashem is with him" (Ibid. 19). This gives testimony about him.

101. The image of man includes all forms, and all forms include his. Such a man is not frightened in spirit, in times of anger he is calm, his words are calming and he is quickly appeased.

102. In the seed of David - where the image OF THE OTHER SIDE is seen at first and passes briefly before the eyes, AS PREVIOUSLY DISCUSSED - he is self-controlled in anger, and quickly appeased. Yet, he must guard a serpentine hatred in the end. For it is that side that brought THIS about, surrounding itself on all sides UNTIL IT TAKES ITS REVENGE, but the fruit that is enclosed in its shell and the heart become righteous. This is true for righteous people, but in evil people, the original evil form is not turned aside from them, being fully attached to them.

103. This is the second form. If a man does not walk much in the ways of wickedness, turning aside from this path and returning to His Master, this means that a good spirit is beginning to rest upon him, overpowering the first impurities that were upon him. It is projected outside, observed by the eyes temporarily, in the form of a powerful lion. At the time when THIS IMAGE is seen, this appearance causes the spirit of a powerful lion to prevail in his heart - THAT IS TO SAY, HIS HEART PREVAILS OVER THE EVIL SIDE.

104. With reference to him, WHO HAS THE IMAGE OF A POWERFUL LION, when they discern his face afterwards, it is a face that the heart does not love immediately, but an instant later, the heart returns to love it. When people look at him, he becomes embarrassed and thinks everyone knows his ways; THAT IS TO SAY, IT SEEMS TO HIM THAT EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT HE THINKS AND DOES IN SECRET. AND IN HIS SHAME, blood rushes to his face for a short time, AND AFTERWARDS it reverses its colors to white or green.

105. Three fine veins are on his face. There is one on the right. This is traced on the face, which grips it. Another proceeds upward to the bridge of the nose. There are two on the left, and one that branches downward from these two attaches itself to this one and that one. These letters which are carved upon his face protrude and are not sunken. But when he becomes settled, and gradually becomes accustomed to walking in the way of Truth, they sink.

106. The secret of these letters. He is near (Heb. karov, Kof Resh Vav Bet). He was far, and when HE CAME NEAR, the letters protruded in his face to give hasty testimony. And this is the mark of Kof, which is on the right side OF THE FACE. The other letters, WHICH ARE RESH VAV BET, are on the left side OF THE FACE. And even though other veins are seen in his face, they do not protrude on the outside as these do, except when he walks on the path of evil - THEN THESE ALSO PROTRUDE.

107. This appearance is different in one who is from the seed of David. First he appears in the form of man, then that of a lion. He then separates from the Other Side. And in all things, he is the reverse of other men.

108. This is the third form. If a man walks in a path that is not correct and his ways lead him away from the path of the Torah, that Holy Spirit is removed from him and another spirit is seen in him; another image which is protruding, observable to the eyes of the wise-hearted as the form of an ox. At the moment that he is observed BY THE WISE OF HEART, they pass the image OF AN OX across their hearts, and contemplate it.

109. On the right side of his face there are three red kernels OF WILD CROCUS, and these red veins are small. And there are three on the left side OF HIS FACE. These are the letters, which are prominent in him. One vein FROM THE THREE ON THE RIGHT AND THE LEFT SIDE is small and spherical. And two other thin veins above are also circular. The eyes of this person are sunken INTO HIS FOREHEAD.

110. This is the secret of these letters. One OF THE THREE is the letter Caf, the other two veins form the letters Resh and Tav. So it is WITH THE THREE VEINS on the left side, ONE OF THEM IS THE LETTER CAF AND THE OTHERS RESH AND TAV. And these letters form that which is written, "The sight of their countenance (Heb. hakarat, Hei-Caf-Resh-Tav) witnesses against them" (Yeshayah 3:9). And these are the letters that protrude in the face more than all other sinews. But if he returns REPENTING, turning away from the left AND COMING to THE SIDE OF the right, then that spirit yields and the spirit of Holiness prevails. Then these veins sink and others protrude on the outside, as we have studied.

111. It is the opposite with the seed of David. The image of the lion is seen first, and afterwards it turns to the image of an ox. Two dark veins are visible in his face, one from the right and one from the left, and these are the letters, one was called 'Dalet' and the other called 'Ayin.' And in everything it is the opposite from other men.

112. The fourth image is the form of a man, always standing ready to amend a secret past, AND DOING NO MORE DAMAGE. This is seen by the wise of heart in the form of an eagle. His spirit is a spirit of weakness. He does not exhibit on his face letters that protrude outwardly, since these were lost and sunk in his early days. Since they left him, they are no longer protruding.

113. This is the secret of him. His eyes do not sparkle with brightness, even when he is joyful, nor at those times when he trims the hair on his head and his beard. This is because his spirit does not shine in those letters, and the sparks of light which he had at the beginning have now declined. It cannot be observed when one looks at his face BECAUSE THERE ARE NO PROTRUDING LETTERS, AS WAS MENTIONED BEFORE. And this is the secret as it is written, "So I praised the dead that are already dead more than the living that are yet alive" (Kohelet 4:2). However, pertaining to the seed of David, "the counsel (also: 'secret') of Hashem is with them that fear Him, and He will reveal to them His covenant" (Tehilim 25:14).

114. In the spirit of man, letters are impressed, as we have learned, which protrude through to the outside ON THE FACE. And this wisdom has been given to the wise to comprehend and to recognize. The spirit can be approached through the concealed significance of the phrase, "This is the book" (Beresheet 5:11). Everything is approached through this mystery except for facial features, which we judge by another method, according to the rule of the spirit or man of spirit. Happy are those wise ones who are privileged to be entrusted with this knowledge. Until this point is the secret of faces.