176. Raza deRazin - Secret of Secrets. "Moreover (lit. 'and') you shall provide (lit. 'behold') out of all the people" (Shemot 18:21). "This is the book of the generations of Adam" (Beresheet 5:1), which is to say this book is from those books that are sealed and are profoundly deep. Rabbi Shimon said, I have raised my hand in prayer to the One who created the world. Even though in this scriptural verse the ancient ones revealed higher hidden things, yet we must further study and ponder the secrets of the book of Adam, as from that point continues the secret book of King Solomon.
177. HE EXPOUNDS UPON THE VERSE, "THIS IS THE BOOK." "This" indicates that everything is dependent on it. "This" is the Tree of Life, THAT IS, TIFERET. "This" REVEALS, and there is none other to reveal. "This," is as it is written, "This month shall be to you the beginning of months," (Shemot 12:2) WHICH MEANS THAT "This" refers to Nissan and no other month. AND ALSO, "THIS" REVEALS AND NONE OTHER.
178. It is this book that we contemplate to reveal the generations of man. IT IS a tree that reveals the generations of Adam that will bear fruit, THAT IS, THAT WILL GIVE BIRTH TO SOULS, to bring them out into the world. "This is the book" from which may be known the concealed and profound wisdom that was transmitted to the First Man in the shapes of people. This wisdom was transmitted to King Solomon, who inherited it and wrote it in his book.
179. We have been taught that Moses found this difficult until the Shechinah came and taught it to him. She perceived and sorted out all those people who could be seen AND RECOGNIZED by their countenances, and Moses thereby learned this wisdom, and was brought into it. Therefore it is written, "And You shall behold," that of which it is written "And You are the same, and Your years shall never end." (Tehilim 102: 27) "...and You do preserve them all..." (Nechemyah 9:6) "And You, Hashem, are a shield for me" (Tehilim 3:4). JUST AS IN ALL THESE WORDS "AND YOU" IS TO BE EXPLAINED AS THE SHECHINAH, SO HERE, "AND YOU SHALL BEHOLD," REFERS TO THE SHECHINAH.
180. "And You," NAMELY THE SHECHINAH, "shall behold" and observe it. You and none other, to know and to contemplate six hundred thousand. In six aspects you are to contemplate the images of man and to clearly know this wisdom. These are, the hair, the eyes, the nose, the lips, the face, and the hands, especially the lines in the hands. Of the six aspects, it is written, "And you shall behold."
181. "And you shall behold," THAT IS, in the hair, the creases on the brow, and the eyebrows. "...out of all the people..." IS TO BE INTERPRETED AS with eyes, in the membranes in the eyes, and in the folds under the eyes. "...Able men..." REFERS TO those who have the strength to stand in the palace of the King. They are recognized by the brightness on their faces, by their face, by the wrinkles on their faces, and by the marks in their beards. "...Hating unjust gain..." REFERS TO the hands, and the lines in the hands, and the marks in them. All these six aspects implied here, IN THE SCRIPTURAL VERSE, were transmitted to Moses to contemplate and from which to learn concealed wisdom. This wisdom is inherited by those who are properly righteous and truthful. Happy is their lot.
182. It is written, "You have clothed me with skin and flesh..." (Iyov 10:11). In a similar fashion, the Holy One, blessed be He, made levels upon levels above, these upon those, concealed ones within others concealed, hosts and Chariots, the one over the other. Similarly, He made in all these arteries and tendons THAT HE MADE IN THEM LEVEL UPON LEVEL...and these are the bones that exist on higher levels. And those OF THE LEVELS are called 'flesh,' being the levels of the domain of the end of all flesh. And all these benefit from the smoke of the flesh, from the scent of the sacrificial offerings, and from others things associated with flesh. And above all these is the skin. This is the hide that covers everything.
183. The Holy One, blessed be He, created the stars and the constellations with the skin of the firmament, as they are the signs of the heavens so that we may observe them to know the wisdom from them. Similarly, the Holy One, blessed be He, created man with marks and wrinkles in THE SKIN OF the face of man, which are similar to the stars and constellations IN THE FIRMAMENT, through which to know and to perceive great wisdom, applying it to the body.
184. Just as the appearance of the stars and constellations change in the firmament according to worldly events, so does the appearance of the marks and wrinkles on the skin of man change according to the actions of man from time to time. This wisdom was given only for the true righteous to learn and to know this great knowledge.
185. "This is the book of the generations of Adam." From time to time, according to the actions of man, marks are born, changed and etched upon the skin of man. For when the Holy Spirit rests within him, it produces offspring, and shows these marks of the Outside Spirit.