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MOREOVER, THOU SHALT LOOK ABOUT AND CHOOSE OUT OF ALL THE PEOPLE, ABLE MEN. R. Isaac and R. Jose were one day studying the Torah in Tiberias. R. Simeon passed by and asked them what they were engaged upon. They answered him: ‘The words which we have learned from thee, Master,’ ‘Which?’ said he. They replied: ‘It arises out of the verse: “This is the book of the generations of man; in the day when God created man, in the likeness of God made he him” (Gen. 5, 1). We were taught,’ they said, ‘that this verse indicates that the Holy One showed to the first man all the future generations of mankind: all the leaders, all the sages of each period.
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that there are two books, an upper and a lower book. The lower book is the “book of remembrance”, and the upper one is called ” this”. And in order to show that the two are not separated, but form one, it is written “this is the book”.
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At beginning, when the wicked approach to look upon them, and the same laugh, for there is kindness, beauty, and compassion. After, strength, fear, terror, and anger. His eyes are like doves when turned towards them. What are dove's eyes? They are eyes that deceive the wicked, as it is written, (Vayikra 25:14) "You shall not oppress one another." And written in a book (Shir Hashirim 1:15) "You have dove's eyes." They attract and repels (them). All the images of the world are in his face. The hairs on his head are blazed with the colors of seven types of gold.
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When a man, not entirely bad, changes his ways and turns to the Lord, a good spirit begins to rest upon him, so that he is enabled to prevail against the evil that was in him, and for a time this new spirit thrusts itself forward into the expression of his face in the form of a lion.
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At a first casual examination his face would not inspire love, but gradually it becomes better comprehended and so better loved. When people look at him a sense of shame for his past misdeeds comes over him, for he feels that everyone knows his former evil ways, and the blood rushes to his face, and then again he turns pale.
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On his face are three veins, one on the right, one going up to the bridge of the nose, and a third which is joined thereto and branches downward from them. These veins form the shapes of the letters which are traced upon his face. They usually stand out prominently and quiver, but when he is penitent and gradually becomes accustomed to walking in the way of truth they subside.
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The mystery of these letters is contained in the word Karib (Koph, Resh, Yod, Beth, “near”), signifying that he had been far from holiness.
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Although there are also other veins in his face, these do not protrude, except when he treads the paths of crookedness and iniquity. Here again the seed of David are the reverse of other men, first appearing in the form of Man and then in that of Lion, finally separating and taking the form of the “other side”.
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3. When a man deserts the ways of the Torah and follows ways of iniquity, the holy spirit, which formerly dwelt in his inner self, removes its influence from him and another spirit takes up its abode there, with another form which impresses itself on the outer lineaments and is there manifested to the vision of the wise in the form of an Ox.
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When they gaze at the person thus possessed, they mentally behold this form, and they observe in him two red, berry-like veins on the right side of the face, and three on the left. These are the symbolic letters of his type which shape themselves thus visibly in his face: one spherical and thin, the two others, also round, above it. The eyes of such a man are sunk deep in his head. The symbolic expression of these letters is as follows: The first vein is in the form of the letter Kaph, and the other two severally in that of Resh and Tau (Karet=to be cut off). The same letters are denoted by the veins on the left side of the face.