in the days of Moshe Rabbeinu, a gentile king, having heard of his leading the Jewish nation out of Egypt, splitting the sea, receiving the Torah, etc. greatly desired to see how Moshe looked (there were no tabloids back then). It was beneath his dignity to journey into the desert to meet him, so he hired a skilled artist to study Moshe and ultimately paint his portrait. The artist spent many months until he was satisfied with his work and presented it to its commissioner. The king took one look at the picture, and gave the artist a slap across his face. “How dare you try to fool me! I am well versed in the reading of faces, and the picture you’ve painted is of a man who is of very poor character. Am I to believe this the great Moshe, who’s name is uttered with such reverence in all the world?” The artist, however, stuck by his story that this was indeed Moshe.
The king, intrigued, journeyed into the desert to behold Moshe’s countenance with his own eyes. To his shock, Moshe looked exactly as the artist had depicted him. He approached the great leader and expressed his surprise, based on his understanding of face-reading. “Why are you surprised?” asked Moshe simply. “Is this not the true test of man – to overcome his poor character and strive for greatness – not to be born into it?” (This story is quoted by Tiferes Yisrael [Kiddushin 4:77] and others. There is some disagreement as to its veracity [some say it was Aristotle and not Moshe [Midrash Eliyahu]). But for the most part the story is widely accepted [see Or P’nei Moshe (Chukas), Noam Ha-middos (88:2), P’ri Ha’aretz (Balak), et al.]) “