The Secret of Kingship and Prophecy: The Hidden Destiny of Saul and David

Class No. 222 | Cassette 222 Sunday, Parashas Vayetzei, the eve of 6 Kislev 5760 - Awakening gathering in Bnei Brak at the King David Halls Wednesday, Parashas Vayishlach, the eve of 16 Kislev 5760 - Distribution of certificates and scholarships at the Breslov Kollel for young men

An in-depth discourse explaining the original Divine plan for King Saul and King David, the fundamental difference between attaining Torah and attaining prophecy, and the secret of the sealing of the channels of prophecy since the struggle between Jacob and the angel.

The Soul of David and the Destiny of Saul

Regarding the verse in Psalms, it is stated: "He asked You for life; You gave it to him, length of days forever and ever."

The holy Zohar explains that this verse speaks about King David. When Hashem created Adam, the first man, He saw that King David had no life of his own. In fact, when Hashem created the Garden of Eden, He placed the soul of David within it. This soul was so lofty that it did not need to descend into this world at all; it was meant to remain in the Garden of Eden and illuminate us from there. True tzaddikim (righteous ones) do not need to be revealed at all; they sit in the innermost chambers, even in the Garden of Eden above, and radiate their light upon us.

According to this, we can understand the words of Samuel the Prophet to King Saul. The original Divine plan was for Saul to reign forever, and David was never meant to be revealed at all. Samuel says to Saul: "You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of Hashem your God... for now Hashem would have established your kingdom over Israel forever."

If Saul had waited for Samuel just a few more minutes, he would have merited an eternal kingship, and no one would have ever known who King David was.

Opening the Gates of Prophecy

The Vilna Gaon and the holy Arizal explain that Saul is already alluded to in Parashas Vayishlach, among the seven kings of Edom: "And Samlah died, and Saul of Rechovos HaNahar reigned in his stead." The words "Rechovos HaNahar" form the acronym of Moshe, because Saul possessed a spark of the soul of Moshe Rabbeinu. He belonged to the Sefirah of Binah (the Divine emanation of Understanding), and therefore it is said of him, "from his shoulders and upward he was taller than any of the people."

Saul had a tremendous role, even greater than being a king—he was tasked with reopening the channels of prophecy. In those days, it was said: "And the word of Hashem was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision."

Samuel wanted Saul to open the world of prophecy together with him. Therefore, Saul began to prophesy, as it is stated, "Is Saul also among the prophets?" Even after he lost the kingship, if Saul had not been jealous of David, he could have lived for many more years and merited to be a prophet on the level of Samuel. In fact, the letters of the name "Saul" (Shaul) are contained within the name "Samuel" (Shmuel), because they were meant to work together.

The Sealing of Prophecy: Jacob's Struggle and Bowing to Esau

Why was prophecy sealed from Israel in the first place? The holy Arizal explains that this began when the angel struggled with Jacob: "And he touched the socket of his hip, and the socket of Jacob's hip was dislocated."

The hip alludes to the Sefirah of Netzach (the Divine emanation of Eternity and Victory), and from that moment on, prophecy was sealed from all the children of Jacob. However, this damage was not absolute, because it was done by force, against the will of Jacob, who ultimately defeated the guardian angel of Esau.

The great tragedy and the absolute blemish occurred when Jacob chose to bow down to Esau. Jacob our Patriarch was a chariot for the Shechinah (Divine Presence) itself, and every movement of his influenced the upper Sefiros. Bowing is done with the legs, and through this action, he completely sealed off the Sefirah of Netzach.

The holy Zohar in Parashas Vayishlach brings a profound parable about this: A man was walking along the road and reached an area filled with murderers. One of the bandits approached him and said, "Give me everything you have, or we will kill you." That man was clever and told him, "You should know that I have a snake in my possession, and anyone who tries to touch me—the snake jumps on him and strangles him. Go tell this to the leader of the murderers!" When the head of the legion heard this, he was seized with terrible fear; he approached the man in submission and with trembling knees, begging for his life. This is how Jacob should have acted towards Esau—to display his spiritual power and not to bow down and surrender.

Torah vs. Prophecy: Tiferes vs. Netzach and Hod

To understand the depth of these matters, one must distinguish between Torah and prophecy. The Torah belongs to the Sefirah of Tiferes (the Divine emanation of Harmony and Truth), while prophecy is drawn from the Sefiros of Netzach and Hod (Eternity and Splendor, the channels of prophetic vision). The Torah is higher than prophecy, and therefore a sage is greater than a prophet. A person who truly studies Torah, day and night, can see things loftier than a prophet, annul harsh decrees, and foresee the future.

Moshe Rabbeinu brought the Torah down from the Sefirah of Tiferes. Therefore, a prophet is not permitted to introduce anything new or change even a single crown on a letter in the Torah, because his prophecy comes from a lower place (Netzach and Hod). At the Giving of the Torah, Moshe elevated the entire Jewish people to the level of Tiferes, above the level of prophets, as it is stated: "Face to face Hashem spoke with you on the mountain out of the midst of the fire."

The entire Jewish people merited to reach the level of Moshe, at least during the Ten Commandments. But afterward, the generations descended once again, and the prophets prophesied only from Netzach and Hod, until Samuel came and merited to touch the point of connection between Netzach and Hod and Tiferes.

Rectification of the Sefirah of Netzach

Chana, the mother of Shmuel, knew the secret of the sealing of prophecy. When she prayed for a son, she said, "I will go and hide." The Arizal explains that this does not merely mean a simple hiding, but rather refers to the secret of the thigh (which is hidden), which corresponds to the Sefirah of Netzach (Eternity/Victory). She said to Hashem, "If You do not give me a son who will open the Sefirah of Netzach, I will open it myself!"

When Shaul failed and did not wipe out Amalek, Shmuel said to him: "And also the Netzach (Eternity) of Israel will not lie."

With this, he informed him that he had sealed the Sefirah of Netzach. The one who ultimately opened it was King David, who said in the Psalm "Michtam of David" (which is the crown of David): "You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy, in Your right hand is Netzach (eternity) forever." Through reciting The Tikkun HaKlali, we open the channels of prophecy and the Sefirah of Netzach, and we draw down Siyata Dishmaya (Heavenly assistance) and Ruach HaKodesh (Divine inspiration) for that day.

The Secret of the Eighth King

At the end of Parashas Vayishlach, the seven kings of Edom who died are mentioned, followed by the eighth king: "And Hadar reigned in his stead; and the name of his city was Pau; and his wife's name was Mehetabel."

Regarding this king, death is not mentioned. The Vilna Gaon explains that while "Shaul of Rechovos HaNahar" alludes to King Shaul (who was from the Sefirah of Binah), the eighth king, "Hadar," alludes to King David.

Since King David completely rectifies the Sefirah of Malchus (Kingship), his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. Therefore, it does not say "and he died" regarding him, because the secret of David is the secret of eternal life and the resurrection of the dead, which will be revealed speedily in our days.

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