The Secret of the Sefirah of Malchus: The Humility of David Versus the Holiness of Saul

Class No. 33 | Morning Classes at the Yeshiva, Monday Morning, Parashas Masei, 26 Tammuz 5755,

A profound discourse explaining the essential difference between the supernatural holiness and might of King Saul, and the trait of lowliness of King David. Through the teachings of the Rebbe of Ruzhin, it is explained how specifically David's recognition that he is "the dust of the sole of every Jew" is what merited him the Sefirah of Malchus (Kingship).

A person must never harbor any thought that he is worth anything on his own. As we learned in Psalm 71, when I move my hand or my foot—it is Hashem who moves them for me. I must praise Hashem for giving me the strength to move a hand and a foot. Can I truly move a hand and a foot by myself? Can I wage wars with my own strength?

"My hands for battle, my fingers for war"

Hashem does everything. Therefore, King David says out of the greatness of his trust: "For You are my hope, Lord Hashem, my trust from my youth." I have always trusted in You that You will guide me, lead me, and bring me to where I need to arrive. I knew that I could not do anything or attain any spiritual level with my own strength.

The Simple Jew and True Humility

King David knew that everything comes only from Hashem. This is true humility—the understanding that everything is from Hashem, and that I believe everyone else accomplishes more than I do. Whatever I do is only because Hashem is leading me. As it is written: "Stormy wind fulfilling His word." Hashem leads a person like a stormy wind to go, to fight, and to save the Jewish people.

Because David knew that everything is from Hashem, his songs and praises flowed from within him like an ever-strengthening spring. He did not have even the slightest thought (hava amina) that he was doing anything by himself. He knew that Hashem was moving his foot, his hand, his brain, and his thoughts. He felt: "I have still not accomplished anything in life."

David said: "But as for me, in the abundance of Your lovingkindness I will enter Your house." I, too, come to the synagogue, even though I am the lowliest Jew. The Baal Shem Tov taught that it is specifically the simple Jew who elevates all the prayers. The true tzaddik is the true simple Jew; he is the simple foundation. King David said about himself that he was worse than Doeg and Achitophel, and nevertheless, he comes to pray.

The Dust of the Sole of Every Jew

Regarding the verse, "I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes forever, to the very end (ekev)," the Noam Elimelech explains in the name of King David: All the mitzvos that I perform are only due to Hashem's lovingkindness. Just as Yaakov Avinu said, "I have become small from all the kindnesses"—the more kindness he received, the smaller and more unworthy he felt.

King David says: "I am forever an ekev (heel); I am forever the dust of the sole of every Jew." I am situated beneath the heels of every Jew forever, and I have no other thought. I see clearly that every Jew is better than me—prays better, learns better, and gives more charity than I do.

The Rebbe of Ruzhin explains that all the Sefiros (Divine emanations) have an element of illusion, except for the Sefirah of Malchus (Kingship). The six Sefiros—Chesed (Kindness), Gevurah (Severity), Tiferes (Harmony), Netzach (Victory), Hod (Splendor), and Yesod (Foundation)—can mislead a person. But the Sefirah of Malchus, which is the Sefirah of King David, is the Sefirah of humility and lowliness, the aspect of "having nothing of its own" (receiving everything from above). One who is in the Sefirah of Malchus knows that when he moves a hand, it is Hashem who is moving it for him.

The Supernatural Holiness and Might of Saul

When King David imagined in his soul to speak about Saul, Hashem said to him: Are you comparing yourself to Saul? Do you know what the holiness of Saul is? "Saul was a year old when he began to reign"—like a one-year-old who has never tasted the taste of sin. Saul declared all his properties ownerless for the war, distributed his own food and money, and never touched public funds.

Hashem said to David: Do you think you are mightier than Saul? You merely took a slingshot, stood from afar, and threw stones at Goliath. But Saul wrestled with Goliath face-to-face!

And when did Saul wrestle with him? Not after eating a hearty meal and resting. When the Ark of the Covenant and the Tablets were captured after the destruction of Shiloh, Saul ran sixty kilometers to the battlefield. When he arrived and learned that the Ark had fallen into the captivity of the Philistines, he did not feel any fatigue, but immediately ran another sixty kilometers back to the battlefield.

When he reached the battlefield, Saul saw the Tablets in the hands of Goliath. The Tablets were made of sapphire stone, extremely hard and heavy, a cubit long, a cubit wide, and three handbreadths thick, weighing close to half a ton or a ton. After already running 120 kilometers, Saul began to wrestle with Goliath, and managed to extract the Tablets from his hands. With these heavy Tablets, he ran another ninety miles!

Why Was David Chosen for Kingship?

Hashem said to David: Saul never ate non-sacred food in a state of impurity. Even when he was a shepherd, he would break the ice in the river and immerse himself, and he never put a slice of bread or a piece of fruit into his mouth without first immersing in a mikvah. Saul ate in absolute purity. Because Saul was so holy and pure, Hashem held him strictly accountable for every minor mistake.

The Talmud says that a Heavenly voice (Bas Kol) emerged and said to David: "Were you Saul and he David—I would destroy many Davids before him." Meaning, if Saul had your aspect, the aspect of lowliness, Hashem would have destroyed the entire world before him.

Saul possessed all the spiritual aspects: He had immense Chesed (Kindness), as it is written, "Daughters of Israel, weep for Saul," for he would clothe brides and orphans with perfect kindness. He had the Gevurah (Might) to fight Goliath, and he had Yesod (Foundation) and holiness. But the Rebbe of Ruzhin explains: Saul did not have the Sefirah of Malchus. He did not have the lowliness and the trait of David—to be a heel beneath every Jew. David merited Kingship specifically in the merit of the deep recognition that there is no one lower than him.

Part 2 of 4 — Class No. 33

→ Previous Part | Next Part ←

All Parts: Part 1 | Part 2 (Current) | Part 3 | Part 4