וְדָוִד֩ בֶּן־אִ֨ישׁ אֶפְרָתִ֜י הַזֶּ֗ה מִבֵּ֥ית לֶ֙חֶם֙ יְהוּדָ֔ה וּשְׁמ֣וֹ יִשַׁ֔י וְל֖וֹ שְׁמֹנָ֣ה בָנִ֑ים וְהָאִישׁ֙ בִּימֵ֣י שָׁא֔וּל זָקֵ֖ן בָּ֥א בַאֲנָשִֽׁים׃
און דוד איז געװען דער זון פֿון יענעם אֶפֿרָתער מאַן פֿון בית-לחם-יהוּדה, װאָס זײַן נאָמען איז געװען יִשַי; און ער האָט געהאַט אַכט זין. און דער מאַן איז אין די טעג פֿון שָאולן געװען אַ זקן װאָס קומט צװישן לײַט.
Sha'arei Orah
After having informed you about these principles of the matter of these two Sefirot, which are “Nothing-Ayin-אין” and “Something-Yesh-יש,” we now must inform you of an important principle. That is, because our forefather Yaakov, peace be upon him, is the middle line-Kav HaEmtza’ee-קו האמצעי, therefore, even though he too is subjugated with Avraham and Yitzchak, in that the ministering angels of the world have a hold on them, nevertheless, through the Sefirot of Crown-Keter and Wisdom-Chochmah, Yaakov will ultimately ascend high above and adhere to the Sefirah of Crown-Keter. This is the meaning of the verse,109Genesis 28:14 “You shall burst forth-uFaratzta-ופרצת westward, eastward, northward, and southward,” and the meaning of verse,110Isaiah 58:14; Also see Talmud Bavli, Shabbat 118b ibid. “I will mount you astride the heights of the earth.” Now, because Yaakov merited to adhere to the first of all the Sefirot above, therefore Avraham is found to his right, Yitzchak is found to his left, and David, who is the fourth leg of the throne, is the last of the ten Sefirot, in that he adheres to the bottom thorn of the letter Vav-ו, called Foundation-Yesod. Thus, according to all the Kabbalists, there are two Yod’s-י. The upper Yod-י is Wisdom-Chochmah and the lower Yod-י is Foundation-Yesod. This is why “Yishai-ישי is the father of David.”111Ruth 4:17 That is, there is the “Something-Yesh-יש” that Yaakov adheres to above, which David adheres to below. Therefore, “Yishai-ישי is the father of David.” That is, [in Yishai-ישי] there is a letter Yod-י above, a letter Yod-י below, and the three forefathers in the middle, as indicated by the three heads of the letter Shin-ש, these being Greatness-Gedulah, Might-Gevurah, and Splendor-Tiferet, [and the three lines] of Victory-Netzach [to the right], Majesty-Hod [to the left] and Foundation-Yesod [in the middle]. Whoever understands this will understand what our sages stated in Tractate Brachot about Yishai-ישי,112Talmud Bavli, Brachot 58a “The verse states,113Samuel I 17:12 ‘In the days of Shaul, the man was old, and would come amongst the elders.’ This refers to Yishai-ישי who went in with multitudes and went out with multitudes.”114That is, all the Sefirot were unified in him and he merited to be a Chariot (Merkavah) for the Holy One, blessed is He. He thus was a Minister and Rebbe over all the Jewish people, as it continues there, “and he taught Torah before the multitudes… and a multitude is no less than six-hundred thousand,” referring to the entire Jewish people. Also see Tractate Yevamot 76b and Rashi there.