“Adonai has surely chastised me, but He has not given me over to death.” Surely God has chastened me (Yasor Yisrani) implies that before I was born my mother and I were in danger and once when I was born I was rejected by my father and my brothers. When Samuel the prophet came to anoint me so that it was revealed that my mother was righteous I was saved from this but I encountered the trials afflicted on me by Saul. He hunted me in order to catch me but God did not give me over to death. Therefore, I had an obligation to give thanks to Adonai. This is what is stated, Open up for me the gates of righteousness…the righteous shall enter it; So that my life is justified! I will thank You, since You answered me, to enter all matters that are hidden. And You have become my salvation, You saved me from everything. The stone that was rejected by the builders; read habonim as habanim (the sons). This applies to the wife of Jesse who was suspected and rejected by her husband and her sons. Has become the main cornerstone, a precious cornerstone of a sure foundation (Isa. 28:16) The first letters of the words (Even maasu mabonim - The stone that was rejected by the builders) spell ema, mother, to allude to the whole matter of how their mother was rejected. I have had the merit of explaining part of what the students of the Ari, of blessed memory, explained in Likutei Torah; therefore I have rejoiced. From Adonai was this, it is wondrous in our eyes. How deep are the secrets of the All-Merciful One;122 that which we did not know is wondrous and amazing though it is hidden. Let us answer and say, This is the day of the Lord, let us exult and rejoice upon it. Now it is known that Jesse and his wife did not sin nor did David their offspring. He reigned and it is a great joy to all!

There is another way of explaining these verses, according to what is written in Yalkut David123 in the name of the author of Siftei Kohen.124 , which is an abbreviation of his most important work, Siftei Kohen (literally Lips of the Priest) on the Shulchan Aruch. Moabite women were also prohibited to marry Israelite men until the time of King David. Because Abraham and Isaac did not form relations with the offspring of the daughters of Lot. Further it states in the Torah, “No Ammonite or Moabite shall be admitted into the congregation of Adonai” (Deut. 23:4) This verse proves that the decree was made only on Ammonite and Moabite men. The verse states “Amoni…” It specifically says Amoni to exclude Amonit, the women. If the women were also prohibited it would have said Lo yavo amon “The people of Amon may not be admitted.” In any case, God hid this permission from the sages of Israel for generations until the time of Boaz so that it would be prohibited until Ruth married Boaz. According to this, it became acceptable when the law was changed so that the law only applied to Ammonite or Moabite men and not to Ammonite and Moabite women. Until that time they were not permitted to marry the women. It was God’s will that the law should be hidden. Thus David says, “Please Adonai, since I am Your servant” so that I have seen your great compassion to me. “Am I the son of your maidservant,” Ruth. “You have opened my chains,” Until now, Moabite women were forbidden to marry Israelite men because people did not know that the verse in Scripture only applied to men and not women. But when we reached the time of the chain of ancestry, “You opened my chain,” and you opened the eyes of the Sanhedrin permitting Moabite women to marry Israelite men. You only gave permission because of my needs, and from this time forth you gave permission for the sake of my honor. And it is a great wonder, therefore, “To You will I bring thanksgiving offerings,” for all your kindness and goodness. This is what is written in Psalm 89, “Our shield is Adonai, our king, the Holy One of Israel. Then You spoke to Your faithful ones in a vision and said, “I have conferred power upon a warrior; I have exalted one chosen out of the people. I have found David, My servant; anointed him with My sacred oil. My hand shall be constantly with him, and My arm shall strengthen him. No enemy shall oppress him, no vile man afflict him. I will crush his adversaries before him; I will strike down those who hate him. My faithfulness and steadfast love shall be with him; his horn shall be exalted through My name.” There are a number of issues to raise in these verses. This is our approach, for the most part, not to explain the verses as related to the time in the wilderness, or to explain them at length with suggestions, comments and notes. I have said in our approach that anyone who overly explains these verses is not to be praised. I have tried not to be a person who draws too much ink or doesn’t leave the matter until he has explained all the fine points so that through the explanation everything would be understood. Rather these verses can be understood either by my approach or without it.

Based on the previous comment, it is possible to explain the following. Actually, when it comes to the king, it is not enough if only one parent is Jewish. It is necessary that both his father and his mother are Israelites. Also if someone in his family is a convert it is not sufficient as is stated by the author of the Nimukei Yosef,125 of Isaac Alfasi, entitled Nimmuḳei Yosef, published with the text and the commentary of R. Nissim (Constantinople, 1509) (Wikipedia) in the chapter on the laws of Halitzah and also in the laws of damages. The Rashbatz,126 in Magen Avot, asks regarding Shemayah and Avtalyon how they could be appointed as Nasi and Av Beit Din of the Sanhedrin since they were converts. He answers that there was no one else like them and because of this they were permitted to become leaders of the Sanhedrin. The Meiri127 in Halachic ruling regarding Horayot, Beit Yosef, Ch. 3 states that there is an explanation given for what is stated in Yoma,128 “Saul failed with a single sin and it was counted against him, costing him the throne. David, however, failed with two sins and they were not counted against him - he remained in his royal position.” This is because it was decreed that the monarchy would be from the tribe of Judah. When the people asked to have a king, it was not yet fit for David to rule, so Saul was placed in as an interim King. Saul was not the actual king but rather a minor administrator until the king could be anointed from Judah. While Saul was fitting for this position, King David was the true king. Even though he sinned twice and was judged, still the monarchy remained in his hand. This is the essence of the explanation; see what is written there at length. In the Ch. 8 of Yevamot,the sages say, It is written, “I have found David, my servant.” (Ps. 89:21) and it is also written, “Up, take your wife and your two remaining daughters,” (Gen. 19:15) See what is written there. It is stated, “Truly our shield is Adonai, our king, of the Holy One of Israel.” (Ps. 89:19) That is, because King David clinged to God, the Holy One of Israel, and all his thoughts were with God, as the Radak129 explained. “Then You spoke to Your faithful ones in a vision;” (Ps. 89:20) refers to Samuel, the prophet, who was equal to Moses and Aaron, and because of this, received messages in a vision, even harsh prophecies (Is. 21:2) (The decision to remove Saul from the monarch) was especially hard for Samuel since his life was tied up with the monarchy of Saul, the prophet. The numerical value of the opening letters of “Then You spoke to Your faithful ones in a vision, and said, “I have conferred power…” (Ps, 89:20) is 414. In gematria, it is the same as “I will separate from Saul,” (avdel mishaul) when we add in one for the count (414). This was a harsh vision, conferring the monarchy on David. Yet haven’t we said that the King must be an Israelite from both parents, and David was only Jewish on one side, since Ruth was a Moabitess. To this we say, “I have exalted one chosen out of the people.” (Ps. 89:20) David was chosen from the entire nation and there was none like him in Israel. And therefore he was permitted by everyone, as the Rashbatz said. It didn’t matter to them that he was a descendant of Ruth. That is why it says, “I have chosen one exalted out of the people, I have found David my servant,” (Ps. 89:20-21) For there is none like him, as Radak stated. It hints that he came from Moab,as was written, “Your two remaining daughters…” (Gen. 19:15) According to the Radak and the Keli Yakar, Saul was anointed with pure balsam wood while David was anointed with sanctified olive oil to distinguish David from Saul who was only an intermediary and not really the king since he was ant anointed with balsam rather than olive oil. This is the reason that David was forgiven for two sins. This is hinted at in the statement, “My hand shall constantly be with him,” for one sin, and “My arm shall strengthen him,” (Ps. 89:22) for the second. For he is the true king, as the Meiri has said. “No enemy shall oppress him,” (Ps. 89:24) there shall not be an enemy who takes advantage of him - as the Radak explains. This alludes to the original enemy who sought to prosecute David, as is said in the introduction to the Holy Zohar. God in his mercy advocated positively for David and saved him. “No enemy” refers to the outer enemy (of appearance) “shall oppress him” refers to Doeg and his entourage. “I shall crush his adversaries,” (Ps. 24) when he sees his enemies and those who hate him. “I will strike down those who hate him,” (Ps. 89:24) since this is fitting for them. “My faithfulness and steadfast love shall be with him;” (Ps. 89:25) because he rose up at midnight every night and the Divine Presence was with him, like a thread of lovingkindness pulling him through the day. This is my faithfulness which is another name for the Shechinah, the Divine Presence. And steadfast love refers to the thread of loving kindness that is with him when he rises at midnight. “His horn shall be exalted through My name; (Ps. 89:24) for they know that he shall not sin. Therefore He says, the Shechinah is with him.

Here is another way of explaining Psalm 89: When Israel asked the prophet, Samuel, to appoint a king, they acted improperly, as Scripture says, “For it is not you that they have rejected but Me.” (I Sam. 8:7) This is what the Psalmist said, “The Holy One of Israel is our King.” (Ps. 89:19) Because of this when Israel asked Samuel for a king, “You spoke to your faithful one in a vision,” (Ps. 89:20) with harsh words and a harsh vision (Is. 21:2) to your faithful one, (Ps. 86:20) to Samuel. By asking for a king, as it says, “For it is not you they have rejected.” You then said, “I have conferred power,” (Ps. 89:20) in other words, this is not the monarchy that I have conferred but rather, “I conferred power upon a warrior,” that is, King Saul who was chosen and raised up from the whole nation, as is written, “Saul, the chosen one of God.” (1 Sam. 21:6) But he was not from the tribe of Judah, so that he was the chosen of the people among the people. At that time there was no one worthy in the tribe of Judah, yet. After some time I found David, who was more fitting for the position of the monarchy. Therefore I anointed him with s olive oil to exclude Saul who was anointed with persimmon oil, as was written above. “My hand shall be constantly with him,” (Ps. 89:22) Even during the life of Saul, I supported him and again when he later became the king.

Further, this explanation of these matters appears in what I wrote about, “Truly our shield is Adonai, our king, the Holy One of Israel.” (Ps. 89:19) As I wrote, King David, of blessed memory, always cleaved to God and all his thoughts were with Him, “For truly our shield is Adonai…” This alludes to the fact that this was the way David was during the life of Saul. He was a defender and savior to Israel because he was faithful to God. And the Holy One of Israel was also with David when he was king. Then you said to Your faithful ones, Samuel and Jesse, though Jesse and his sons thought that their mother became pregnant through an illicit relation, it was not true. You revealed the truth and said, “From me hidden matters emerge!”130 “I have conferred power upon a warrior;” (Ps. 89:20) I have raised up the wife of Jesse in the place of a maid servant, This is the meaning of the verse “I have conferred power (ezer)” The word ezer means a wife as in the verse “I will make her a fitting help mate (ezer kinedgo)” (Gen. 2:18) “Upon a warrior,” with the Torah of Jesse who always entered with multitudes and went out with multitudes.131 “I have exalted one chosen out of the people.” David was shamed and hated and I lifted David up from the nation. Jesse did not know that I found David to be my servant from among the daughters of Lot, as was written, “Among your two remaining daughters.” I have found David, My servant; and anointed him with My sacred oil...” (Ps. 89:21) as has been said.

According to our approach one can explain this verse, “Then You spoke to Your faithful ones in a vision.” (Ps 89:20) It is written in the Torah,”No Ammonite or Moabite shall be admitted into the congregation of Adonai.” (Deut. 23:4) Since this is written generally, it was assumed that it meant temales were also forbidden to marry Israelites until the time of Boaz. Then it says, “I have conferred power upon a warrior,” This refers to Ruth since Boaz took her as a wife and it was then realized by the Sanhedrin that a Moabitess is permitted even though until that time it was forbidden to marry a Moabitess. Now I have seen that it was permitted for Ruth to marry and the reason is, “I have exalted one chosen out of the people (mei’am).” Until then King David’s soul was hidden among the husks. This is the meaning of mei’am. Thus he was born through Ruth…This is the meaning of “I found David, my servant” among the daughters of Lot. When it came time to “anoint him with sacred oil,” “My hand shall be constantly with him,” to help him and support him because his soul was in the depths of the husks, as our teacher, the Ari wrote at length. It is for this reason that God did not consider David’s sins for He knew that David’s soul came from the depths of the Sitra Achra. This is where it began. As a result at times his inclination overcame him so that it was still (God forbid) caught in the thicket (Gen 22:13) and deeply troubled (by the husks). It was for this reason that God did not consider his sins like other people. This is the essence of the argument of the Ari, of blessed memory. Because of this, it is said, **“**My hand shall be constantly with him,” to help him, and “My arm shall strengthen him,” when he sinned. It is for this reason it says, “No enemy shall oppress him,” (the person who prosecutes him) and, “No vile man shall afflict him, (for example the people of Nob shall not prosecute him). “I will crush his adversaries before him,” The enemies of his soul who prosecute him I will crush and destroy “I will strike down those who hate him.” “My faithfulness and steadfast love shall be with him,” because the Divine Presence is with him when he is humble. Then he is a chariot to the Shechinah. “And steadfast love is with him,” which is another expression for the Divine Presence. As is written “And David made a name.”132 (ll Sam. 8:13) which is another expression for “His horn shall be exalted through My name.” (Ps. 89:25) It is through this that he merited the monarchy.

According to this we can now explain the verses, “I will thank You, since You answered me ,” (Ps. 118:21), You brought me from Ruth the Moabitess**, “And You have become my salvation.”** since, “One only appoints a communal leader if he has a box full of creeping animals hanging behind him.”133 “The stone that the builders rejected,” refers to Ruth the Moabitess and like her all the daughters of Moab who until now were forbidden to marry Israelite men. **“She has become the chief cornerstone;”**because it states in the Torah, “Your remaining (nimtzaim) daughters,” (Gen. 19:15) and it is also says, “I found (matzati) my servant, David’ (Ps. 89:22) that is, if it were not for David, the Moabite women would still be forbidden. If you were to say that since it is written Amoni, Ammonite, why did they prohibit the Ammonite women as well? How did the Sanhedrin of every generation not realize that it states Amoni (masc.) and not Amonit (feminine). To this we respond, “This is Adonai’s doing; it is marvelous in our sight.” That is, this is what God wanted; it was a wonderous. It was hidden from our eyes until Ruth came…