We read that David is described as "ruddy-cheeked, bright-eyed and handsome". (Samuel I 16:12) The first person to be described as ruddy was Esau, and therefore it hardly seems a compliment to David to be similarly described. The essential difference between the two is that, whereas Esau represented all that is negative associated with the eye (i.e. evil eye), David was the reverse and is therefore described as "yafeh einayim", "beautiful-" or "bright-eyes". In David's case, the positive aspects of eyes are meant. Mashiach…will take revenge on the forces of Esau in the manner of a serpent…

King Solomon, who says, "He who breaches the fence will be bitten by a snake [in Hebrew, 'nachash']," (Ecclesiastes 10:8) may have referred to David's forbear Peretz, whom the Torah had described as "bursting out". (Gen. 38:29) The snake referred to is the power of Esau. King Saul repaired the fence partially when he defeated Nachash, king of Ammon, who went to war against Israel, as reported in Samuel. (I 11:1) David also accomplished a great deal in this area during his reign. In the future, as the Mashiach, however, he will take revenge on the forces of Esau in the manner of a serpent, as we know from: "For from the root of a snake there sprouts an asp." (Isaiah 14:29) Adam…donated 70 years of his life to David…

We are told in the Zohar, parashat Vayishlach (Sulam edition page 16), that Jacob and Joseph jointly donated 70 years of their lives to David. The Zohar writes as follows: David, [though extant in concept] had not been allocated any life on earth at all. When Adam saw this, he donated 70 years of his life to David. This is why he did not live to be the 1000 years he was entitled to, but died at 930. The first 1000 years of human life may be understood as a combination of the lives of Adam and David. Rebbe Shimon continued to expound [on the verse]: "He asked You for life; You granted it; a long life everlasting." (Psalms 21:5) The first part of the verse applies to King David, who, when his soul was created and placed in the Garden of Eden, saw that no lifespan on earth had been allocated to him. As soon as Adam was created, he concluded that Adam's life was the answer to his prayer.

Rebbe Shimon added that each one of the Patriarchs also donated a portion of their designated lifespans to David. Abraham contributed, as did Jacob and Joseph. Isaac did not give up any part of his life on earth in favor of David. The reason is because David "was from his side", Abraham donated five years of his life; he died at 175 instead of at 180 as he was meant to. Jacob, who was meant to live the same number of years as Abraham, i.e. 175, died at 147; he donated 28 years of his designated lifespan to David. This gives us 33 years that Abraham and Jacob contributed to David's lifespan. Joseph was meant to live to the same age as his father, i.e. 147; however, he died at 110, and the 37 years missing in his lifespan were given to David. Thus the patriarchs and Joseph together contributed 70 years to the lifespan of David. The reason that Isaac did not contribute was that Isaac was darkness [a term for the left side of the diagram of the sefirot, containing judgment, something discussed by the author on numerous occasions, Ed.], the same side that David stems from. Anyone who originates in that region is not entitled to light, i.e. life, at all. This is the reason that originally no lifespan had been allocated to David's soul. The other Patriarchs who had been granted life, provided "light", i.e. life, for David's soul. Joseph…illuminated the moon…

You may ask how it is that Joseph is included in the list of Patriarchs, and even contributed more than the other patriarchs combined. The answer is that Joseph was the moral equal of all the other Patriarchs combined, seeing that all our literature describes him as "Joseph the Righteous". In that capacity he "illuminated the moon", the symbol of all that is feminine, more than any of the others. This is why he could contribute more years of life to David than all the others. The allusion to this in our scriptures is found in the verse, "G‑d positioned them in the sky of the firmament to give light on earth." (Gen. l:17) Thus far the Zohar.

We see from the above that both Jacob and Joseph repaired damage caused by the "the ruddy one" since both hated Esau. What our sages said about Adam giving 70 years of his life to David is also true. The whole point of granting life to David was to repair the damage done to G‑d's universe by Adam, without which a Messianic age and all its benefits to mankind would not be needed. Adam's divine image, needed to be restored first and foremost through the constructive lives of the Patriarchs. Once the Mashiach will arrive on earth, Adam will be rehabilitated completely…

The 70 years Adam donated to David were "illuminated", meaning they assumed positive meaning through Jacob and Joseph having donated 70 years of their already meaningful lives. We have explained earlier that the "beauty" of Jacob was of the same quality as the beauty of Adam [before his sin, of course - Ed.]. Scripture (Gen. 39:6) describes Joseph as: he had handsome features for he evidently inherited these from his father, seeing Joseph is viewed as his father's replica; we have seen from Samuel (I 16:12) that David's features are described in similar terms. Once the Mashiach will arrive on earth, Adam will be rehabilitated completely, i.e. will be AD"M, the first letters respectively of the incarnations Adam, David, and Mashiach.

[Translation and commentary by Eliyahu Munk]