Further explanation is necessary,וְצָרִיךְ לְהָבִין,
for it appears that the “clever person’s” choice of the king is an intellectual decision. This applies even according to the explanation that he is not choosing the king because of his desire for personal benefit,דְּלִכְאוֹרָה, גַּם לְבֵאוּר זֶה שֶׁבְּחִירַת הַפִּקֵּחַ בְּהַמֶּלֶךְ הִיא לֹא מִצַּד הַתּוֹעֶלֶת שֶׁיִּהְיֶה לוֹ מִזֶּה
but because of his realization of the king’s eminence.אֶלָּא מִצַּד מַעֲלַת הַמֶּלֶךְ,
As a result of this realization, he foregoes the abundant influence that comes from the intermediaries.שֶׁלָּכֵן הוּא מְוַתֵּר עַל רִבּוּי הַהַשְׁפָּעָה הַבָּאָה עַל יָדָם,
Thus the “clever person’s” choice of the king appears to stem from his understanding.בְּחִירָתוֹ בְּהַמֶּלֶךְ הִיא מִצַּד הַשֵּׂכֶל,
Indeed, the Midrash cited describes him as a clever person.
He realizes that since “all the others are subject to replacement,דְּמִכֵּיוָן שֶׁכּוּלְּהוּ מִתְחַלְּפִין
And thus, as explained in sec. 5, since they are subject to replacement, they do not represent true existence, even when they are in power.
while the king is not subject to replacement,”וּמַלְכָּא לֹא מִתְחַלֵּף,
it is befitting to forego –רָאוּי לְוַתֵּר
I.e., this can be understood even by mortal intellect.
To offer a parallel: In Chassidus,1 it is explained that ahavah rabbah, “abundant love,” is characterized by a person’s desire for G‑d’s Essence and not the radiance of His light, even though bonding with Him on that level will cause the person’s own existence to be nullified. Such love is “referred to as being ‘male’ in nature, because it reflects powerful knowledge such that the person chooses what is of fundamental importance and not what is of secondary importance.” Ahavah zuta, a lesser level of love (characterized by a desire for the radiance of G‑d’s light so that the person’s existence will remain intact) is “referred to as being ‘female’ in nature, because his knowledge is fickle,2 i.e., he grants primacy to what is secondary, seeking to receive the radiance of Divine light because he seeks his own self-importance.”
the abundant influence conveyed by the “officers,” עַל רִבּוּי הַהַשְׁפָּעָה הַבָּאָה עַל יְדֵי הַשָּׂרִים
the various intermediaries through which Divine blessings are channeled,
and choose the limited influence that comes from the King Himself.וְלִבְחֹר בְּהַהַשְׁפָּעָה הַמְצֻמְצֶמֶת שֶׁבָּאָה מֵהַמֶּלֶךְ;
Nevertheless, from the fact that the Midrash associates the “clever person’s” choice of the king with the verse, “‘G‑d is my portion,’ says my soul,”וּמִזֶּה שֶׁמְּקַשֵּׁר בַּמִּדְרָשׁ עִנְיָן זֶה (אֲנָא נָסֵיב מַלְכָּא) עִם "חֶלְקִי הֲוָיָ׳ אָמְרָה נַפְשִׁי",
it appears that the Jews’ choice of G‑d stems from their soulsמַשְׁמָע, דְּזֶה שֶׁיִּשְׂרָאֵל בּוֹחֲרִים בְּהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא הוּא מִצַּד הַנְּשָׁמָה
(because their souls are “an actual part of G‑d from Above”)3 and thus seek to cleave to their source because of an innate spiritual desire(שֶׁהִיא חֵלֶק הֲוָיָ׳)
that transcends intellect.שֶׁלְּמַעְלָה מֵהַשֵּׂכֶל.
To explain by analogy: A son desires to cleave to his father not because of his appreciation of the good that his father has done for him or the positive virtues his father possesses, but because of the mere fact that he is his father. They share an essential bond. Similarly, the soul shares a core connection to G‑dliness that transcends all reason and logic.
Thus there is an apparent contradiction: If the choice comes from the soul’s inherent G‑dly nature, how is it connected with the wisdom of the “clever person”? And if the choice is motivated by logic, what connection does it have to the soul’s innate desire for G‑dliness?
The core of the resolution is that,וּנְקֻדַּת הַבֵּאוּר בָּזֶה,
as it exists on its own, mortal logic compels a person to desire his own personal benefit.דְּשֵׂכֶל הָאָדָם כְּמוֹ שֶׁהוּא מִצַּד עַצְמוֹ מַכְרִיחַ לִרְצוֹת רַק בָּזֶה שֶׁטּוֹב לוֹ.
That is the reason why the nations of the world choose the officersדְּזֶהוּ שֶׁאֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם בּוֹחֲרִים בְּהַשָּׂרִים,
even though they can also understand that the king is of fundamental importance.אַף שֶׁגַּם הֵם יְכוֹלִים לְהָבִין שֶׁהַמֶּלֶךְ הוּא הָעִקָּר
(After all, the rationale that “all the others are subject to replacement(דְּכֻלְּהוּ מִתְחַלְּפִין
while the king is not subject to replacement” is a logical imperative that, seemingly, they can also comprehend.) Nevertheless,וּמַלְכָּא לֹא מִתְחַלֵּף),
since their fundamental nature is characterized by yeshus, self-concern,כִּי לִהְיוֹתָם בִּבְחִינַת יֵשׁ,
they do not want to forego the benefit they will receive from the officers.אֵינָם רוֹצִים לְוַתֵּר עַל הַתּוֹעֶלֶת שֶׁיִּהְיֶה לָהֶם עַל יְדֵי שֶׁיְּקַבְּלוּ מֵהַשָּׂרִים.
Their fundamental self-concern prevents them from internalizing the awareness of the truth of G‑d’s prominence. Even though they are capable of understanding that G‑dliness is the only true existence, that understanding does not affect their fundamental approach to life. Hence, they choose the intermediaries, the entities that appear to provide them with immediate benefit.
Conversely, the reason that Jews recognize that they should forego the benefit they could receive from the officers, and instead, rise above their self-concern and choose G‑dlinessוְזֶה שֶׁבְּיִשְׂרָאֵל יֶשְׁנָהּ הַהַכָּרָה שֶׁצָּרִיךְ לְוַתֵּר עַל הַתּוֹעֶלֶת וְהַמְּצִיאוּת שֶׁלָּהֶם וְלִבְחֹר בֵּאלֹקוּת,
is because of their souls –הוּא מִצַּד הַנְּשָׁמָה
As explained in Tanya,4 the soul’s desire “to cleave to its root and source in G‑d, the Life of lives – even though as a result it will be nothingness and void and have its existence subsumed in G‑d entirely” – is a natural drive that transcends intellect. Now, the soul desires to cleave to G‑d because He is “the Life of lives” (the ultimate eminence), i.e., something that logic would accept. Nevertheless, since by cleaving to G‑d, the soul will become “nothingness and void,” its desire to cling to its source stems from a natural drive that transcends intellect. For a person’s intellect on its own would never desire to entirely obliterate his own selfhood. It is the soul’s essential G‑dly nature that motivates such a desire.
On this basis, it is possible to explain the statement cited above,5 that the reason for the soul’s desire to bond with G‑d’s Essence is “powerful knowledge,” i.e., seemingly a motivation stemming from logic, while Tanya states that the soul’s desire to cleave to G‑d stems from a natural drive that transcends intellect.6 The apparent contradiction can be resolved on the basis of the statements that follow in this maamar: that the desire which stems from the soul’s natural drive, a desire that transcends intellect, affects its thinking processes.
(because their souls are “a part of G‑d”).(חֵלֶק הֲוָיָ׳)
Thus their choice of G‑d is an essential choice that transcends logic and reason.שֶׁבְּחִירָתָהּ בֵּאלֹקוּת הִיא בְּחִירָה עַצְמִית שֶׁלְּמַעְלָה מֵהַשֵּׂכֶל
(For their choice is not motivated by their awareness of G‑d’s eminence that “the King is not subject to replacement” – but rather by His Essence.)(דִּבְחִירָה זוֹ הִיא לֹא מִצַּד הָעִלּוּי דֶּאֱלֹקוּת, שֶׁמַּלְכָּא לֹא מִתְחַלֵּף, אֶלָּא מִצַּד הָעַצְמוּת),
Nevertheless, their essential bond with G‑d affects their thinking processes as well,וְזֶה פּוֹעֵל עַל שִׂכְלָם,
In Chassidus,7 it is explained that: “Because of the essence of the soul’s cleaving to G‑d… its power of wisdom is inclined to comprehend the positive nature of G‑dliness and choose what is good.”
causing their minds to realize that since G‑d is true Being, that He is alive and exists everlastinglyשֶׁגַּם הַשֵּׂכֶל מַכִּיר דְּמִכֵּיוָן שֶׁאֱלֹקוּת הוּא הָאֱמֶת שֶׁחַי וְקַיָּם בְּקִיּוּם נִצְחִי
(– i.e., “the King is not subject to replacement” –)(מַלְכָּא לֹא מִתְחַלֵּף),
they should forego their own self-concern and choose G‑dliness.צָרִיךְ הוּא לְוַתֵּר עַל הַמְּצִיאוּת שֶׁלּוֹ וְלִבְחֹר בֵּאלֹקוּת.

Summary

Further explanation is necessary, for it appears that the “clever person’s” choice of the king is an intellectual decision. Even according to the explanation that he is not choosing the king because of his desire for personal benefit, his choice of the king appears to stem from his understanding of the truth of the king’s eminence.
Nevertheless, from the fact that the Midrash associates the “clever person’s” choice of the king with the verse, “‘G‑d is my portion,’ says my soul,” it appears that the Jews’ choice of G‑d stems from their souls because their souls are “an actual part of G‑d from Above.”
The core of the resolution is that, as it exists on its own, mortal logic compels a person to desire his own personal benefit. That is the reason why the nations of the world choose the officers even though they can also understand that the king is of fundamental importance. Since their fundamental nature is characterized by yeshus, self-concern, they do not want to forego the benefit they will receive from the intermediaries.
Conversely, the reason that Jews recognize the need to forego the benefit they could receive from the intermediaries, and instead, rise above their self-concern and choose G‑dliness, is due to their souls’ intrinsic bond with G‑d. Nevertheless, their essential bond with G‑d also affects their thinking processes, causing their minds to realize that since G‑d is true Being, they should forego their own self-concern and choose G‑dliness.