Further explanation can be added to clarify the connection between the approach of “I will choose the king”וְיֵשׁ לְהוֹסִיף בֵּאוּר בְּהַשַּׁיָּכוּת דַּ'אֲנָא נָסֵיב מַלְכָּא'
and the love of G‑d intimated by the verse, “Whom have I in heaven but You?”– i.e., that a person desires G‑d’s infinite light.לְהָאַהֲבָה דְּ'מִי לִי בַשָּׁמָיִם' שֶׁרוֹצֶה בְּאוֹר אֵין סוֹף,
As a preface: The fundamental error that led to the worship of the stars and the constellations, which, as explained above, serve as analogies for all the intermediaries that control the natural order,בְּהַקְדִּים שֶׁעִיקַּר הָעִנְיָן דַּעֲבוֹדַת כּוֹכָבִים וּמַזָּלוֹת
is that primacy was attributed to something that was intended to be merely an intermediary. This leads to a twofold misunderstanding:הוּא שֶׁחוֹשְׁבִים דָּבָר שֶׁהוּא רַק אֶמְצָעִי – לָעִקָּר.
a) Regarding the stars and constellations them-selves:הֵן בַּנּוֹגֵעַ לְהַכּוֹכָבִים וּמַזָּלוֹת,
In truth, they are merely intermediaries (an axe in the hand of the Chopper)דְּהָאֱמֶת הוּא שֶׁאֵינָם אֶלָּא אֶמְצָעִי (גַּרְזֶן)
See sec. 3. As explained there, the analogy of an axe is employed because it is merely a tool, an instrument that has no power, will, or initiative of its own.
through which Divine blessings are granted.שֶׁעַל יָדָם נִמְשֶׁכֶת הַהַשְׁפָּעָה,
Nevertheless, those who serve the stars and the constellations attribute primacy to them.וְהָעוֹבְדִים לְכוֹכָבִים וּמַזָּלוֹת חוֹשְׁבִים שֶׁהֵם עִקָּר,
b) Regarding the material prosperity that is drawndown through them:וְהֵן בְּנוֹגֵעַ לְהַשְׁפָּעוֹת הַגַּשְׁמִיּוֹת הַנִּשְׁפָּעוֹת עַל יָדָם,
The entire purpose of G‑d’s granting material prosperity is that it be used for one’s Divine service.שֶׁהַשְׁפָּעַת הַגַּשְׁמִיּוּת הִיא בִּכְדֵי שֶׁיִּשְׁתַּמְּשׁוּ בָּהֶם לַעֲבוֹדַת ה',
Those who serve the stars and the constellations give primacy to the material benefits themselves.וְהָעוֹבְדִים לְכוֹכָבִים וּמַזָּלוֹת מְחַשְּׁבִים אֶת הַגַּשְׁמִיּוּת לָעִקָּר
(Therefore, they choose to receive their sustenance from the nether side(שֶׁלָּכֵן הֵם רוֹצִים בְּהַהַשְׁפָּעָה מֵהַלְּעֻמַּת זֶה,
so that they will have an abundance of material prosperity,בִּכְדֵי שֶׁיִּהְיֶה לָהֶם רִבּוּי שֶׁפַע גַּשְׁמִי,
as explained in sec. 4 above.)כַּנַּ"ל סְעִיף ד).
A similar misunderstanding motivates one who seeks the revelations of G‑dliness in the spiritual realms.
The purpose of the existence of all the revealed levels of G‑dliness, even the most lofty, is not for their own sake.וְהִנֵּה הַגִּלּוּיִים, גַּם הַגִּלּוּיִים הֲכִי נַעֲלִים, הַתַּכְלִית הוּא לֹא בָּהֶם עַצְמָם,
They are merely intermediaries through which G‑d’s inner intent for a dwelling in the lower realms1 is fulfilled.וְהֵם רַק אֶמְצָעִי שֶׁעַל יָדָם תֻּשְׁלַם הַכַּוָּנָה הַפְּנִימִית דְּדִירָה בַּתַּחְתּוֹנִים.
The statement that G‑d desired a dwelling in the lower realms implies that He desired to create a world in which man carries out the service of subduing and transforming the forces of kelipah. (For the existence of forces that seemingly oppose G‑dliness is what defines it as “lower.”) To bring such a world into being and inspire that service, G‑d brought an entire Spiritual Cosmos into being. Nevertheless, the purpose of even the highest rungs in the Spiritual Cosmos – and even the infinite Divine light that transcends it – is solely for the sake of bringing about a dwelling for Him in this world.
Therefore, when a person seeks these spiritual revelations and gives primacy to them (and not to G‑d’s infinite light),וְלָכֵן, כְּשֶׁרוֹצֶה בְּהַגִּלּוּיִים (וְלֹא בְּאוֹר אֵין סוֹף), הַיְינוּ שֶׁמַּחְשִׁיב אוֹתָם לָעִקָּר,
there is a possibility that he will give primacy to other intermediaries (i.e., the stars and the constellations, and material benefit).אֶפְשָׁר לִהְיוֹת נְתִינַת מָקוֹם שֶׁיַּחְשִׁיב גַּם הָאֶמְצָעִים (הַכּוֹכָבִים וּמַזָּלוֹת וְהַשֶּׁפַע הַגַּשְׁמִי) לָעִקָּר.
Why is he seeking these intermediaries? Because he is motivated by self-interest. He desires to derive satisfaction from “the radiance of the Divine Presence” and therefore focuses on them rather than on G‑d’s Essence. Since that is his primary motivation, the possibility exists that he will also give primacy to other intermediaries – the stars and the constellations (or in contemporary terms, the prevailing structures of the natural order) – with the thought that they will benefit him.
On this basis, it is possible to explain the under­lying rationale as to why, as stated in the Midrash cited at the outset,וְעַל פִּי זֶה יֵשׁ לוֹמַר,
there are those among the nations of the world who serve the sun and those who serve the moon,דְּזֶה שֶׁאֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם מֵהֶן עוֹבְדִין לַחַמָּה וּמֵהֶן לַלְּבָנָה
while Israel serves only the Holy One, blessed be He.וְיִשְׂרָאֵל אֵינָן עוֹבְדִין אֶלָּא לְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא,
The source for the existence of the nations of the world is the external dimensions of G‑d’s willהוּא, כִּי הַשֹּׁרֶשׁ דְּאֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם הוּא מֵחִיצוֹנִיּוּת הָרָצוֹן
(whereby one wants something not for its own sake, but for the sake of something else).(שֶׁרוֹצֶה בְּאֵיזֶה דָבָר בִּשְׁבִיל עִנְיָן אַחֵר),
To cite an example from ordinary experience: A person engages in a business enterprise. Why? Because he seeks to gain a profit. He does not desire all the struggle of commercial activity for its own sake. What he desires is the ultimate benefit he will derive, and this is the focus of the inner dimension of his will. The external dimensions of his will – what he wants to do so that he can achieve his inner desire – are focused on the activities he must undertake to earn it.
Similarly, in the analogue, G‑d created the world because He desired a dwelling in the lower realms. That dwelling is brought about through the Jewish people’s observance of the Torah and its mitzvos in this material world. As Rashi states in the beginning of his commentary to the Torah, this was the motivation for the entire creation. This is the inner dimension of G‑d’s will. To enable that will to be brought into expression, He brought into being the entire Spiritual Cosmos and this material world together with all its creations. Although He brought them into being, He does not desire them in and of themselves. They exist only to bring His inner desire to fruition. They are thus all expressions of the external dimensions of His will.
The aspect of the external dimensions of His willוְהַבְּחִינָה דְּחִיצוֹנִיּוּת הָרָצוֹן
(that serves as the source for the existence of the nations of the world)(כְּמוֹ שֶׁהִיא מָקוֹר לְאֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם)
is expressed in a manner that does not enable one to understand that this external desire is for the sake of something else, i.e., that in truth, all being exists in order to enable the inner dimension of G‑d’s will to be expressed,הִיא בְּאֹפֶן שֶׁאֵין נִרְגָּשׁ בָּהּ שֶׁהָרָצוֹן הוּא בִּשְׁבִיל עִנְיָן אַחֵר
but rather thinks of itself as the ultimate purpose.אֶלָּא שֶׁזֶּה גּוּפָא הוּא הַתַּכְלִית,
The maamar is stating that mankind in general is motivated by an innate self-concern, because the souls of people at large are rooted in the external dimension of His will. This leads to a mistake in their world-view: Since their souls are rooted in a level of G‑dliness that serves as the source for intermediaries that enable our world to come into existence, the intermediaries are significant to them. As a result, their focus is immediate, the makeup of the world as they see it. The concept that they exist solely for the sake of the fulfillment of G‑d’s inner desire is inherently foreign to them. To refer back to the analogy given above: it is like a workaholic. He has lost sight of the goal for which he works; the work itself becomes a goal. He is focused on the tasks in front of him alone.
Therefore, as a consequence of being created in this manner, the nations of the world give primacy to the intermediaries, i.e., the stars and the constellations.וְלָכֵן מִסְתָּעֵף מִזֶּה שֶׁאֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם מְחַשְּׁבִים אֶת הַמְּמֻצָּעִים דְּכוֹכָבִים וּמַזָּלוֹת לָעִקָּר.
Rambam2 explains that the reason the early pagans thought that they should honor the stars and the constellations is not (as explained previously in sec. 3, that they thought it necessary to acknowledge them as one acknowledges a waiter who brings wine), but rather because the Holy One, blessed be He, “conveyed honor upon them” and therefore, it is “G‑d’s desire” that man convey honor upon them as well.
Why did they develop such a misconception? It is possible to say that the reason for their error stems from their inherent makeup. The external dimension of G‑d’s will that serves as a source for the existence of the nations of the world gives rise to their mistaken perception that the existence of intermediaries reflects G‑d’s inner desire.
The source of the Jewish people, by contrast, is rooted in the inner dimension of G‑d’s willוְהַשֹּׁרֶשׁ דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל הוּא מִפְּנִימִיּוּת הָרָצוֹן,
– and from the perspective of the inner dimension of G‑d’s will, there is no possibility for anything other than G‑d’s will to be given prominence.שֶׁמִּצַּד פְּנִימִיּוּת הָרָצוֹן אֵין נְתִינַת מָקוֹם לְאֵיזֶה עִנְיָן אַחֵר,
Implied is that all other entities exist as expressions of His external will. They are intermediaries, whose sole purpose is to facilitate the expression of His inner will. Since their existence derives solely from His will, the power they exercise stems entirely from Him, and their exercise of that power is not at all dependent on their choice. As such, there is no reason to attach any importance to them; they are merely “like an axe in the hands of the Chopper.”
The uniqueness of the Jewish people is that their souls are rooted in the inner dimension of G‑d’s will. Therefore, they possess an inherent recognition that they themselves, and everything that exists on both the material and spiritual planes, are simply mediums to bring G‑d’s desire for a dwelling in the lower realms into expression. This insight stems from their innate spiritual makeup and defines their nature.
Therefore the Jewish people recognize that the stars and the constellations are merely intermediaries,וְלָכֵן יֵשׁ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל הַהַכָּרָה שֶׁהַכּוֹכָבִים וּמַזָּלוֹת הֵם רַק אֶמְצָעִי
like an axe in the hand of the Chopperכַּגַּרְזֶן בְּיַד הַחוֹצֵב
(and similarly, the material prosperity they receive is solely for the sake of Divine service).(וְכֵן הַשֶּׁפַע הַגַּשְׁמִי הוּא רַק בִּשְׁבִיל עֲבוֹדַת ה'),
Therefore they serve only G‑d,וְלָכֵן אֵינָן עוֹבְדִין אֶלָּא לְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא,
declaring “I will choose the King.”'אֲנָא נָסֵיב מַלְכָּא'.

Summary

The fundamental error that led to the worship of the intermediaries that control the natural order is that primacy was attributed to entities – both the intermediariesthemselves and the prosperity they convey – that were intended to be merely intermediaries.
Similarly, the purpose of all the revealed levels of G‑dliness is that they serve as intermediaries through which G‑d’s inner intent for a dwelling in the lower realms is fulfilled. Thus, one who seeks to derive satisfaction from these revelations rather than be nullified in G‑d’s Essence is attributing primacy to something that is fundamentally an intermediary. Therefore, when a person seeks these spiritual revelations and gives primacy to them (and not to G‑d’s infinite light), there is a possibility that he will give primacy to other intermediaries.
On this basis, it is possible to explain the underlying rationale as to why, as stated in the Midrash cited at the outset, mankind as a whole serves intermediaries, while the Jewish people serve G‑d. The source for the existence of the nations of the world is the external dimensions of G‑d’s will. The external dimensions of will resemble wanting something not for its own sake, but for the sake of something else. Since the nations of the world are rooted in the external dimensions of His will, it is difficult for them to understand that, in truth, all being exists in order to enable the inner dimension of G‑d’s will to be expressed. Instead, they think of what is immediately apparent as the ultimate purpose. As a consequence of coming into being from such an external source, mankind at large gives primacy to the intermediaries.
The source of the Jewish people, by contrast, is rooted in the inner dimension of G‑d’s will – and from the perspective of the inner dimension of G‑d’s will, there is no possibility for anything other than G‑d’s will to be given prominence. Therefore the Jewish people declare, “I will choose the King,” recognizing the intermediaries to be no more than an axe in the hand of the Chopper. Similarly, the material prosperity they receive is solely for the sake of Divine service.