107. "That you may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He" (Yeshayah 43:10). HE ASKS: What is meant by, "I am He?" AND HE ANSWERS: "I AM HE," MEANING I Who chose David and Jacob. "I am He," literally, MEANING I INCLUDE JACOB AND DAVID - JACOB BEING THE SECRET OF ZEIR ANPIN, THE SECRET OF "HE," AND DAVID BEING THE SECRET OF MALCHUT, THE SECRET OF "I." THEY ARE LITERALLY THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, AND HIS SHECHINAH. "Before Me there was no El formed" (Ibid.); as we learned, the Holy One, blessed be He, called Jacob 'El,' as it is written, "and called it (lit. 'him') El, the Elohim of Yisrael" (Beresheet 33:20). SO WE SEE the Holy One, blessed be He, called Jacob 'El.' This is the meaning of, "before Me there was no El formed, neither shall there be after Me." Hence, "I am He," everything is as we said. "Neither shall there be after Me," because David is called so - SINCE MALCHUT IS ALSO "EL," ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT ARE THE SECRET OF "I," "HE" ARE ONE and there is no other after Him.