וְאָמַר רָמֵי בַּר אַבָּא, מַאי דִּכְתִיב: ״עִיר קְטַנָּה וַאֲנָשִׁים
וְגוֹ׳״. ״עִיר קְטַנָּה״ — זֶה הַגּוּף, ״וַאֲנָשִׁים בָּהּ מְעַט״ — אֵלּוּ
אֵבָרִים, ״וּבָא אֵלֶיהָ מֶלֶךְ גָּדוֹל וְסָבַב אֹתָהּ״ — זֶה יֵצֶר הָרָע,
״וּבָנָה עָלֶיהָ מְצוֹדִים וַחֲרָמִים״ — אֵלּוּ עֲוֹנוֹת,
And Rami bar Abba said: What
is the meaning of that which is written: “There was a little city and
few men in it, and there came a great king against it, and besieged it,
and built great bulwarks against it. Now there was found in it a man poor and
wise, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same
poor man” (Ecclesiastes 9:14–15)? “A little city,” this is referring to the
body; “and few men in it,” this is referring to the limbs; “and there
came a great king against it and besieged it,” this is referring to the
evil inclination; “and built great bulwarks against it,” these are sins.
״וּמָצָא בָהּ אִישׁ מִסְכֵּן וְחָכָם״ — זֶה יֵצֶר טוֹב,
״וּמִלַּט הוּא אֶת הָעִיר בְּחׇכְמָתוֹ״ — זוֹ תְּשׁוּבָה וּמַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים.
״וְאָדָם לֹא זָכַר אֶת הָאִישׁ הַמִּסְכֵּן הַהוּא״ — דְּבִשְׁעַת יֵצֶר הָרָע
לֵית דְּמִדְּכַר לֵיהּ לְיֵצֶר טוֹב.
The Gemara expounds on the next
section of the verse: “Now there was found in it a man poor and wise,” this
is referring to the good inclination; “and he by his wisdom delivered the
city,” this is referring to repentance and good deeds that are
caused by the good inclination. “Yet no man remembered that same poor man”
means that when the evil inclination overcomes the good inclination no
one remembers the good inclination. (source)
