"A little city"

225. Another explanation for, "You shall afflict your souls" (Vayikra 16:29): Rabbi Aba opened the discussion saying, "There was a little city, and few men within it" (Kohelet 9:14). "A little city" has been explained. Yet the little city is as in, "We have a strong city; He sets up salvation..." (Yeshayah 26:1) and, "And I will not come as an enemy (also: 'in a city')" (Hoshea 11:9), WHERE CITY REFERS TO MALCHUT. "A little city" is small, because it is the last of all SFIROT and the lowest of them all. Its walls are large, strong and holy, and it is called a holy city. "And few men within it:" Few are those who merit to enter within and dwell there, as the verse says, "Who shall ascend into the mountain of Hashem? or who shall stand in His holy place?..." (Tehilim 24:3). Therefore, "and few men within it."

226. "And there came a great King against (or: 'to') it" (Kohelet 9:14). This refers to the Holy One, blessed be He, who comes to join with it and reside in it. "And besieged (or: 'circled') it" as the verse says, "'For I,' says Hashem, 'will be to her a wall of fire round about...'" (Zecharyah 2:9). "And built great siegeworks against it" (Kohelet 9:14) means that He builds its big, strong, fine, beautiful and holy walls, MEANING THE PROTECTION THAT EXTERNAL FORCES WILL NOT BE NURTURED FROM IT. It is called the holy city. All the majesty of the King He brought within. Therefore, it alone comprises all crowns of the King, BEING THE MOCHIN OF ZEIR ANPIN, ACCORDING TO THE SECRET OF THE VERSE, "A VIRTUOUS WOMAN IS A CROWN TO HER HUSBAND" (MISHLEI 12:4). ZEIR ANPIN IS NOT CROWNED WITH THE ILLUMINATION OF CHOCHMAH, SAVE WHEN HE IS UNITED WITH MALCHUT, SINCE CHOCHMAH IS REVEALED IN MALCHUT ONLY, and all crowns of the King are decorated with it. For this reason, there are "few men within it," AS NOT ALL PEOPLE MERIT IT.

227. "Now there was found in it a poor (Heb. misken) wise man" (Kohelet 9:15). This resembles what is written, "He that has clean hands, and a pure heart" (Tehilim 24:4). HE IS CALLED "Misken" in accordance with the words, "And they built for Pharaoh treasure (Heb. miskenot) cities" (Shemot 1:11), MEANING he is crowned with crowns of strength, with the crowns of Torah and with the crowns of the Torah precepts of the King. He is called wise, because he merits wisdom, AS MALCHUT IS CALLED THE LOWER CHOCHMAH BECAUSE IN HER CHOCHMAH REVEALED, AS MENTIONED. ALSO, HE IS CALLED wise, because he is wiser than all PEOPLE to contemplate the service of his Master, so he may gain enough merit to enter that service. This is the idea of the verse, "And he by his wisdom saved the city" and "saved" is to be understood as, "Let me go away, I pray you, and see my brothers" (I Shmuel 20:29). Also, "let me escape there" (Beresheet 19:20) SPEAKS ABOUT RESCUE. Here also, "And he by his wisdom saved the city:" THROUGH HIS MEDITATION, HE SAVED IT FROM THE EXTERNAL FORCES FEEDING UPON IT.

228. "Yet no man remembered that poor man" (Kohelet 9:15) MEANING THAT no one remembered to perform the commandment of the Torah and to toil in the Torah as that poor man that joined to everything in order to merit it. "Then said I, wisdom is better than strength" (Kohelet 9:16), MEANING permission to enter that world is given only to truly righteous men, to those who toil in Torah day and night, as well as crown themselves with the commandments of the Torah in this world to arrive with them in the World to Come.

229. "Nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard" (Ibid.). As people do not WISH TO look at him, they do not want to be with him and pay attention to his words. We have learned that all who pay attention to the words of Torah are fortunate in this world. It is as if they have received the Torah from Sinai. One should even listen to words of the Torah from anyone. One who lends an ear to him gives honor to the Holy King and glory to the Torah, and about him is written, "This day you are become the people of Hashem your Elohim" (Devarim 27:9).