A small city, few people, a great king who comes and builds fortifications — (Ecclesiastes 9:14) describes something small being threatened by something enormous. The rabbis identified the small city as the Garden of Eden, the few people as Adam and Eve, the great king as the serpent.
The serpent built his fortifications by telling Adam and Eve that God had a reason to keep them from the tree: "For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:5). This was not a lie exactly — it was a truth used to sow distrust. The serpent's strategy was to make God's prohibition look like self-protection, as if God were guarding something for Himself rather than protecting Adam and Eve from something dangerous.
The "poor and wise man" who could have saved the city is Adam himself (Ecclesiastes 9:15). He had the wisdom — he had been given dominion over every creature, including the serpent. He had the counsel. But he did not use it. He stood beside his wife and ate. The midrash does not explain why — that silence is the silence of the text itself, which offers no psychological account of Adam's compliance. He had the resources to refuse. He did not refuse. And the small city of Eden was overtaken by its single enemy, not by armies but by a question.
Chapter (78) 79: Torah [1] "And Judah he sent before him unto Joseph" (Genesis 46:28). As it is said in scriptures: "A small city (Ecclesiastes 9:14), this is the Garden of Eden. And there are few people in it (Ecclesiastes 9:14), these are Adam and Eve. And a great king came to it (Ecclesiastes 9:14), this is the serpent. And he built great fortifications on it (Ecclesiastes 9:14), because God knows, etc. (Genesis 3:5). And a poor and wise man was found in it (Ecclesiastes 9:15), this is Adam, as it is said 'And the man called his wife's name Eve' etc. (Genesis 3:20). And if he had been in the Garden of Eden when the serpent deceived Eve, they would not have eaten from the tree. And he saved her (Ecclesiastes 9:15), 'the woman whom you gave to be with me' etc. and ate (Genesis 3:12), for if he had not confessed to eating, God would have destroyed the Garden of Eden for their sake. But because he confessed, he was expelled from the Garden of Eden, as it is said 'And he drove out and completed' (Ecclesiastes 9:15). And Adam did not remember (Ecclesiastes 9:15), God said 'Adam did not remember, but I remember' as it is said 'And the Lord God called to the man' etc. (Genesis 3:9)." [2]Another interpretation: "This is about a small city." This is the generation of the Flood and there were few people in it, they were the mighty men, etc. (Genesis 6:4) And a great king came to it, this is the King of the World. And he built great fortifications on it, to destroy man, etc. (Genesis 6:7) And he found in it a poor and wise man, this is Noah. And he saved him, along with every pure animal, etc. (Genesis 7:2-3) And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, etc. (Genesis 8:1) [3]Another interpretation: "This is about a small city", this is the generation of the desert, and people in it are few, these are Israel, as it is written "you are the fewest" (Deuteronomy 7:7), and a great king came to it, this is the King of the world, and he built great fortresses on it, "I will wipe them out" (Deuteronomy 9:14). And he found in it a poor and wise man, this is Moses, as it is written "A city of heroes went up, a wise man enters it" (Proverbs 21:22). And he delivered him, if not for Moses, his chosen one, he would have perished (Psalm 106:23). And man did not remember, God said "and man did not remember, but I remembered, as it is said 'And [God] remembered the days of old, Moses and his people'" (Isaiah 63:11). [4] Another interpretation: "This is about a small city", the house of Joseph, and there are few people there, these are the tribes, as it is said, "Am I not too few for the number of your mercies?" (Genesis 32:11). A great king came to this city, this is Joseph, as it is written "God made me lord" (Genesis 45:8). He built great fortifications around it, and said to them, "You are spies." But a poor and wise man was found in the city, this is Judah, and he was saved, "I will be his surety" (Genesis 43:9). Mankind did not remember him, so they sent a messenger to him, as it is said, "And he sent Judah ahead of him" (Genesis 45:12). [5] Another interpretation: "And you, Judah," It is said in scriptures: "The wolf and the lamb shall feed together..." (Isaiah 65:25). In this world, the wolf pursues the lamb and the lion chases after the ox, but in the future, everyone will be healed except for the snake, as it is written, "And the snake's food shall be dust" (Isaiah 65:25). Why is this so? Because the snake was the one who caused everything to return to dust, as it says, "For dust you are, and to dust you shall return" (Genesis 3:19). Therefore, it will never be healed, but will eat dust. In the future, even the snake will eat dust. Just as the snake will never be healed, so too one who speaks evil about another will never be healed in the future, as it is written, "If the snake bites without enchantment, there is no advantage to the master of the tongue" (Ecclesiastes 10:11). David also says, "Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy" (Psalm 101:5). (In the Zohar, Parshat Shlach, Rabbi Shimon says, "God does not forgive one who speaks 'lashon hara'* .") [*the meaning of Lashon hara (or loshon horo, or loshon hora) (Hebrew: לשון הרע; "evil tongue") is the halakhic term for speech about a person or persons that is negative or harmful to them, even though it is true.] [6] Another interpretation: "זאב וטלה [ירעו כאחד]" - "The wolf and the lamb shall graze together" (Isaiah 65:25). From the time that Joseph was sold, Benjamin did not leave his father's side, as he was compared to a lamb and the tribes were compared to a wolf. As it is written, "Israel is scattered sheep" (Jeremiah 50:17) and "Your brothers will not come down with you" (Genesis 42:34). Once Joseph revealed himself to them, he went down with them, as it is written, "Then he lifted his eyes and saw Benjamin his brother" (Genesis 43:29). "The lion shall eat straw like the ox" (Isaiah 11:7) and "His firstborn ox has majesty" (Deuteronomy 33:17), and the lion will be sent among the cattle, as it is written, "And he sent Judah ahead of him" (Genesis 46:28) and "The lion shall eat straw like the ox" (Isaiah 11:7). Why is there no longer jealousy between them? As it is written, "Ephraim shall turn from envy" (Isaiah 11:13). Similarly, in the future, when the Messiah, son of Joseph, will rise from Joseph, and the Messiah, son of David, will rise from Judah, Ephraim will not envy Judah, and Judah will not oppress Ephraim (Isaiah 11:13).
