קהלת, פרק ט׳, פסוק ט״ו

Great salvation often emerges from the most unexpected places, yet human nature tends to overlook those who lack social standing, even when their brilliance is the very thing that rescues the community. Inside a besieged city facing a powerful attacking king, there lived a man who was impoverished, simple, and entirely destitute [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Despite his severe poverty, this man possessed extraordinary wisdom, and through that wisdom alone, he managed to save the entire city [מצודת דוד].

However, the poor man's legacy is marked by a tragic lack of recognition. Commentators debate the exact timing of this public amnesia. One approach suggests that the people ignored him entirely before the crisis ever occurred. In the days leading up to the siege, no one thought anything of him [רש״י], and he was completely absent from the conversations of the townspeople, as true remembrance requires spoken words rather than just passing thoughts [אבן עזרא]. This prior obscurity actually serves to highlight the pure power of his intellect. Had he been a respected and prominent figure, his ability to save the city might have been expected. Because he was socially despised, it becomes undeniable that his wisdom alone achieved the miraculous rescue [מצודת דוד]. Another perspective argues that the forgetting took place after the city was already safe. Once the danger passed, the city's leaders eagerly took the credit and honor for themselves, completely casting aside the memory of the impoverished wise man who actually delivered them [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Beyond the physical siege, this story serves as an allegory for the internal struggles of the human mind. The poor man represents a person’s good inclination [תעלומות חכמה, נחל אשכול]. This inner voice of goodness is not a sudden discovery but is deeply rooted within, having been present since the time a person was in their mother's womb, where it absorbed all the wisdom of the Torah [נחל אשכול]. Although the good inclination often appears weak and impoverished compared to the powerful urges of the evil inclination, it possesses the strength to shatter massive walls and guide even the most wicked individuals toward repentance. Yet, the story concludes on a painful note, reflecting the reality that many people go through life completely ignoring their good inclination, never acknowledging its presence or its inherent power to save them [תעלומות חכמה].