of a Possuk: עִיר קְטַנָה “small city” refers to the human body. ט מְעָ וַאֲנָשִים בָהּ “The people are few” refer to the limbs of one’s body. בָא־א לֶּיהָ מֶּלֶּךְ גָדוֹלוּ “A Big King came” this refers to the Yetzer Hora, the evil inclination.
יםה עָלֶּיהָ מְצוֹדִים גְדֹׁלִ הּ וּבָנָ וְסָבַב אֹׁתָ “And he surrounded it and built mighty siege works against it” about which it stated: שֹׁפְטִים וְשֹׁטְרִים תִתֶּן־לְךָ בְכָל־שְעָרֶּיךָ “You shall set up judges and enforcement officers for yourself at all your gates” meaning that each and every person must place “judges and enforcement officers” at all the ‘gates’ of the human body which is the ‘small city’.
The purpose of this Avodah, is to effectuate that which the Possuk says: וּבִעַרְתָ הָרָע מִקִרְבֶּךָ “you shall abolish evil from within you”, which refers to the Yetzer hora, as our Rabbis of blessed memory have stated in the Talmud
Small city: To prevent the Yetzer Hora from taking control.
Avodah: The purpose of one’s divine service. In the struggle with the Yetzer Hora.
Talmud: Tractate Succah. (52A) Rabbi Avira, and some say Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, taught: The evil inclination has seven names. 1. Hakodosh Boruch Hu called it רע ‘evil’, as it is stated: “For the inclination of a man’s heart is evil from his youth” (Bereishis 8:21). 2. Moshe called it ערל ‘uncircumcised’, as it is stated: “And circumcise the foreskin of your hearts” (Devorim 10:16). 3. Dovid called it טמא ‘impure’, as it is stated: “Create for me a pure heart, O G-d” (Tehilim 51:12); by inference, there is an impure heart that is the evil inclination. 4. Shlomoh called it שונא ‘enemy’, as it is stated: “If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; for you will heap coals of fire upon his head, and HaShem will reward you” (Mishlei 25:21–22). Do not read it as: And HaShem will reward you; rather read it as: And HaShem will reconcile it to you. HaShem will cause the evil inclination to love you and no longer seek to entice you to sin. 5. Yeshaya called it a מכשול ‘stumbling block’, as it is stated: “And He will say: Cast you up, cast you up, clear the way, take up the stumbling block out of the way of My people” (Yeshaya 57:14). 6. Yechezkal called it אבן ‘a stone’, as it is stated: “And I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh” (Yechezkal 36:26). 7. Yoel called it צפוני ‘hidden one’, as it says: “But I will remove the northern one Hatzefoni far off from you” (Yoel 2:20). The Sages of blessed memory taught concerning the verse: “But I will remove the northern one ‘Hatzefoni’ far off from you,” that this is referring to the evil inclination. And why is the evil inclination referred to as Tzefoni? It is due to the fact that it is always hidden - Tzofun in one’s heart.
Within you: In other words, abolish the Yetzer Hora that is within you.
