Commentary for Avodah Zarah 37:3
(תהלים קיב, א) אשרי איש ירא את ה' אשרי איש ולא אשרי אשה א"ר עמרם אמר רב אשרי מי שעושה תשובה כשהוא איש ר' יהושע בן לוי אמר אשרי מי שמתגבר על יצרו כאיש
“Happy is the man that fears the Lord” (Psalms 112:1): Happy is the “man” and not the woman? Amram said in the name of Rav: Happy is he who repents while he is still a “man.” Joshua b. Levy said: Happy is he who overcomes his inclination like a “man.”
Daf Shevui to Avodah Zarah
Psalms 112 says “happy is the man who fears the Lord” and the Talmud quite interestingly asks why a woman who fears the Lord should not similarly be happy. As a response to this difficulty, two amoraim offer different interpretations. The first is that one is happy if he repents while his inclination to sin is still strong—while he is still a man, and not only once he is old and his inclination has weakened. The second interpretation is somewhat similar—happy is the one who conquers his evil inclination like “a man.” Clearly, these are still very gendered images.
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