זְב֣וּבֵי מָ֔וֶת יַבְאִ֥ישׁ יַבִּ֖יעַ שֶׁ֣מֶן רוֹקֵ֑חַ יָקָ֛ר מֵחָכְמָ֥ה מִכָּב֖וֹד סִכְל֥וּת מְעָֽט׃
Le mosche morte rendono l'unguento del profumiere fetido e putrido; Quindi una piccola follia supera la saggezza e l'onore.
Rav Hirsch
V. 3. ויצמד וגו׳. Es gab verschiedene בעלים, vergötterte Gewalten. So einen בעל צפון, einen Mitternachtgott der Wüste (Schmot 14, 1). Dem gegenüber einen בעל מעון (Bamidbar 32, 38) einen Gott der Wohnstätten und einen בעל ברית (Richter 8, 33) des Zusammenhaltens der Menschen. Es gab auch einen בעל זבוב (Kön. II, 1, 2) einen Fliegengott, wahrscheinlich einen Gott der Fäulnis, vergl. זבובי מות (Pred. 10, 1), den man in Krankheiten über Leben und Tod interpellierte, und es gab auch einen בעל פעור, einen Gott der Schamlosigkeit, dem durch scheulose Hervorkehrung des Viehischsten gehuldigt wurde. Daher Hosea 9, 10 באו בעל פעור וינזרו לבשת, sie kommen nach Baalpeor und "weihten sich der Schande." – ”צמד“ siehe Kap. 19, 15. Der Peorkult ist eine Illustration jenes Darwinismus, der seinen Triumph darin feiert, daß der Mensch zum Tier hinabsteigt und sich seines göttlichen Adels entkleidet, sich nur als ein höheres "Vieh" begreifen lernt. ויחר אף וגו׳. Damit war aber die allererste Vorbedingung in Israel vernichtet, auf welcher seine Zukunft vor Gott beruht. Es war damit Gottes Zorn wider Israel hervorgerufen, der das Leben der unwürdig Gewordenen mit Vernichtung "trifft" und מגפה (vergl. Kap. 17, 11 u. 12).
Kli Yakar
And about them Solomon said: Dead flies cause the ointment to stink etc. (Ecclesiastes 10:1). This means those with evil tongues who are compared to flies, and with the breath of His lips He kills, for evil speech kills three people (Devarim Rabbah 5:10). Therefore he called them dead flies and said cause to stink, because their entire intention is to make the reputation of good people stink. He sends forth a stinking savor of the ointment of the apothecary — sends forth is an expression of speech, meaning that even about a perfect person whose reputation is as fragrant as perfumed oil, nevertheless, he strives to make his reputation stink. A little folly is weightier than wisdom and honor — because in his eyes, that small folly that he sees in others is more precious and honorable to him than all the wisdom and honor he sees in them, until this small folly outweighs all the wisdom and honor.
And he gives a reason for this: A wise man’s heart is at his right hand (Ecclesiastes 10:2), meaning to judge people favorably, as our Sages said (Tanchuma, Shemot 18), “These are those who go to the right to find merit, etc.” But a fool’s heart is at his left — to judge people unfavorably. Therefore, he never speaks of others’ virtues, only their disgrace.
The reason for this is that even on the road where the fool walks, his heart is lacking, and he says to all that he is a fool (Ecclesiastes 10:3). This means that “whoever disqualifies others, with his own defect he disqualifies them” (Kiddushin 70b). This fool who suspects the innocent knows within himself that the same deficiency and flaw he attributes to others exists in himself, and his own heart is also lacking in that matter. Therefore, he says to all that they are fools, attributing to others the same foolishness that he knows exists primarily in himself, thinking that since he acts this way, everyone does the same.
These are the flies that constantly investigate people’s flaws and deficiencies, as it is said they looked after Moses (Exodus 33:8). Therefore, they were afflicted with leprosy, which is called “ra’atan” [a type of skin disease]. Just as they are possessors of “ra’atan” [from the root “to see”] who look at and observe the defects of people, so they were afflicted with leprosy called “ra’atan.” And they [the Sages] said to beware of them and not to deal with them to return them from their evil ways or to show them the way of repentance, because he thought that a slanderer has no remedy. Therefore, do not deal with them in vain. This was also the opinion of Rabbi Zeira, Rabbi Ami, and Rabbi Asi, who distanced themselves from their territory [of those who spoke evil speech] in all kinds of ways, as it concludes there.
And he gives a reason for this: A wise man’s heart is at his right hand (Ecclesiastes 10:2), meaning to judge people favorably, as our Sages said (Tanchuma, Shemot 18), “These are those who go to the right to find merit, etc.” But a fool’s heart is at his left — to judge people unfavorably. Therefore, he never speaks of others’ virtues, only their disgrace.
The reason for this is that even on the road where the fool walks, his heart is lacking, and he says to all that he is a fool (Ecclesiastes 10:3). This means that “whoever disqualifies others, with his own defect he disqualifies them” (Kiddushin 70b). This fool who suspects the innocent knows within himself that the same deficiency and flaw he attributes to others exists in himself, and his own heart is also lacking in that matter. Therefore, he says to all that they are fools, attributing to others the same foolishness that he knows exists primarily in himself, thinking that since he acts this way, everyone does the same.
These are the flies that constantly investigate people’s flaws and deficiencies, as it is said they looked after Moses (Exodus 33:8). Therefore, they were afflicted with leprosy, which is called “ra’atan” [a type of skin disease]. Just as they are possessors of “ra’atan” [from the root “to see”] who look at and observe the defects of people, so they were afflicted with leprosy called “ra’atan.” And they [the Sages] said to beware of them and not to deal with them to return them from their evil ways or to show them the way of repentance, because he thought that a slanderer has no remedy. Therefore, do not deal with them in vain. This was also the opinion of Rabbi Zeira, Rabbi Ami, and Rabbi Asi, who distanced themselves from their territory [of those who spoke evil speech] in all kinds of ways, as it concludes there.
Kli Yakar
Another explanation: We find that our Sages (Berakhot 61) compared the evil inclination to a fly, and they based this on the verse Dead flies make the perfumer’s oil fetid (Ecclesiastes 10:1). The reason for this comparison is that every fly’s mouth is weak and lacks the strength to pierce intact flesh. However, where a fly finds an opening in living flesh, there it will lie, and its mouth has the power to widen the breach. Similarly, the evil inclination’s power is too weak to make a breach in the “living flesh” — a righteous person of many accomplishments who has not given his evil inclination any opening at all — it cannot breach his defenses and enter to cause him to sin. However, when it finds people of its kind who breach even a small opening and create an entrance for sin and impurity, then it has the power to widen the breach and add transgression upon transgression, as our Sages said (Shabbat 104a), “One who comes to defile himself, they open for him,” and some versions read “they open doors for him” — meaning, he opens a door for the evil inclination to find a place to enter through that breach and widen it until the wound becomes incurable. The analogy for this is someone who finds a completely closed entrance — it is difficult for them to open it, but if they find an entrance slightly open, it becomes easy to widen the opening until it becomes like a gate in their soul through which everything enters easily. This is an apt metaphor for the evil inclination.