וְגַם־בַּדֶּ֛רֶךְ כשהסכל [כְּשֶׁסָּכָ֥ל] הֹלֵ֖ךְ לִבּ֣וֹ חָסֵ֑ר וְאָמַ֥ר לַכֹּ֖ל סָכָ֥ל הֽוּא׃
우매자는 길에 행할 때에도 지혜가 결핍하여 각 사람에게 자기의 우매한 것을 말하느니라
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.