FLY

FLY (Heb. זְבוּב), which occurs in an analogous form in other Semitic languages, refers mainly to the housefly (Musca domestica) A dead fly turns foul anything it falls into (Eccles. 10:1). Among the visitations against which public prayer was offered up was a plague of flies (Ta'an. 14a). The Palestinian amora, Johanan, warned against flies as carriers of disease (Ket. 77b). One measure of a man's fastidiousness is how he reacts when a fly falls into his drink (Tosef., Sot. 5:9). One of the miracles that occurred in the Temple was that "no fly was seen in the slaughter house" (Avot 5:5). Rav reported from observation that "no fly is a year old"; in other words, that it does not live more than six months (cf. Deut, R. 5:2). Despite the repulsiveness of the fly, its existence was considered important in the balance of nature (TJ, Ber. 9:3, 13c). The people of Ekron worshipped an idol called Baal Zebub ("lord of the fly," see baal ), perhaps regarded as a protector against the plague of flies (II Kings 1:2). Besides the housefly, there are to be found in Israel stinging, blood-sucking flies, as well as carrion and fruit flies. Carrion flies (Lucillia) lay their eggs in carcasses. From the eggs hatch maggots (referred to in biblical passages as rimmah ve-tole'ah), which cause the decomposition of the corpse (Isa. 14:11; et al.). The maggots of fruit flies (Drosophila) feed on fruit and sweet food (cf. Ex. 16:24); the olive fly (Dacus olea) causes the fruit to fall from the olive (Deut. 28:40). -BIBLIOGRAPHY: Tristram, Nat Hist, 327f.; J. Feliks, Animal World of the Bible (1962), 123f. ADD. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Feliks, Ha-Ẓome'aḥ, 224. (Jehuda Feliks)