One Who is Worried What Others Will Say Causes Destruction

In the town of Rav Yechezkel of Kuzmir zy”a, there lived a powerful but very disagreeable man, who held the position of Rosh Hakahal. One time, Rav Yechezkel asked the Rov of the city to pronounce a ruling that this powerful man strongly objected to. The Rov was frightened and said, “But what will people say?”

Rav Yechezkel told him, “Don’t you know that the Bais Hamikdosh was destroyed because of something like that? Chazal say (Gitin 56A) that the humility of Rav Zechariah ben Avkilos caused the destruction because he was worried what people would say if they brought a blemished animal as a korban (see the entire story in the Gemara there).”