The Gemara (Sanhedrin 29a) tells us that Beis Din would instill fear into the hearts of witnesses before they testified, saying, “Know that if you deliver false testimony, the person who hired you may pay what he promised, but he will go home and tell his family, ‘You should know that there are people out there who will sell their souls for a couple of dollars.’ They will denigrate you to their loved ones. Know that even the people who applaud you and cheer you on think of you in the lowest terms. You can’t imagine how low they think of you.”
Says the Gemara, this is what truly instills fear in the hearts of witnesses. Why? Because there are people who think that when they flatter and ingratiate themselves with others, they will earn respect—but the precise opposite is true. They’re laughing at such a person behind his back.
When a person understands this, he will conclude that to work to find favor in people’s eyes is a futile endeavor. His efforts will be focused on serving Hashem—which includes perfecting his character and elevating his interpersonal behavior to respect and honor people. He will know that without this, he could never create a true bond with the Ribbono shel Olam, and he cannot become a vehicle for the Shechinah.
