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It is forbidden to pander to a wicked person, meaning to justify or praise their actions. Doing so encourages them to continue and makes the flatterer an accomplice. Therefore, even when it is impossible to rebuke a wicked person because they are violent and dangerous, one must be careful not to praise them, at the very least. The Sages tell us that the punishment of people who pander to the wicked is that they or their children will be victimized by someone like the wicked person whose actions they reinforced. Even someone who does not praise the evil deeds of the wicked, but simply honors or praises them in general, has transgressed the prohibition of false flattery. Therefore, someone who must mention something good done by a wicked person must also mention the evil deeds, so that people will not emulate them. A person must even be prepared to suffer a financial loss or a loss of status to avoid pandering to someone undeserving of respect. Only in a case in which one’s life is in danger is it permissible, for lack of choice, to flatter someone wicked.
