Maimonides on "Boiling in Excrement"

Maimonides interprets "boiling excrement" to be a metaphor for embarrassing oneself when one mocks something true. I think anyone who has embarrassed oneself doing so knows this feeling quite well.

Gittin 57a: 

אסקיה לבלעם בנגידא אמר ליה מאן חשיב בההוא עלמא א"ל ישראל מהו לאידבוקי בהו א"ל (דברים כג) לא תדרוש שלומם וטובתם כל הימים א"ל דיניה דההוא גברא במאי א"ל בשכבת זרע רותחת אזל אסקיה {ליש"ו} בנגידא <לפושעי ישראל> א"ל מאן חשיב בההוא עלמא א"ל ישראל מהו לאדבוקי בהו א"ל טובתם דרוש רעתם לא תדרוש כל הנוגע בהן כאילו נוגע בבבת עינו א"ל דיניה דההוא גברא במאי א"ל בצואה רותחת 

He then went and raised Balaam by incantations. He asked him: Who is in repute in the other world? He replied: Israel. What then, he said, about joining them? He replied: Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity all thy days for ever.  He then asked: What is your punishment? He replied: With boiling hot semen.  He then went and raised by incantations [Jesus].  He asked: Who is in repute in the other world? Answer: Israel. What about joining them? Answer: Seek their welfare, seek not their harm. Whoever touches them touches the apple of his eye. He said: What is your punishment? Answer: With boiling hot excrement, since a Master has said: Whoever mocks at the words of the Sages is punished with boiling hot excrement.

Eruvin 21b: 

דרש רבא: מאי דכתיב (קהלת י"ב) ויתר מהמה בני הזהר עשות ספרים הרבה וגו'. בני הזהר בדברי סופרים יותר מדברי תורה. שדברי תורה יש בהן עשה ולא תעשה, ודברי סופרים - כל העובר על דברי סופרים חייב מיתה. שמא תאמר אם יש בהן ממש מפני מה לא נכתבו - אמר קרא עשות ספרים הרבה אין קץ. (קהלת י"ב) ולהג הרבה יגעת בשר. אמר רב פפא בריה דרב אחא בר אדא משמיה דרב אחא בר עולא: מלמד שכל המלעיג על דברי חכמים נידון בצואה רותחת. 

Raba made the following exposition: What is the purport of the Scriptural text: And, furthermore my son, be admonished: Of making many books etc? My son, be more careful in [the observance of] the words of the Scribes than in the words of the Torah, for in the laws of the Torah there are positive and negative precepts; but, as to the laws of the Scribes, whoever transgresses any of the enactments of the Scribes incurs the penalty of death. In case you should object: If they are of real value why were they not recorded [in the Torah]? Scripture stated: 'Of making many books there is no end'. And much study is a weariness of flesh. R`Papa son of R`Aha B`Adda stated in the name of R`Aha B`Ulla: This teaches that he who scoffs at the words of the Sages will be condemned to boiling excrements.

Maimonides writes in his introduction to the Mishna:

Translation: 

And because they knew [this fact] (peace be upon them), that all of [Hazal's] words were clear, with nothing superfluous stated, they commanded and exhorted, that no one may ridicule them: “Anyone who ridicules them of the Sages is sentenced to boiling excrement (Gittin 57a). And you have no greater boiling excrement than stupidity which made him degenerate into ridiculing the words of the Sages! Thus, you will never find anyone who hates their words, except for a man who seeks superficial pleasure, granting benefit to sensory pleasures, one whose heart does not shine with any of the shining brilliance of Torah...