Not to embarrass others

Love – אַהֲבָה

• Rashi (Lev. 19:17) teaches that true love does not humiliate, even in correction. Rambam explains that rebuke given with shame is cruelty, not love. Talmud (Arachin 16b) insists that rebuke must stem from love, balancing honesty with care.

Rebuke – תּוֹכָחָה

• Rambam (Hilchot De’ot 6:8) codifies that rebuke is invalid if it humiliates. Sefer HaChinuch (240) stresses that the Torah links rebuke to dignity. Talmud (Arachin 16b) explains that rebuke should be private, preserving honor while guiding behavior.

Compassion – רַחֲמִים

• Talmud (Bava Metzia 58b) equates shaming to murder, urging compassion to protect others from such harm. Ramban explains that compassion defines holiness, preventing harsh rebuke from becoming sinful. Midrash Rabbah (Lev. 19:17) calls compassion the essence of this mitzvah.

Speech – דָּבָר

• Rambam emphasizes that words can heal or wound — rebuke must be spoken softly. Rashi highlights that verbal humiliation is itself sin. Midrash Tanchuma (Kedoshim §10) teaches that Torah demands words that uplift, not destroy.

Justice – צֶדֶק

• Sefer HaChinuch notes that justice requires protecting dignity even in judgment. Rambam rules that embarrassing another is an injustice worse than theft, since dignity cannot be restored. Talmud (Sanhedrin 11a) links justice to the protection of kavod ha-beriyot (human dignity).

Humility – עֲנָוָה

• Talmud (Arachin 16b) says only the humble can rebuke effectively, without shaming. Rambam writes that humility restrains speech and tones rebuke with gentleness. Midrash Rabbah (Eccl. 7:9) contrasts pride, which humiliates, with humility, which heals.

Community – קְהִלָּה

• Talmud (Yoma 9b) attributes destruction of the Temple to baseless hatred and humiliation. Sefer HaChinuch teaches that protecting dignity sustains kehilla harmony. Midrash (Sifra Kedoshim §4) stresses that communal peace rests on respectful rebuke.

Bein Adam L’Chavero – בֵּין אָדָם לַחֲבֵרוֹ

• Rambam emphasizes that humiliating another breaks trust and damages relationships. Talmud (Bava Metzia 59a) teaches that Hashem hears the cries of the humiliated. Sefer HaChinuch explains that dignity is the foundation of proper human relations.

Bein Adam L’Makom – בֵּין אָדָם לְמָקוֹם

• Ramban explains that embarrassing another desecrates Hashem’s image within them. Midrash Tanchuma highlights that Hashem Himself reproves without humiliation, setting the Divine standard. Talmud (Arachin 16b) teaches that respecting dignity reflects loyalty to Hashem.