This mitzvah is constant. It applies at home, in school, in shul, at work, online, in texting, in comments, in jokes, and in business conversations. Wherever words can reach another person, this mitzvah applies.

Speech can build a person or break him. A sharp comment may take only a moment, but it can remain in someone’s heart for years. The Torah teaches that emotional harm is real harm. A person’s dignity, confidence, and inner peace matter deeply before Hashem.

This mitzvah does not mean that a person may never correct, disagree, or speak honestly. Torah allows תּוֹכָחָה — rebuke when it is needed and given properly. But rebuke must be for the other person’s benefit, not for anger, control, mockery, or humiliation.

In daily life, this mitzvah forms a person who pauses before speaking. It teaches him to ask whether his words are true, necessary, and gentle enough for the moment. A Torah mouth does not only avoid lies. It avoids cruelty.

Rambam

• Source: Rambam, Sefer HaMitzvos, Negative Mitzvah 251; Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Mechirah 14:12–18.
• Rambam defines this mitzvah as the prohibition against אוֹנָאַת דְּבָרִים — verbal wronging. He explains that one may not distress another person with words, remind him of earlier sins, embarrass him, or speak in a way that causes pain. Rambam stresses that verbal wronging can be more severe than monetary wronging, because money can be returned, but emotional pain may remain.

Sefer HaChinuch

• Source: Sefer HaChinuch, Mitzvah 338.
• Sefer HaChinuch explains that the root of this mitzvah is to preserve peace, dignity, and compassion among people. Human beings are deeply affected by words. The Torah therefore commands a person to guard his speech so that society does not become harsh, suspicious, and painful.

Gemara

• Source: Gemara Bava Metzia 58b.
• The Gemara teaches that “וְלֹא תוֹנוּ אִישׁ אֶת עֲמִיתוֹ” refers to אוֹנָאַת דְּבָרִים — verbal wronging. Chazal give examples: one may not remind a baal teshuvah of his earlier sins, speak painfully to a convert about his origins, or ask a merchant for a price when he has no intention to buy.

Gemara

• Source: Gemara Bava Metzia 58b–59a.
• The Gemara teaches that verbal wronging is more severe than monetary wronging in several ways. Monetary loss can be returned, but pain caused by words is harder to repair. Chazal also stress that Hashem listens to the cry of one who is hurt by speech.

Gemara

• Source: Gemara Bava Metzia 59a.
• The Gemara teaches that a person should be especially careful not to cause pain to his wife with words, because tears are close and emotional hurt can be deep. This shows that the mitzvah begins in the most intimate parts of life, where speech can heal or wound most strongly.

Sifra

• Source: Sifra, Behar, Parashah 4.
• Sifra explains that the pasuk “וְלֹא תוֹנוּ אִישׁ אֶת עֲמִיתוֹ” refers to wronging with words. The Midrash connects the mitzvah to fear of Hashem, because only Hashem fully knows whether a person’s words were meant to hurt.

Vayikra Rabbah

• Source: Vayikra Rabbah 33:1.
• The Midrash places the laws of wronging another person inside the larger demand for holiness in everyday life. This teaches that קדושה — holiness is not only in the Mikdash or in prayer. It also appears in the way a person speaks to another human being.

Tanchuma

• Source: Midrash Tanchuma, Behar 3.
• Tanchuma teaches that the Torah’s social laws in Behar protect the weak from being crushed by others. Verbal wronging belongs to this same world. A person can oppress another not only with money or labor, but also with words that weaken the heart.

Rashi

• Source: Rashi on Vayikra 25:17.
• Rashi explains that this pasuk forbids אוֹנָאַת דְּבָרִים — verbal wronging. He gives examples from Chazal, such as not reminding a baal teshuvah of his earlier deeds and not distressing someone with words. His explanation makes clear that the Torah protects a person’s inner dignity.

Ramban

• Source: Ramban on Vayikra 25:17.
• Ramban explains that the Torah adds “וְיָרֵאתָ מֵאֱלֹקֶיךָ” because verbal wronging depends heavily on hidden intent. A person can pretend his words were innocent. The mitzvah teaches that speech must be guarded before Hashem, who knows what is inside the heart.

Ibn Ezra

• Source: Ibn Ezra on Vayikra 25:17.
• Ibn Ezra reads the pasuk as a warning not to wrong one’s fellow in a way that causes distress. His plain meaning shows that the Torah is not only concerned with outer damage. Pain caused by words is also a real form of harm.

Sforno

• Source: Sforno on Vayikra 25:17.
• Sforno explains that one must not cause another person pain through speech, because this damages the peace of the community and violates the dignity of another servant of Hashem. Speech must serve truth and repair, not injury.

Rabbeinu Bachya

• Source: Rabbeinu Bachya on Vayikra 25:17.
• Rabbeinu Bachya teaches that verbal wronging is tied to יִרְאַת שָׁמַיִם — awe of Heaven because speech can hide cruelty beneath normal language. A person must remember that Hashem hears not only the words, but the intention behind them.

Chizkuni

• Source: Chizkuni on Vayikra 25:17.
• Chizkuni explains that after warning against monetary wronging, the Torah warns against personal wronging through words. The order teaches that a person’s feelings and dignity are protected by Torah no less than his money.

Kuzari

• Source: Kuzari 3:11.
• The Kuzari explains that Torah law shapes a society where the inner life of people is protected. Speech is one of the main forces that builds or destroys that society. A holy nation must have holy language between its members.

Maharal

• Source: Maharal, Nesivos Olam, Nesiv HaLashon, Chapter 1.
• Maharal teaches that דִּבּוּר — speech reveals the inner form of the human being. Because speech expresses the soul, misuse of speech damages both the speaker and the listener. Verbal wronging corrupts the power that makes a person human.

Ran

• Source: Derashos HaRan, Derush 11.
• Ran explains that Torah law builds a nation ordered by justice, restraint, and Divine purpose. The prohibition of verbal wronging shows that justice includes emotional dignity. A society cannot be righteous if people are legally correct but verbally cruel.

Ritva

• Source: Ritva on Bava Metzia 58b.
• Ritva explains that the examples of verbal wronging are not random. They show cases where a person uses knowledge, weakness, or social pressure to hurt someone. The mitzvah forbids speech that turns another person’s vulnerability into pain.

Rashba

• Source: Rashba, Teshuvos 1:18.
• Rashba discusses the seriousness of speech that harms another person and the responsibility to protect communal peace. His approach shows that words are not private air. Speech creates public consequences and can damage trust inside the community.

Shulchan Aruch

• Source: Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat 228:1.
• Shulchan Aruch rules that just as there is אוֹנָאָה — wronging in buying and selling, there is also אוֹנָאַת דְּבָרִים — verbal wronging. A person may not speak in a way that causes pain, shame, fear, or emotional distress to another.

Shulchan Aruch

• Source: Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat 228:4.
• Shulchan Aruch rules that one may not remind a baal teshuvah of his earlier sins, and one may not speak painfully to a convert about his former background. The mitzvah protects people from being trapped by their past.

Rema

• Source: Rema, Choshen Mishpat 228:1.
• Rema adds practical applications of the prohibition, including speech that pressures, distresses, or embarrasses another person. His ruling shows that halacha treats emotional injury as a serious matter, not as a minor social issue.

Sma

• Source: Sma, Choshen Mishpat 228:1.
• Sma explains that verbal wronging is especially severe because it reaches the person himself, not only his property. Money can often be restored. A wounded heart may be much harder to repair.

Shach

• Source: Shach, Choshen Mishpat 228:1.
• Shach clarifies that the prohibition applies even when no financial loss occurs. The harm itself is the pain caused by speech. Halacha therefore requires a person to guard tone, timing, and intention.

Chasam Sofer

• Source: Chasam Sofer, Toras Moshe, Behar, s.v. “וְלֹא תוֹנוּ.”
• Chasam Sofer explains that the Torah places verbal wronging next to monetary wronging because both can crush another person. Money damages a person from outside; cruel speech damages him within. The mitzvah teaches that Torah holiness must govern both possessions and words.

Netziv

• Source: Netziv, HaEmek Davar on Vayikra 25:17.
• Netziv emphasizes that the Torah says “עֲמִיתוֹ” — his fellow, teaching that the other person must still be seen as a fellow member of the covenant. Speech that degrades another Jew breaks that shared dignity. The mitzvah protects brotherhood inside Klal Yisrael.

Rav Shimshon Raphael Hirsch

• Source: Rav Hirsch on Vayikra 25:17.
• Rav Hirsch teaches that speech is a moral power placed in human hands. When used wrongly, it can dominate, humiliate, and weaken another person. The Torah demands that even private conversation be ruled by justice and reverence.

Malbim

• Source: Malbim on Vayikra 25:17.
• Malbim distinguishes this pasuk from the earlier warning about monetary wronging. Here the Torah speaks about personal injury through words. The mitzvah teaches that harm is not measured only in coins. The human heart is also protected by Torah law.

Meshech Chochmah

• Source: Meshech Chochmah on Vayikra 25:17.
• Meshech Chochmah reads the warning together with “וְיָרֵאתָ מֵאֱלֹקֶיךָ.” Verbal wronging often hides behind excuses, sarcasm, or social pressure. Fear of Hashem is needed because only Hashem knows whether a person used speech to wound another.

Rav Kook

• Source: Orot HaKodesh III, p. 285.
• Rav Kook teaches that speech can reveal the holiness of the soul when it is refined. Words can lift life toward truth, unity, and compassion. The prohibition of verbal wronging guards speech from becoming a force that darkens the soul and separates people.

Baal Shem Tov

• Source: Baal Shem Tov al HaTorah, Kedoshim.
• The Baal Shem Tov teaches that what a person sees in another often reflects something he must repair within himself. This deepens the mitzvah of guarding speech. Before using words to hurt another, a person must look inward with humility.

Tanya

• Source: Tanya, Iggeres HaKodesh, Epistle 22.
• Tanya teaches the importance of guarding anger and harsh speech, because they damage the soul’s sensitivity to Hashem. Words are not small. They reveal the inner state of the person and can either bring closeness or separation.

Sfas Emes

• Source: Sfas Emes, Behar 5635.
• Sfas Emes teaches that Parshas Behar calls a person to see inner holiness even inside ordinary social life. Speech must reveal that holiness, not cover it. A Jew’s words should help another person stand, not make him smaller.

Kedushas Levi

• Source: Kedushas Levi, Behar, s.v. “וְלֹא תוֹנוּ.”
• Kedushas Levi reads the Torah’s concern for another Jew’s pain through the lens of love. A person who truly feels אַהֲבָה — love for another Jew cannot use speech to wound him. The mitzvah turns language into a place of compassion.

Shem MiShmuel

• Source: Shem MiShmuel, Behar 5672.
• Shem MiShmuel explains that speech draws inner forces into the open. If the heart is harsh, speech can spread harshness. If the heart is refined, speech can reveal holiness. This mitzvah trains the inner person by guarding the mouth.

Ramchal

• Source: Ramchal, Mesillas Yesharim, Chapter 11.
• Ramchal teaches that נְקִיּוּת — cleanliness requires care in speech, anger, and interpersonal conduct. A person may think a comment is small, but spiritual cleanliness demands attention to subtle harm. The mitzvah builds a refined and careful soul.

Mitzvah 501 follows Mitzvah 500. First the Torah forbids אוֹנָאַת מָמוֹן — monetary exploitation. Then it forbids אוֹנָאַת דְּבָרִים — verbal wronging. The order teaches that Torah protects both a person’s property and his dignity.

This mitzvah belongs to the broader world of interpersonal Torah. It is closely related to the prohibitions against embarrassing others, hating another Jew, gossip, slander, revenge, and bearing a grudge. But it has its own focus: words that directly cause pain, even without spreading information to others.

The phrase “וְיָרֵאתָ מֵאֱלֹקֶיךָ” gives the mitzvah its inner foundation. A person can hide behind tone, jokes, cleverness, or denial. Hashem knows whether the words were meant to help or to harm. The mitzvah therefore builds a speech-life rooted in יִרְאַת שָׁמַיִם — awe of Heaven.