“Let a man throw himself into a blazing furnace rather than
shame another person in public.”
-Berachot 43
"Shaming another in public is like shedding blood.” –Baba
Metzia 58
Such an incident led to the destruction of the Second
Temple. A well-know dignitary had sent
out invitations to a banquet, including one to his good friend Kamza. The invitation, however, was inadvertently
addressed to one Bar Kamza, who was, in fact, an enemy of the host.
During the banquet, the celebrant spotted the mistake and
ordered Bar Kamza to leave his home. The
guest pleaded with the host not to humiliate him and even offered to pay for
the cost of the banquet. But the host,
devoid of feeling, was adamant, seized Bar Kamza and threw him out.
Full of rage - particularly since many sages were present did
nothing to stop the indignity – Bar Kamza went to the Roman ruler and told him
the tale. This, said the rabbis, set in motion
the chain of events which eventually led to the destruction of the Second
Temple. -Gittin 55, interpreted by Reuben Turner
Even if a person is well versed in Torah and a sage, “If he insults
his fellow man in public, he has no share in the world to come.” -Avot 3
“A person can be killed only once; but when he is shamed he
is killed many times over.” -Tana d’Bei
Eliahu 42
On the fifteen of Av and Yom Kippur young girls would go out into the vineyards
in the hope of finding a mate. Each
girls had to wear a simple white outfit, unadorned by jewelry so that no one
would feel ashamed they had less than another.
–Mishna Taanit 4
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