GEN94 Once we appreciate that all human beings are created in God’s image, it is evident that a negative generalization about another religious or ethnic group, or displaying disrespect toward those who are not of our faith, is also an offence against God.  Rabbi Moshe Cordovero, the sixteenth-century kabbalist, explains: “This may be likened to an expert goldsmith who fashions a vessel with great skill, but when he displays his work, one of the people begins to mock and scorn it. How angry that goldsmith will be; for by disparaging his handiwork, one disparages his wisdom.  Similarly it is evil in the sight of the Holy One, blessed be He, if any of His creatures is despised” (The Palm Tree of Dvorah [Tomer Dvorah], chapter 2). Therefore, it is wrong for Jews to use terms such as shaygetz or shiksa (meaning, literally, “an abomination”) when referring to a non-Jewish man or woman. Although very few Jews are aware of just how ugly this word is, people should realize that if they are speaking in English and refer to another group in a foreign language, the word they use is probably not a term of endearment.  TELVOL 2:286-7