LEV301 … the basic ethical tradition of Judaism [is] the sacredness of each individual human being. Humans, formed in God's image, possess the divine spirit and are the crown of God's creation. In Judaism, it is this concept of the human being, created in the image of God, which forms the foundation of Jewish ethics. Indeed, whenever something is left to a person's conscience, the Bible adds, "You shall Revere God," or "I am God." For example, [this verse] states that every person shall fear his or her mother and father and keep God's Sabbaths: "I am God." Other examples are found in Leviticus 19:10-11, 14, 16, 18, 34, and 37: leaving a corner of one's field for the poor; laws prohibiting stealing, lying, and profaning God's name; and being a talebearer or hating one's neighbor. Each of these laws is followed by the phrase "I am God." Thus, the foundation of biblical ethics includes the belief that every human being is created in the image of God and is therefore entitled to respect and courtesy. In the Bible, the root tzedek, meaning righteousness, occurs more than 500 times, including all of its inflections. Doing what is right and just is the essence of biblical ethics. The person who refrains from wrongdoing and makes an effort to establish what is right is called righteous. For the rabbis, too, the ethical ideal was the tzaddik -- the righteous and good person. According to the Talmud (Yoma 38b), one righteous person can ensure the very existence of the world itself.