LEV545 One must take great care not to put anyone to shame, for our Sages have said (Bava Metzia 59a): "One who whitens his friend's face [i.e., puts him to shame] in public has no share in the World-to-Come." The "whitening of the face" is the "dust" [i.e., a subtle form] of murder, the red [blood] leaving and the white [pallor] following (ibid. 58b). Furthermore, the pain of "whiteness" [humiliation] is more bitter than death, for which reason they said that one should rather fling himself into a fiery furnace than humiliate someone in public. They derive this from the example of Tamar, who allowed herself to be led out to be burned to death rather than humiliate Yehuda. And even where reproof is called for, the Torah writes [this verse]: "You shall surely reprove your friend, but do not bear sin because of him." How should one reprove his friend? In the beginning, in private and gently; but if in the beginning he rebukes him in public and humiliate him, he sins thereby (Arachin 16b). How much more so does one who humiliates his friend where reprove is not appropriate, for the destruction of Jerusalem resulted from the humiliation of Bar Kamtza (Gittin 55b-56a). Therefore, one must take great care not to do anything which may cause shame to anyone in the world