LEV593 The final words of [this verse] can also be translated as "but do not bear sin because of him." The Rabbis understood the ambiguity in the Hebrew as meaning that, even when criticizing someone, you should not commit a sin by shaming him or her. As Rashi explains in his commentary on this verse: "Though rebuking him, you should not publicly embarrass him, in which case you will bear sin on account of him." To the question, "Should you rebuke one to the point that his face changes color?" the Talmud responds, "No" (Arachin 16b). Shaming someone is both ineffective and immoral. If you're rebuking a person for a serious offense, shaming him will only make him defensive, and thus render your words less effective. And if you're rebuking someone for a small offense (as a parent may do to a child who has broken a plate), then shaming him is a greater sin than the offense itself. The best way to avoid shaming a person is to deliver the criticism privately (See the opening paragraph of this chapter), "with soft language and gentle words" (See Sefer Ha-Chinnuch, commandment number 239). For more on not shaming or humiliating another, see chapters 29 and 31 [of this volume].