DEUT1355 The Dignity of Being God's Creature. According to the Jewish tradition, the dignity of all human beings -- that which raises us above the status of other animals -- derives from the fact that we were created in God's own image: “And God created the man in His image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Genesis 1:27 The primary way in which humanity is like God is in our abilities to understand and follow an argument for justice, to know right from wrong, and to choose the right. To do these things is both the privilege and the responsibility of being created in God's image. As Jews, God has given us the Torah to help us make the right decisions, and hence study of the tradition is an aid to good practice. Even without a thorough Jewish education, though, we may not hide from the implications of being created in the divine image. M. Avot 3:18 Thus a variety of biblical and rabbinical sources demand that we preserve not only the lives of the poor but their dignity as well. (Deuteronomy 24:10-11, M. Ketubbot 13:3, S.A. Yoreh De’ah 251:8, Even Ha-Ezer 112:11, B. Ketubbot 43a, and S.A. Even Ha-Ezer 112:16, 93:4) So, for example, if someone injures another person, the attacker must compensate the victim for the injury itself (lost capital value), the pain involved, the medical expenses, the time lost from work, and the degradation. M. Bava Kamma 8:1. When discussing payment for degradation, the Talmud’s basis for comparison is the embarrassment involved in poverty. That is, the clear case of degradation, to which other cases can be instructively compared, is the embarrassment involved in being in need. B. Bava Kamma 86a Since poverty is an affront to the dignity inherent in us as creatures of God, all those who can are obliged to help. By the same token, the poor themselves must take care to protect their own dignity. One way of doing this is to give charity-- no matter what one’s economic state. “Even a poor person who lives entirely on charity must also give charity to another poor person.” B. Bava Kamma 119a, B. Gittin 7b, M.T. Laws of Gifts to the Poor 7:5, and S.A. Yoreh De’ah 248:1, 251:12. Also, the poor who need aid are encouraged to apply to the community fund and are discouraged from door-to-door begging, because it diminishes their own dignity. B. Bava Batra 9a and S.A. Yoreh De’ah 250:3-4.