LEV474 [Many] sources point to the legitimacy of self-defense in Jewish thought and affirm the general concept of "if someone comes to slay you, you should slay him first" (Sanhedrin 72a). The concept of self-defense is extended even further in Judaism. Not only is a threatened person permitted to "take the law into his own hands" and kill the intruder or person threatening his life, but onlookers are also given permission to do the same, especially when the threatened person is unable to do it himself. Jewish law not only allows an onlooker to kill the attacker but commands the onlooker to take action (Sanhedrin 73a), based on [this] verse that a person may not stand by while his brother's blood is being spilled. Therefore, it is clear that the person whose life is threatened with attack must be protected, either by the person himself or by anyone who is in a position to prevent the loss of life.

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LEV479 If a senile parent, living in his or her own home or in a child's home, tends to wander outside in the streets alone and get lost easily, what is a child to do? Similarly, if the senile individual begins to light or cause fires in the kitchen, how should a child or other relative react? The answer is found in another important concept in Judaism, the concept of relating to danger. It is a biblical mitzvah (Deuteronomy 4:9 and 4:15) to protect oneself from any possible danger. Therefore, a person is not permitted to risk his or her life or the life of anyone else with a likely or even a potential fire in the house. Similarly, one is not permitted by standing by and doing nothing to allow someone else to risk his or her life by wandering the neighborhood or lighting fires, especially someone who has no understanding [this verse]. Therefore, it is clear that when there is potential danger to the household, any responsible person cannot permit the situation to continue. The senile person must be removed from the house and put in the place or situation where the risk of danger has been eliminated. When it comes to danger or even potential danger, Judaism is very strict, and, therefore, the Talmud says (Chullin 10a) that a situation of danger is more strict than Jewish law itself. Therefore, a Jew must be especially careful in removing or eliminating any possible dangerous situation.

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LEV486 The political systems in today's societies are most usually described in terms of the rights of every individual vis-à-vis the other individuals in the society, as well as the individual's rights vis-à-vis the government. Judaism, on the other hand, in addition to rights, also discusses the obligations of the individual to other individuals in this society and the obligations of the individual to the government. ... Regrettable as it might be, there is no law by which someone who stands by and does nothing can be prosecuted when he or she witnesses a crime or an injustice. But Jewish law and Judaism take an entirely different view. A Jew has legal responsibility to help someone in trouble, and it is a Torah violation if he or she stands by and does nothing. The Bible clearly states that one shall not stand idly while his brother's blood is being shed [this verse]. One may not allow a person to drown if one has the ability to save the person drowning. ... Even [a] non-swimming onlooker would be obligated to call someone to help. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 73a) discusses the entire issue, based on [this] Biblical verse, and concludes that it is an obligation to help someone in any kind of trouble, even to the point of preventing his death by killing the potential killer. Maimonides has codified this obligation (Hilchot Rotze'ach 1:15) ... According to the Shulchan Aruch (Choshen Mishpat 426:1), even a person who withholds information that could help someone else violates Jewish law. ... A person may not even pass by a lost object and refuse to pick it up. Judaism obligates the Jew to pick up the object and try to return it to its owner (see chapter "Returning Lost Objects") (Deuteronomy 22:1-3).

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LEV512 See [[DEUT1110]] Deuteronomy 22:3 ignore GATES 245

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LEV516 Another area where a person would be obligated to reveal confidential information is a case in which refusing to divulge the information would cause harm to befall an individual. According to Jewish law (Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat 426:1), if an individual knows that people are plotting against a particular person and the person refuses to divulge that information, even if obtained confidentially, that person has violated the prohibition of standing by while a brother's blood has been spilled [this verse]. How much and how immediate must harm be in order to obligate a person to reveal a confidence is discussed by the modern decisors. ... The Chafetz Chaim (Sefer Shemirat Halashon, Hilchot Rechilut, chap. 9, examples 2 and 3) writes that when another person is about to enter a business partnership and you know information that the potential partner is untrustworthy and would ruin the other person financially, then you have an obligation to "gossip" and reveal the information, even if it was obtained in confidence, under the heading of "Thou shalt not stand by while thy brother's blood is being spilled" [this verse and see notes of the Chafetz Chaim were he discusses this]. Similarly, if two people are about to enter marriage and you possess information that were the potential spouse to know, he or she would end the marriage, you are obligated to tell the person. This is not a law granting permission to tell, but it is an obligation to reveal the information.

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LEV536 The Torah [this verse] prohibits a person from being a talebearer. Normally, we would think of this prohibition as one against gossip only. But since Proverbs (20:19) linked talebearing with telling secrets, the prohibition against revealing any information is derived from here. In defining the actual sin, one decisor (Sefer Mitzvot Gedolot, Negative Prohibition 9) lists revealing secrets as the main prohibition. If not the main sin, according to other commentaries, revealing secrets is certainly part of the prohibition of talebearing. Even when revealing secret information seems to be hurting no one, it is still prohibited in Judaism.

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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

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LEV547 "You must not hate your brother in your heart" [this verse]. We have been admonished herein to remove the trait of hatred from within ourselves. This trait is the cause of many iniquities, and leads to many corrupt activities -- such as lashon hara (See the First Gate, note 26), which equals certain sins that require the death penalty, as we will explain (See paragraph 201); seeking [another's] evil; rejoicing over another's misfortune; causing harm to others; causing ill will; revenge; and bearing a grudge -- and to the loss of much good from the soul, as will be explained in The Gate of Hatred (See the First Gate, note 97). See how far the punishment of hatred extended, for our Sages, z"l, said (Yoma 9b), "Why was the second Beis HaMikdash destroyed, [even though the people] engaged in Torah study and good deeds? Because of the baseless hatred that existed between them."

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LEV556 It is far better and more positive to let the anger out rather than to harbor it inside and let it seethe and fester. Thus, a Jew is not permitted to hate a person in his heart, but should confront the person in as nice and non-angry fashion as possible, as discussed above [this verse]. Finally, Maimonides, who was careful and exacting in every word he wrote, does write that sometimes- if the issue is a very grave and large one-it is proper to get angry, but only once in a while, so that this emotion never becomes habitual.

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LEV653 Based on [this] verse in Leviticus obligating each Jew to love his fellow Jew, Maimonides rules (Hilchot De'ot 6:3) that the mitzvah to love every Jew as oneself involves caring about his or her money and dignity as if they were one's own. The notion of caring for other Jews is extended further by the concept that every Jew is responsible for every other Jew (Shevuot 39a). This means that a Jew feels the pain of every other Jew. More than just feeling an obligation to help, this idea signifies that a Jew feels another Jew's pain and makes it his or her own pain. Thus, the Midrash (Vayikra Rabbah 4:6) says that Jews are compared to sheep because when any limb of the sheep hurts, the sheep's entire body feels the pain. Similarly, if a man in a boat cuts a hole under his feet, he cannot claim that this act is no one's business but his own, as the act affects everyone. So, too, when any Jew is in pain, other Jews feel it. In fact, the name Jew itself connotes this concept. Although Yehudi, Jew, originally meant from the tribe of Judah, it has come to mean the person who exhibited the quality of Judah, which was to stand up to his father and Pharaoh and offer himself in order to save his brother Benjamin (Bereishit Rabbah 98:6). Every Jew feels the responsibility and caring for every other Jew. Technically, this term of "responsibility for every other Jew," in Hebrew Areivim, actually translates as a surety, guarantor or cosigner (the same word is used by Judah's action on behalf of Benjamin) (Gen. 43:9). Just as a cosigner for a loan guarantees to pay the loan if the lender defaults, each Jew takes the responsibility to guarantee to God every other Jew's proper moral behavior, as a cosigner.

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