LEV395 The midrash (Bereishit Rabbah 24:7) says that each time you embarrass another human being you also diminish God Himself, the creator of that human being, who is created in God's image (Gen. 1:27). … the first commandment in [this verse] is "You shall not curse a deaf person." Here, it is difficult to understand what kind of harm can come to a deaf person who is cursed since he or she will not hear, and no one will know or get hurt by this curse. But if the reason is viewed in the context of the midrash referred to earlier, it can be perfectly understood. While the deaf person is not being harmed through the curse, the creator of that deaf person, God, is certainly diminished through the curse. By the same reasoning, Jewish law states that a person may not curse himself or herself (Mishnah, Shevuot 4:13). On the surface one may question why this should be prohibited. It is easily understandable that one may not make others feel bad, but why are you not allowed to harm yourself? Since you, too, are a creation of God, He is still diminished if you curse yourself. Even if you do not personally mind, God, your Creator, minds. For the same reason, a person may not cause harm to his or her body (Maimonides, Hilchot Rotze'ach 1:4). It really belongs to God, not to the person, and even if the person does not mind, God does mind. This reasoning, that embarrassing or hurting an individual is prohibited because it also hurts God as Creator, in no way minimizes the other reason for this prohibition--that it also causes pain to the other person.

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LEV394 Some people may (wrongly) feel that they can feel better about themselves by putting other people down. While this may temporarily make a person feel better, at the end of the day, every person knows his or her true value and worth. Just as you were created in the image of God with some Godliness inside of you, so too is every other person (Genesis 5:1). Based on this verse, the Midrash says that even if you feel that others have put you down and therefore you feel you have the right to also put others down, you may not do so (Midrash, Beraishit Rabbah 24:7). Since everyone has some Godliness inside, not only is this not the correct manner in which to behave, but by doing so, you are also putting down God Himself in the process. Logically, a person may reason that by hurting the other person, his or her own self-worth will be enhanced. But that is not how it works in Jewish law and in life. Thus, it is forbidden to curse oneself (since each person is a being with Godliness inside), and a Jew may not curse others if he or she feels they have been wronged (Mishna Shavuot 4:13). Even if the person being cursed will not find out about it, it is still forbidden to do so (see the chapter, "Putting Others Down" for deeper analysis of this idea). That is why the Torah forbids you to curse a deaf person, even though the deaf person will never hear those terrible words [this verse]. First, each person knows what he or she has done, and the verse ends with the phrase, "You shall fear God, I am God" to demonstrate that God also knows. In addition, the person who curses has diminished God, once again, by cursing one of His creations. In summary then, one is not only forbidden to put others down, but it will never enhance that person's self-esteem in the long run.

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LEV393 See [[EXOD668]] Exodus 22:21 ill-treat GREENBERG 72-3

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LEV396 See [[NUM155]] Numbers 15:15 one DORFFDRAG 22-23

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LEV397 See [[DEUT1280]] Deuteronomy 23:20 interest CCCBM 147

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LEV398 The Rabbis then ask an important question: in commanding us to love our neighbor, why must we be reminded that God is Adonai, our Lord? Four verses earlier, that command not to curse the death or put a stumbling block before the blind ends with the clause, “and you shall fear your God” (Leviticus 19:14). On that verse and several others, the Rabbis maintain that even though it is often difficult for other human beings to discern a person's real motive in doing something, God and infallibly discerns our motives, and so for all commandments involving something that is in our hearts (masur la’lev) God will unfailingly know our intentions and judges accordingly. (Sifra, Kedoshim 3:14 (on Leviticus 19:14). Based on those rabbinic comments, Rashi (1035-1104, France) undoubtedly the most famous medieval commentator on the Torah, summarizes this tenet thus: “Because a person cannot know whether he intends to do a good thing or a bad one [in giving advice to someone who iss blind about such matters], and he can pretend [to other human beings] that he intended to do a good thing, therefore the Torah says, “and you shall fear your God,” who knows your thoughts. Similarly, with regard to all other matters that are in the doer’s heart, and others cannot know [the person's intentions], the Torah says, “and you shall fear your God” (Rashi on Leviticus 19:14).

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LEV399 Concerning the giving of advice, we have been taught in Toras Kohanim (Kedoshim 2:14): "'Do not place an obstacle before a blind man' [this verse] [and this refers] to one who is blind in this matter.… When a person is approached for advice, whether regarding something that he takes a personal interest in or something that does not relate to him at all, he is obligated to adhere to pristine truth [and to present it] with clarity. The Torah knows very well how swindlers operate, and we are not dealing with fools whose harmful advice is well-known and obvious, but with clever people who are wicked, who give advice that appears to be truly beneficial but in actuality is not in the other party's interest to his detriment – and for the benefit of the one who is giving the advice. Because [of this concern] they said: "Although you might say,' I am giving him good advice,' this is something that is known only to you.…" How many times do people fail in these transgressions daily as their lust for profit lures them onward? In Scripture the severity of their punishment has already been spelled out (Devarim 27:18): "Cursed is he who misleads an undiscerning person." By contrast, the responsibility of an honest person is such that when someone comes to him for advice he must give him the same advice that he would himself follow, having no other end in mind, immediate or distant, than the benefit of the one who has come for the advice. And if it should happen that he sees himself as standing to lose by such advice, he should reveal this to the other party if he is able to, and if he cannot, he should excuse himself and not give any advice. Either way he should not offer advice whose end result will not be beneficial for the one who is seeking advice, unless that person is ill-meaning in his intent. In that case it is certainly a mitzvah to deceive him, and it has already been stated (Tehillim 18:27): "And with the crooked be cunning," and [the episode of] Chushai Ha'arki demonstrates this (see Shmuel II 17:5-14).

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LEV402 Even in today's non-Jewish world, there is a concept of immoral advertising. The classic example of this is "bait and switch," where a product is advertised at a ridiculously low price in order to get people into the store. When they arrive, this salesperson indicates that the sale products have been sold out and then proceeds to sell the customer another similar, more expensive product. The immorality of this practice is patent because the owner never really meant to sell the original product and usually will have just a few, if any, available in the first place. This ruse actually lures many people to the store and some do buy other products at higher prices (which they never would have purchased had they not been lured into the store). From a Jewish perspective, the reason this scheme is immoral and illegal involves the violation of several principles. The verse in Leviticus (19:36) commands a Jew to have just and accurate weights and measures. Playing on the word "hin" in the verse, which is an amount, the Talmud (Bava Metzia 49a) says that your "hen", your "yes," should be just and truthful. This implies that if you promise something, you're not permitted to intentionally violate that promise. Thus, misleading through "bait and switch" is clearly forbidden. In addition, according to some commentaries, this type of action clearly violates the prohibition of "putting a stumbling block in front of a blind person" [this verse], which also forbids misleading a prison intentionally. Hence, any type of advertising that intentionally misleads people seems to be forbidden. This general concept, which most clearly defines whether advertising is legitimate or not, is called geneivat daat. Technically translated as "stealing a person's thought," this idea suggests that intentionally misleading a person or misrepresenting the truth is a clear violation of proper Jewish practice.

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LEV405 Rashi (commentary on this verse) says that the "simple" meaning of this verse is referring to the infraction of intentionally giving bad advice to someone. By purposefully misleading a person in a situation in which the person is "blind," the counsel becomes a "stumbling block" and the adviser has sinned.

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LEV400 [Continued from [[DEUT1152]] Deuteronomy 22:8 bloodguilt AMJV 118] …the safety of a home is a prime principle in Judaism, mandated by Jewish law. The Talmud expands upon this obligation of a person who owns a home. Not only must any stationary, permanent obstacle that is part of the structure of the house be protected, but even protecting a non-stationary object (like a gun) or anything located in the house that may pose a danger is also the responsibility of the homeowner. Thus, it is forbidden for a Jew to leave around the house a dangerous dog or a faulty ladder, as a possible danger (Bava Kama 15b). This would be analogous to leaving a gun lying around the house and not in a special safe (under lock and key). Judaism also prohibits endangering others even outside the home, as it forbids placing a stumbling block before a blind person, which is interpreted by all the commentaries not only in the physical sense but also metaphorically [this verse]. Therefore, it is forbidden to endanger anyone else, and maximum safety must be ensured. Why the Jewish stress on safety? Judaism is a religion of peace and tries to ensure a peaceful living, says the Talmud (Gittin 59b).

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