Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai said, “Hakadosh Baruch Hu has mercy on His creatures. If someone stole an ox, which walks on its own, he must repay five coins, whereas if someone stole a sheep, which must be carried, he must repay only four coins, since he suffered embarrassment through carrying it (Mechilta, Mishpatim, Parashah 12).
How important is human dignity, for it takes precedence over the fulfillment of a rabbinically-ordained negative commandment (Berachot 19b).
If a dead body emits a stench and becomes disgusting, it is permissible to remove it from the house to an open area (karmelit) on Shabbat. Human dignity is weightier than the commandment not to carry outside on Shabbat, which is a rabbinical prohibition, included in the Torah’s dictate (Devarim 17:11) “You shall not turn from the word that they will tell you, right or left.” But if they have another place to put the body, they do not bring it to a public area (Rambam, Shabbat 26:23).
One who discovers his friend wearing a garment containing sha’atnez should immediately pull it off him, even in the market-place. He should do this even if this person is his Torah teacher. This proves that the dignity of one’s fellow man does not take precedence over a Torah-mandated negative commandment. Regarding the mitzvah to return lost items, though, we find that concerning an elderly or important person, if it is beneath his dignity to return a lost item, he is absolved from this command. This is because it is a money-related command. Regarding becoming impure to the dead, a Kohen may not defile himself even for family members, yet he may defile himself for a met mitzvah (a dead body which has no one else to care for it). But rabbinic prohibitions always defer to matters of human dignity (Rambam, Kilayim 10:29).
We find that the more honorable one is, the more he honors others. He is not afraid that this will detract from his own honor. We often see that when there is a gathering and someone new walks in, who is the first one to offer him a seat? The most dignified person present. He is the one sensitive to the needs of others. He discerns that the newcomer is somewhat discomfited at finding all of the seats taken. He is too disconcerted to ask for a chair. But the simple, coarse person will never think of offering his seat. He feels personally affronted at such a thought, fearful lest his own honor become reduced (Shiurei Da’at III, Shiur I, Meluchah).
A young boy plays with his toys. He finds a broken box and it becomes his ship. He is the captain. He allows his imagination to bring him to foreign lands… The adult has already abandoned such pastimes. But the power of imagination lingers in his mind, in the things he aspires to attain. For instance, a person seeks glory. Even one who does not personally pursue it is certainly pleased when he attains it. He is happy when his acquaintances appreciate his qualities and is saddened when they regard him with less respect than he thinks he deserves (Michtav Me’Eliyahu I, Hamashal V’Hanimshal).
