30. Erasing God's Name

Yesodei HaTorah 5:11

Other things can also be considered a chillul Hashem (a desecration of God's Name) if done by a person recognized as a pious Torah scholar. There are things that, while not actually sins, will cause people to speak badly of him. Examples include: if a person buys merchandise and doesn’t pay for it right away even though he has the funds, causing the seller to demand payment and he pushes them off; one who excessively jests or eats and drinks among crude people; or who speaks indelicately with other people and does not greet them with a smile but with confrontation and anger; etc. All of these scenarios depend on the stature of the person. One must be careful and go beyond the letter of the law to ensure that he does not violate this.

This works both ways: when a scholar is extra careful to speak pleasantly with others and to get along well with them, when he greets them with a smile, is humbled by them but does not humble them back, when he honors them even if they should disrespect him, when he conducts business honestly and does not accept the hospitality of common people too frequently, rather he is seen studying Torah at all times, wrapped in his tzitzis and wearing his tefillin, performing all his deeds beyond what the law requires – as long as he does not distance himself too much from society – so that everyone will praise him, love him, and approve of his actions - such a person sanctifies God's Name. Regarding such a person, Isaiah 49:3 says, “…you are My servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”

Yesodei HaTorah 6:1

If a person destroys one of the holy and pure Names by which God is known, he is liable for the penalty of lashes under Torah law. This act is prohibited in Deuteronomy 12:3-4, which says regarding idols, “You shall destroy their names from this place; do not do so to Hashem, your God.”