Q&A: Humiliating a Person When Necessary
Humiliating a Person When Necessary
Question
Hello Rabbi!
I parked in a private parking spot belonging to someone I don’t know (to my shame). When I came back to leave, I discovered that the owner had blocked me in with his car and left a phone number. I called, and it turned out to be a man with a hugely inflated ego who had found an opportunity to lecture me about all the problems he saw in my terrible behavior. Even though I responded politely and reasonably and apologized, he kept going and expected me to give him all sorts of explanations about my future conduct and what I was taking upon myself because of my ugly actions before he would agree to move his car and let me out. Of course I wasn’t willing to provide that, and I also feared, based on my brief impression of his personality type, that it wouldn’t solve anything but would just drag the whole thing out longer and longer. Time passed, I was in a big hurry, people had gathered around, and in a split-second decision I chose to shame and humiliate him in front of everyone. That immediately caused him, embarrassed, to get into his car and move it so I could leave.
In examining myself afterward, I saw that I had three options: 1. What I did. 2. Call the police. 3. Get into my car, say I had nothing more to discuss, and wait until he eventually decided to clear the way. My question is whether, morally and according to Jewish law, it is permissible to use verbal aggression toward a violent or bullying person like that.
Sorry if I was unnecessarily long-winded here.
Thank you very much!
Answer
If you had no other way to get rid of him, then it was justified. Even so, from the outset of course you were in the wrong for taking his parking spot.