Pirkei Avot - Ethics of the Fathers

~Level 1~
Bartenura - "do not disparage any man" - do not make light of any man thinking how could this person possibly harm me?

"do not disregard any matter" - distance every thing which one should be concerned about saying "it is very unlikely to happen and one should not worry about it".

~Level 1~
Rambam - perforce every person has a time when he can harm [you] or benefit [you] even in a small way.

~Level 1~
Rashi - do not disparage any person in the world.

~Level 2~
Tiferet Yisrael - "do not disparage any man" - even a fool, ignoramus, or completely senseless person, and even a wicked man condemned to death - have compassion on their predicament and do not disparage them. For you will anger not only them but also their Creator, and "all that G-d created He did so for His glory, even a wicked man for the day of evil" (Mishlei 16:4).. and you must also be concerned that he may become your enemy and pose a danger to you..

"do not disregard any matter" - even something disgusting, hated, painful, damaging and poisonous like flies, mosquitos, snakes and scorpions. Do not think they have no use in the world. It is enough to know that G-d created them and that they were created only for the good of the world.

"there is no thing which does not have its place" - even though now you don't see it and the [wicked] person also oppresses those who serve G-d and pursues them and he is like an affliction to the world, nevertheless, know that it is not for nothing that G-d left him alive still. Perforce there is some present or future need which is concealed from you. Who knows what good will result from him? G-d is all knowing..

~Level 2~
Sfat Emet - "every man has his hour" - for every Jew has a special matter which no one else can rectify - only him. And likewise, every hour there is a special matter which can only be rectified at that time only.

~Level 3~
Yachel Yisrael - our sages report in a midrash (Ber.Rabbah 63:8): "Diklitinus the Roman was a pig herder in his youth in the city of Tiberias. One time he reached the Beit Midrash (house of torah study) and the Jewish children came out. They mocked him and beat him. Afterwards, he had a hatred for all the Jews there.

At the time he did not have the power to harm them. After some years, Diklitinus became the great Roman Emperor. He decided to take revenge on the Jews of Tiberias for the shame they did to him decades earlier.

The midrash depicts how the emperor tried to harm them and how they were saved miraculously.

When the sages of Israel came to appease him, the emperor told them: "since your G-d performs miracles for you, you permit yourself to insult the roman emperor?!"

The sages replied: "we insulted you when you were a pig herder not when you became the emperor".

Diklitinus answered them: "even so, learn a lesson from now on to never disrespect any man, not even the simplest of the simplest Roman".

Ben Azai comes to teach this lesson to all generations: "do not disparage any man and do not disregard any matter. For there is no man who does not have his hour and there is no thing which does not have its place".

(Translator: perhaps a similar story happened to Hitler in his youth. He may well have had a bad experience with a Jew or more and this kindled his fanatical hatred towards all Jews. I heard that Vladimir Putin who was relatively friendly towards Israel, had a Jewish school teacher which was nice to him in his youth.)

~Level 4~
Siftei Daat on Avot (R.Yerucham Levovitz) - "do not disparage any man" - in Shaarei Teshuva (3:174-6) Rabeinu Yonah writes:

"This is the matter of the group of scoffers (kat leitzim).. the first type are those who find faults in people.. The second type is those who mock people. For they belittle them in their hearts for their failure to attain qualities (virtues)..

The third type is he who always mock things and acts. Although his intent is not to belittle them, but he overlooks the matters which should not be overlooked and he overlooks the benefit of things which one should hope for their benefit.. and our sages said: 'do not disparage any man and do not disregard any matter'".

It is clear from his words that the root of the matter of "mockery" (leitzanut) is non-contemplation and non-putting to heart to recognize qualities. Namely, to consider important and elevate each and every thing, to recognize its need. For all that G-d created has a purpose and there is no human being or thing in the creation which does not have its time, place, and need.

The matter of "mockery" (leitzanut) is not just general mockery as we are used to thinking. Rather, mockery (leitzanut) and scorn (laag) is an act which stems from this corrupt power called "leitzanut". Its foundation stems from non-putting to heart and non-consideration of the importance of things until he "disparages every man and disregards every matter".

This corrupt power drills and descends into a person's heart until he may even come to mock G-d's commandments, as Rabeinu Yonah wrote there: "sometimes this trait brings a man to heresy, to mock G-d's commandments".

Thus, certainly we can understand what our sages said: "the group of mockers (letzim) are among the four groups which do not receive the face of the Shechina" (Sotah 42a). For the matter of mockery (letzanut) is the opposite of the entire Creation, since the entire secret of the Creation is "putting to heart" (Simat Lev). Namely, to appreciate the precious worth of things and to grant them due honor, raising and elevating them. He who does not put to heart and does not grant importance to things - he departs out of his world and certainly does not receive the face of the Shechina.

Our words are explained explicitly by Rashi on the verse:

"and you shall not ascend with steps upon My altar, so that your nakedness shall not be exposed upon it" (Shemot 20:23). For when ascending stairs, one must spread his steps. And even though this is not really 'revealing nakedness' (gilui erva).. but nevertheless, you are conducting yourself in a disrespectful manner (minhag bizayon) towards them.. thus the torah says: since they have a need, do not conduct yourself in a disrespectful manner.

This is because to grant importance to things, to recognize their need - this is one of the fundamentals of the Creation.

On this the torah exhorts with a negative commandment: "do not ascend with steps..", i.e. do not conduct yourself towards it (the stones of the altar) in a disrespectful manner.

From now let us contemplate how many commandments a person transgresses every day due to not granting importance to objects and things and by conducting himself towards them in a disrespectful manner.
The understanding person will easily see just how severe is the disrespect of man. For besides that "precious is man for being created in the divine image", but also due to "since they have a need" alone.

For "there is no man who does not have his hour". And even for a simple [gentile] villager in the shuk (marketplace), how much does the world need such people! Thus, perforce the command to not act in a disrespectful manner towards them is very severe.

According to this, who can fathom and grasp how much this commandment is multiplied over many times to not conduct oneself in a disgraceful manner towards a Jew? This is what Rashi ends off: "if [concerning] these stones-which have no intelligence to object to their humiliation-the Torah said that because they are necessary, you shall not behave toward them in a disrespectful manner. [In contrast,] your friend, who is [created] in the likeness of your Creator and who does object to being disrespected, how much more [must you be careful not to embarrass him]!".

The depth of judgment on this is very awesome! Who can bear it?

The summary of the matter is that all the days of his life, man must toil in the honor of the creation, to recognize qualities, to think and elevate things and acts, to be "kulo omer kavod" (honoring all). Let not one day pass without thinking and contemplating in this matter and to toil in it.
(Daat Chochma u'Mussar 3:34).