When Defending Israel Crosses a Line: A Torah View on Public Embarrassment
- WireNews
- 5 minutes ago
- 4 min read
by Ram ben Ze'ev
In a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, British author and political commentator Douglas Murray confronted comedian Dave Smith about his public criticisms of Israel. Murray, who has emerged as a staunch public defender of Israel — particularly following the atrocities of 7 October 2023 — pointedly noted that Smith had never even visited Israel, let alone the broader region. The tone and context of this exchange, while applauded by some, warrant a closer look through the lens of Torah ethics and Halakhah.
While I personally disagree with Dave Smith’s public stance on Israel — and reject his positions outright — publicly embarrassing a fellow Jew, especially before a global audience, is no light matter in Judaism. Even when someone may be wrong or misinformed, there are limits to how we may respond. The Torah teaches us to correct, but not to shame.
The foundational verse comes from Vayikra 19:17:“Do not hate your brother in your heart; you shall surely rebuke your fellow, but do not bear sin because of him”(ויקרא י״ט:י״ז – לא תשנא את אחיך בלבבך הוכח תוכיח את עמיתך ולא תשא עליו חטא).This verse makes clear that rebuke is a mitzvah (מצוה, commandment), but it comes with a critical condition — that it not lead to sin, such as public humiliation.
The Talmud elaborates even more forcefully. In Bava Metzia 58b, the Sages declare:“One who whitens the face of his fellow in public, it is as if he has shed blood”(המלבין פני חבירו ברבים כאילו שופך דמים).This is not metaphor. The Talmud explains the physical reaction of embarrassment: first the blood rises to the face, then drains away — visually akin to bleeding out. The damage is not only emotional — it is spiritual.
The consequences are eternal. In Pirkei Avot 3:11, we are warned:“One who causes his fellow’s face to go pale in public has no share in the World to Come”(המלבין פני חבירו ברבים אין לו חלק לעולם הבא).Such a harsh judgment from our Sages shows how seriously Jewish law takes the protection of human dignity — even when the person is mistaken, even when they have said something troubling.
Murray, for his part, has become an outspoken and articulate defender of Israel. Many Jewish people admire his clarity, his courage, and his refusal to bow to the lies and antisemitic tropes that have resurfaced with force since 7 October. He has described himself as being “practically Jewish,” and indeed, in some ways, his actions reflect deep solidarity. But that solidarity cannot come at the expense of Torah values — values that place kavod ha-briyot (כבוד הבריות, human dignity) above even many rabbinic enactments.
There is, however, a deeper caution here — not about Murray himself, but about us. Jews must be careful not to become too quick to align with non-Jews simply because they say what we want to hear. Praise for Israel is not a pass. Applause for our survival must never blind us to the motives or methods of those offering it. As I’ve written elsewhere:
“We are not to praise even the good that we find in the idolatry or we will come to also praise the bad.”— Ram ben Ze'ev (רם בן זאב)
This is not ingratitude. This is discernment. It is a warning passed down through the generations: do not sell your spiritual integrity for the comfort of having allies. Use discretion. Stay awake.
From the outside, it appears that Murray used this exchange — and Smith’s ignorance — to highlight his own credibility, to boost his own moral capital. That may not have been his intention, but the optics matter. Using support for Israel to elevate oneself, while lowering [another] Jew in the process, is not the behaviour of an ally — let alone a brother.
The Rambam (Maimonides), in Hilchot Deot, Chapter 6, teaches that one must always speak with gentleness and sensitivity. Even when correcting another person, the words must be weighed carefully so as not to cause pain. One who causes public embarrassment violates this deeply rooted obligation bein adam lechavero (בין אדם לחברו, between one person and another).
To be clear: standing up for Israel is noble. Correcting falsehoods is essential. But doing so must never come at the cost of publicly shaming a Jew, no matter how wrong he may be. We do not spill the blood of our brothers to win applause from our audiences. If we do, we have already lost.
Let this incident serve as a reminder — not just to Murray, but to all of us — that defending Israel must be done in line with the Torah, not outside of it. There is a way to defend truth without violating dignity, and that way is the way of חכמה (chochmah, wisdom), רחמים (rachamim, compassion), and דרך ארץ (derech eretz, proper conduct).
The people of Israel do not need defenders who compromise our values to prove a point. We need those who uphold them — even, and especially, when it's difficult.
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Bill White (Ram ben Ze'ev) is CEO of WireNews Limited, Mayside Partners Limited, MEADHANAN Agency, Kestrel Assets Limited, SpudsToGo Limited and Executive Director of Hebrew Synagogue. Bill White also writes on Substack under the byline "Bill White Says..."