ויקרא

ולא תונו איש את עמיתו ויראת מאלהיך. זו אונאת דברים שלא יקניט את חבירו ולא ישיאנו עצה שאינה הגונה לו, ואמרו רז"ל כל השערים ננעלו חוץ משערי אונאה, שנאמר (עמוס ז׳:ז׳) הנה ה' נצב על חומת אנך ובידו אנך, והטעם לפי שהמתאנה מצטער ביותר ומחליש דעתו ולבו נכנע על צרתו ומתפלל מתוך דאגת לבו בכוונה ונשמע. ואם הוא אומר ומי יודע אם נתכונתי לרעה, לכך נאמר ויראת מאלהיך.

ולא תונו איש את עמיתו ויראת מאלוקיך, “Do not wrong one another, but fear your G’d, etc.” The אונאה referred to in this verse is called אונאת דברים, hurting people with words. Examples are: not to offer deliberately poor advice; irritating one’s fellow and provoking him to become angry (Rashi). We have a statement in Baba Metzia 59 that “all the gates are closed (subject to being closed from time to time) except the gate of אונאה, i.e. the supervision by the watchful eye of G’d if someone is guilty of that sin. The sages based this on Amos 7,7 הנה ה' נצב על חומת אנך וידו אנך, “here the Lord was standing on a wall checked with a plumb line, and in His hand a plumb line.” [The word אנך in that verse is related to אונאה, and the prophet describes the constant alertness of G’d for deviations from the ‘straight and narrow’ symbolized by the plumb line. Ed.] The reason for this is that the victim of such provocations is ever upset and prays to G’d to deliver him from such verbal persecution. This results in G’d’s being involved in matters such as these around the clock. In the event the guilty party who employed language subject to different interpretations consoles himself by saying that his intention to cause his victim anguish could not be proven, the Torah reminds him: “and fear your G’d,” i.e. He knows.