The saying of the wise man is well-known, when he said that one must honor all people, for if the person is wiser than me, it is correct to honor him for his wisdom, and if I am wiser than him, then he is more righteous than me, for he sins unwittingly and I sin on purpose. If he is wealthy, one should honor him for his wealth, for the great men of Klal Yisrael were wont to honor rich people, for Hashem wants their honor. If I am wealthier than he, I am a sinner, for I do not give enough charity, and he is more righteous than me in that regard. Chazal said that anyone who knows that his friend is better than he even in one way, must honor him. It is written in the Medrash that it is correct to honor a poor person and to arise in front of him, for the sake of Hashem who walks with him, as it says “for He stands to the right of the pauper”. It is bad to honor the rich and denigrate the poor, for Hashem fights on their behalf and demands their rights, for their pain is great, and they complain about the ways of Hashem. When a person makes a banquet and invites his friends, how good and pleasant it would be were he to seat the poor and the rich at the same table, for by doing this they feel honored. Similarly, any rich person who looks pleasantly at a poor person, and talks to him and shows him respect, is considered as if he has fulfilled a great commandment, for he gives life to the heart of the downtrodden and makes the heart of the depressed peoples happy. This is especially true of one whose close relatives are poor, that he should not be embarrassed to show that they are his relatives. On the contrary, he should make his relatives feel close and visit them when they have special occasions or on Yom Tov, and thus will he honor them.
It is correct for a person to walk in the ways of Hashem, who cherishes the poor and visits them, as it says “I live with the poor”. It is known that the will of a person is his honor, and it is therefore right to understand each and every person and do his will, and that he should annul his own will before the will of another.
