민수기 15:31의 Halakhah

And know that the issur of speaking lashon hara applies even against an ignoramus [am ha'aretz]. For he, too, is in the category of "the people of the L–rd and His hosts" that He took out of Egypt. How much more so, if someone speaks lashon hara against a Torah scholar is his sin extremely severe! And Chazal have said (Berachoth 19a): "All who speak [lashon hara] after the [burial] litter of a Torah scholar fall into Gehinnom." And many times he comes through this to shaming a Torah scholar. And the greatness of the punishment of shaming a Torah scholar is well known (viz. Sanhedrin 99b and Yoreh Deah 243:6) to the effect that shaming a Torah scholar is in the category of (Bamidbar 15:31): "For the word of the L–rd has he shamed… Cut off shall be that soul. "But the evil inclination entices men [into believing] that the din of shaming a Torah scholar applies only in the time of the Gemara, when they were exceptionally wise, but not to those in our times. And this is a great error; for every "Torah scholar" is [called thus] relative to the generation. And even in our generation, if he is only fit to teach and toils in Torah, he is called a Torah scholar. And if one shames him, even with words in general, even not to his face, he has committed a grave sin and is liable to excommunication (viz. Yoreh Deah 243:7 and Shach 68): How much more so if this Torah scholar is the Posek of the city, in which case the issur of one who shames him is even greater. For aside from the fact that he must regard him as a sage and accord him honor since he relies upon his rulings, when he speaks demeaningly of him, he keeps the public from the service of the L–rd. For through this [lashon hara], the rest of the people will say: "Why should we go and ask him to rule upon the Torah disputes between us, when he cannot even mediate between us!" And because of this everyone will build a "sacrificial mound" for himself! (along with other corruptions, too numerous to mention, the L–rd protect us!)