הולך - יקרא כן, בעבור שהוא מערב הענינים ואומר: הולך כי ישמע מזה הסוד, וילך לגלותו לאחרים.
The verse says: “And He called unto Moses, and the Lord spoke unto him from within the Tent of Meeting, saying” (Leviticus 1:1). Why does the verse mention calling before speaking, and God did not speak to him at the outset? The Torah is teaching etiquette: A person should not say anything to another unless he calls him first. This supports the opinion of Rabbi Ḥanina, as Rabbi Ḥanina said: A person should not say anything to another unless he calls him first. With regard to the term concluding the verse: “Saying,” Rabbi Musya, grandson of Rabbi Masya, said in the name of Rabbi Musya the Great: From where is it derived with regard to one who tells another some matter, that it is incumbent upon the latter not to say it to others until the former explicitly says to him: Go and tell others? As it is stated: “And the Lord spoke to him from within the Tent of Meeting, saying [lemor].” Lemor is a contraction of lo emor, meaning: Do not say. One must be given permission before transmitting information.
I believe that in order to understand this we must refer to Yuma 4, according to which a person is forbidden to relate to another what he has been told by a third party unless he had been specifically permitted or instructed to do so. The Talmud bases this on the phrase: "G'd spoke to Moses לאמור 'to say'." According to this rule the Torah had to employ the line: "speak to the children of Israel," as otherwise Moses would have understood that whereas he was permitted to convey G'd's words to the people he was not duty bound to do so. When you apply this rule you will be able to account for many other instances in the Torah where the word לאמר is followed by דבר, "speak!" Our Rabbis in Yalkut Re-uveni explain the line "speak to the children of Israel" as meaning that Moses was not to appoint members of the mixed multitude to positions of authority over the children of Israel. They understood the word דבר in this instance as derived from דברות ושררה, expressions denoting authority.
One may not make a window to open into a jointly held courtyard. If he bought a house in another [and adjoining] courtyard he may not open it into a jointly held courtyard. If he built an upper room over his house he may not make it open into the jointly held courtyard; But, if he wishes, he may build another room within his house or build an upper room over his house and make it open into his own house. In a jointly held courtyard a man may not build a door directly opposite another’s door, or a window directly opposite another’s window. If the window was small he may not make it larger; if it was a single window he may not make it into two. But in the public domain he may open a door opposite another’s door, or a window opposite another’s window. If the window was small he may make it larger; if it was a single window he may make it into two.
גמ׳ מאי איריא לחצר השותפין אפילו לחצר חבירו נמי לא לא מיבעיא קאמר לא מיבעיא לחצר חברו דלא אבל לחצר השותפין דא"ל סוף סוף הא קא בעית אצטנועי מינאי בחצר קא משמע לן דאמר ליה עד האידנא בחצר הוה בעינא אצטנועי מינך השתא אפילו בבית נמי בעינא אצטנועי מינך תנו רבנן מעשה באדם אחד שפתח חלוניו לחצר השותפין ובא לפני ר' ישמעאל בר רבי יוסי אמר לו החזקת בני החזקת ובא לפני רבי חייא אמר יגעת ופתחת יגע וסתום אמר רב נחמן
GEMARA: With regard to the mishna’s ruling that one may not open a window into a courtyard that he co-owns, the Gemara asks: Why did the mishna specifically render it prohibited for one to open a window into a courtyard belonging to partners? One may not open a window into another’s courtyard either, as it will lead to damage caused by sight. The Gemara replies that the mishna is speaking utilizing the style of: It is not necessary, as follows: It is not necessary to say that it is not permitted for one to open a window into another’s courtyard, where he is certainly not allowed to look; but where one wants to open a window into a courtyard belonging to partners, where the owner of the window can say to the other partner: Ultimately, since you need to conceal yourself from me and conduct yourself modestly in the courtyard where I too am a partner and have the right to be present, why does it bother you if I open a window into there? Therefore, the mishna teaches us that the partner may say to him: Until now I needed to conceal myself from you only when we were both in the courtyard. Now I will need to conceal myself from you even in the house, as you can see into my house from your window. The Sages taught in a baraita: There was an incident involving a person who opened his windows into a courtyard belonging to partners and came before Rabbi Yishmael bar Rabbi Yosei, who said to him: You have established an acquired privilege, my son; you have established an acquired privilege, and you may not be prevented from using the windows. And he came before Rabbi Ḥiyya, who said to him: You toiled and opened the windows; you must toil and seal them, as the partners have the right to prevent you from using these windows. Rav Naḥman said:
וכל שכן בהיזק ראיה דנזקי אדם באדם הוא אי משום עין רעה אי משום לישנא בישא אי משום צניעותא ועוד מי ידע במה מטי ליה דלמחול ועוד דאפילו מחל הניזק כיון דודאי אסור הוא למזיק היזיקו בראיה ולהסתכל בו לדעת ואין אדם יכול ליזהר בכך לעמוד כל היום בעצימת עינים על כרחנו נאמר לזה סתום חלונך ואל תחטא תדיר.
and even more so regarding damage inflicted by sight because these are interpersonal damages because of the evil eye, evil speech, or because of modesty. And further, who knows what could happen to make him relinquish his rights? Also, even if the damaged did relinquish his rights, since it is definitely forbidden to the damager to damage him by seeing and to knowingly look at him. And no person can be [sufficiently] careful about this, to stand all day with closed eyes. So we are compelled to say to him: Close your window and you will not sin constantly.
תקנת רבינו גרשם וגזרת קדמונים:
ושלא לקרוע גליון ספר לכתוב. ושלא לביש בעל תשובה מעונו בפניו. ושלא ליקח גביע או תועבה או בגדים צואים או ספר תפלות תועבה ומשמשיה ושלא לראות בכתב ששולח אדם לחברו בלא ידיעתו ובלא רשותו.
The Ban of Rabbeinu Gershom:
15) Not to tear a page from a book to write on it. Not to embarass one who has repented from his sins in his presence... Not to look at something one person wrote and sent to another without his permission. (Metz 960-1040)
וחייב האדם להסתיר הסוד אשר יגלה אליו חברו דרך סתר אף על פי שאין בגלוי הסוד ההוא ענין רכילות. כי יש בגלוי הסוד נזק לבעליו וסבה להפר מחשבתו כמו שנאמר (שם טו) הפר ממחשבות באין סוד. והשנית כי מגלה הסוד אך יצא מדרך הצניעות והנה הוא מעביר על דעת בעל הסוד. ואמר שלמה המלך עליו השלום מגלה סוד הולך רכיל. רצונו לומר - אם תראה איש שאיננו מושל ברוחו לשמור לשונו מגלוי הסוד, אף על פי שאין בחשוף הסוד ההוא ענין רכילות בין אדם לחברו. תביאהו המדה הזאת להיות הולך רכיל שהוא מארבע כיתות הרעות שאחרי אשר אין שפתיו ברשותו לשמרן.
And a person is required to conceal the secret that his friend has revealed to him, even though there is no slander in revealing the secret. Because revealing a secret harms its owner and a reason to change his mind, as it says, he changes his mind in the absence of secrecy. Second, one who reveals a secret leaves the ways of modesty and he violates the will of the owner of the secret. Solomon, of blessed memory, said, one who reveals a secret will be a tale-bearer. He means to say: If you see a person who cannot control himself enough to keep his tongue from revealing the secret, even though there is no actual slander between a man and his fellow in uncovering the secret, this character trait will bring him to become a tale-bearer, which is of one of the four evil classes of people, since he doesn’t have his lips under his control in order to guard them.
General Assembly of the U.N. in 1966, in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Article 17:1.
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary or unlawful interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to
unlawful attacks on his honor and reputation.
The European Convention on Human Rights of 1950, 8:1
Everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life, his home and his correspondence.
חוק יסוד: כבוד האדם וחירותו
סעיף 7: פרטיות
(א) כל אדם זכאי לפרטיות ולצנעת חייו.
(ב) אין נכנסים לרשות היחיד של אדם שלא בהסכמתו.
(ג) אין עורכים חיפוש ברשות היחיד של אדם, על גופו, בגופו או בכליו.
(ד) אין פוגעים בסוד שיחו של אדם, בכתביו או ברשומותיו.עברית
Israeli Basic Law: Human Dignity and Freedom
established privacy as a fundamental right in Israeli law:
Article 7 Privacy
(1) All persons are entitled to privacy and to conduct their affairs without interference.
(2) It is prohibited to enter an individual’s domain without that individual’s consent.
(3) It is prohibited to conduct a search of an individual’s domain, to conduct an external or internal search of his body, or to conduct a search of his possessions.
(4) It is prohibited to violate the confidentiality of a person’s conversation, of his writings, or of his records.