(א) הַגַּן־עֵדֶן וְהַגֵּיהִנֹּם הֵם בְּזֶה הָעוֹלָם מַמָּשׁ, אַךְ אִי אֶפְשָׁר לָבוֹא לְשָׁם מֵחֲמַת הַקְּרִירוּת שֶׁבְּצַד צָפוֹן וְדָרוֹם. וְצַעַר הַבּוּשָׁה גָּדוֹל מְאֹד יוֹתֵר מֵעֹנֶשׁ גֵּיהִנֹּם, וְכָל יִסּוּרֵי עוֹלָם הַזֶּה יֵשׁ בָּהֶם צַעַר הַבּוּשָׁה, שֶׁמִּתְבַּיֵּשׁ מֵחֲבֵרָיו עַל שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ יִסּוּרִין.
(ב) וְכֵן לֶעָתִיד לָבוֹא צַעַר הַבּוּשָׁה גָּדוֹל מְאֹד, וַאֲפִלּוּ כָּל צַדִּיק נִכְוֶה מֵחֻפָּתוֹ שֶׁל חֲבֵרוֹ, אוֹי לְאוֹתָהּ בּוּשָׁה, אוֹי לְאוֹתָהּ כְּלִמָּה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (ב"ב עה), וְאָמְרוּ שָׁם: פְּנֵי משֶׁה כִּפְנֵי חַמָּה, פְּנֵי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ כִּפְנֵי לְבָנָה, אוֹי לָהּ לְאוֹתָהּ בּוּשָׁה, אוֹי לָהּ לְאוֹתָהּ כְּלִמָּה וְכוּ'; מִכָּל שֶׁכֵּן אֵיךְ יִתְבַּיְּשׁוּ הַחוֹטְאִים, רַחֲמָנָא לִצְּלָן.
(ג) וְאִם הוּא בְּמַדְרֵגָה שֶׁאֵין צָרִיךְ לְהִתְבַּיֵּשׁ מִשּׁוּם אָדָם, יֵשׁ לְהִתְבַּיֵּשׁ מֵהַקָּדוֹשׁ־בָּרוּךְ־הוּא, כִּי הַקָּדוֹשׁ־בָּרוּךְ־הוּא מְקַיֵּם כָּל הַתּוֹרָה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה: הַקָּדוֹשׁ־בָּרוּךְ־הוּא קוֹבֵר מֵתִים וְכוּ', הַקָּדוֹשׁ־בָּרוּךְ־הוּא מְבַקֵּר חוֹלִים וְכוּ', וּשְׁאָר מִצְוֹת הַתּוֹרָה שֶׁחָשְׁבוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ־בָּרוּךְ־הוּא מְקַיֵּם אוֹתָם. וְגַם הַקָּדוֹשׁ־בָּרוּךְ־הוּא מִתְפַּלֵּל, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה: מִנַּיִן שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ־בָּרוּךְ־הוּא מִתְפַּלֵּל וְכוּ', וּמַאי מִתְפַּלֵּל, יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנַי וְכוּ'. וּבְוַדַּאי שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ־בָּרוּךְ־הוּא מְקַיֵּם מִצְוֹת הַתּוֹרָה וּתְפִלָּה כְּמוֹ שֶׁרָאוּי לְהַקָּדוֹשׁ־בָּרוּךְ־הוּא. וְכַמָּה רָחוֹק בֵּין קִיּוּם הַתּוֹרָה שֶׁלּוֹ וּבֵין תְּפִלָּה שֶׁלּוֹ, לְתוֹרָה וּתְפִלָּה שֶׁל הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ, כִּי כָּל אֶחָד עוֹבֵד הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ לְפִי מַדְרֵגָתוֹ בִּבְחִינַת נַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמַע, הַיְנוּ תּוֹרָה וּתְפִלָּה כַּנַּ"ל:
(1) 21. The [place known as] the Garden of Eden and the [place known as] Gehennom are in this world, literally. However, it is impossible to get there because of the freezing cold in the north and south. Furthermore, the pain of embarrassment is very great—greater than the punishment of hell. And in all the forms of suffering of this world there is the pain of embarrassment; the suffering which he experiences causes him to feel embarrassed in front of his friends.
(2) Likewise in the Future, the pain of embarrassment will be very great. Even “every tzaddik will be singed by the canopy of his comrade.” Oy! What embarrassment! Oy! What disgrace! as our Sages said (Bava Batra 75a). And they said there: “Moshe’s face was like the face of the sun, Yehoshua’s face was like the face of the moon. Oy! What embarrassment! Oy! What disgrace!” How much more so will the sinners be embarrassed, God save us!
(3) And if he is on a level where he has no reason to feel embarrassed in front of any person, he should be embarrassed before the Holy One. This is because the Holy One fulfills the entire Torah. As our Sages said: “The Holy One buries the dead… the Holy One visits the sick,” as well as the other Torah precepts which the Holy One fulfills, as reckoned by the Sages. The Holy One also prays, as our Sages said: “How do we know that the Holy One prays? And what does He pray? He prays: ‘May it be My will….’” And certainly the Holy One fulfills the Torah’s precepts and prays in a way which is fitting for the Holy One, blessed be He. Thus, how removed is his fulfillment of the Torah, his prayers, from the Torah and prayers of God. For each person serves God commensurate with his own level, corresponding to “we will do and we will hear”—i.e., Torah and prayer.”