Pirkei Avot - Ethics of the Fathers

~Level 1~
Bartenura - "let the honor of your student be as precious to you as your own.." - as we find by Moshe who said to his disciple Yehoshua: "choose for us men" (Ex.17). He made Yehoshua his equal (ie since he did not say "choose for me" - Meorei Ohr)

"and the honor of your peer as the fear (reverence) of your Rabbi" - as Aharon said to Moshe: "please my master" (Bamidbar 12), despite that Moshe was his younger brother.

~Level 1~
Rabeinu Yonah - "let the honor of your student be as precious to you as your own.." - ie every person according to his [due] honor. But the intent is not that one should honor his student like his peer. For that is not so. Rather the intent is that just like you are not permitted to reduce the honor due to your peer, so too you are not allowed and you do not have permission to reduce the honor due to your student.

~Level 2~
Merkevet Hamishna - "let the honor of your student.." - since in the previous mishna, Rabbi Yochanan spoke about which assemblies endure and which do not endure, this sage comes to explain.

He says that if you wish to know which assembly will endure, it is the assembly where the people honor each other, even the superiors to the inferiors. But the assembly which does not endure is that which has disputes (machloket)...

~Level 2~
Sforno - included in the duty to honor G-d is to honor His holy items (ex. torah scroll) and holy people, as written "you shall honor an elder and fear your G-d" (Vayikra 19:32). Therefore, this sage exhorted us to honor those who cling to the torah, according to their successive levels in the way of "maalin b'kodesh" (ascending holiness)...

~Level 3~
Yachel Yisrael - by nature, a person feels more the need to honor his Rabbi, than he feels the need to honor his peer. Likewise regarding his student. The more superior the person in his presence is to him, the more he naturally feels the need to honor him..

The Midrash Shmuel explains that certainly the intent is not to equate the level of due honor to the student as the peer or Rav. Rather, the intent is only to say that one should strive to honor every person one level above the honor truly due to him.. The reason for this is to distance a person from sin. For every person who interacts with others, it is almost certain that he will stumble sometimes saying improper words, disrespectful conduct, etc. Thus, he transgresses his duty to honor his fellow man.

He may even sometimes transgress the [severe] sin of humiliating his fellow (halbanat panim) or honoring oneself through putting down another.

How can one prevent this? The sage gives us an advice - strive to honor every person more than what is due to him according to his level..

~Level 3~
Reishit Chachma, shaar anava, ch.4 - a man needs to honor his fellow even if the fellow is inferior to him and needs him.. A man is under duty to teach and guide his fellow on the good path and to love him like himself. If you asked your friend a favor and he did not do your wish, do not condemn him.

A wise man said: "if I requested something from a friend and he did not do it, I would tell myself that my request was not granted due to my sins and I forgive him for not having done it.

When benefiting your fellow have intent l'Shem Shamayim (for the sake of Heaven) - not to receive praise from people. And if your fellow sinned against you or wronged you even a lot, remove the anger from your heart and forgive him immediately.. Even if he is your enemy who caused you a lot of anguish, pay him back good for his evil.

Know that troubles that befall a man in this world are only due to his sins. No man has the ability to harm another without help from above due to his sins. Therefore, do not condemn your fellow but condemn instead your own sins, as scripture says: "due to your sins you were sold" (Isaiah 20:1).