There are four references to chillul hashem in the Torah: Leviticus 18:21, 19:12, 22:2, 22:32. The general prohibition of desecrating God's name is stated most explicitly in Leviticus: "You shall not profane My holy name, that I may be sanctified in the midst of the Israelite people." (Leviticus 22:32).

In addition, chillul hashem is mentioned extensively in Nevi'im and Ketuvim, especially in the Book of Ezekiel.^[1] The fact that it appears so frequently throughout the Hebrew Bible demonstrates its centrality and severity. A notable example is 36:20–24 in which the prophet laments the Babylonian captivity. It claims that the reality of exile (specifically the Jewish people living outside their ancestral homeland) is itself a desecration of God's name.

The obligation to refrain from desecrating God's name is one of the 613 commandments in rabbinical enumeration.^[2]

In general, if a Jew is faced with the decision to violate a law in the Torah or to lose their life, the Torah mandates that they violate the prohibition rather than give up their life.^[3] There are three major exceptions to that rule:^[4]

1. If the prohibition is particularly severe (such as murder, idolatry, adultery), then the person must give up their life, rather than violate the prohibition. The most famous example in the Talmud is the story of the woman with seven sons.
2. If the person is forced to violate a prohibition in front of ten other people, the Talmud states that even the smallest commandment may not be violated.
3. If the person is faced with violating a prohibition, even a less severe one, that is currently outlawed by the foreign power, they must give up their life.

The last two exceptions explain that a public sin or a sin done in reverence to a governmental decree constitutes a chillul hashem. The prohibition of desecrating God's Name is so severe that a Jew is required to die rather than violate the sin.^[5] Some rishonim (medieval commentaries) maintain that the requirement to give up one's life under these circumstances applies only when the individual is being called upon to sin actively. Thus, if one would remain still and allow himself to be used as a projectile to kill another person rather than give up his own life, that would be permissible.^[6]

A chillul hashem can also occur even if a technical prohibition has not been violated. For example, suppose a Jewish leader or someone perceived as righteous is seen acting improperly. In that case, their actions constitute a chillul hashem.^[2] Maimonides says that if a scholarly, righteous Jew gets drunk in front of a less-learned Jew, it constitutes a chillul hashem. Thus, any time a Torah scholar or rabbi acts improperly in front of others, they have committed a chillul hashem.^[7]

By acting as an upstanding and righteous people and following the Torah's commandments, Jews seek to sanctify God's name and fulfill the mandate of being a light unto the nations. As such, the concepts of kiddush hashem and avoiding chillul hashem are often invoked by Orthodox Jews as a reminder to act upstanding.^[8]