If something wrong were done and Reuven came and asked Shimon: "Who did this thing?" even if he understands that Reuven suspects him of this, he is forbidden to reveal who did it, even if he saw it himself. But he should answer: "I did not do the thing" (unless it be a thing which, even if he were not asked and he were not suspected at all, he would nonetheless have to tell him, as in an incident between man and his neighbor, where all of the [seven] conditions were met, or one between man and his Maker, where there were satisfied the conditions that we wrote of above in Principle IV, sections 5, 7, and 8.) And all of this that we have written is according to the din, but it befits every man of spirit to do what is beyond the letter of the law, and not to remove himself from involvement when there is a possibility that it will become known to the asker [who did do the thing], and he [the doer] will be shamed because of this. And more than this, we find in Sanhedrin (11a) that several tannaim took blame upon themselves, so that it not be known who the [actual] sinner was. And so we find in Sefer Chassidim 22: "And if he finds himself in the company of men, and something wrong were done, and it is not known who the sinner is, he should say: 'I am the sinner,' even if he did not sin."
אִם נַעֲשָׂה דָּבָר שֶׁלֹּא כַּהֹגֶן, וּבָא רְאוּבֵן (מב) וְשָׁאַל לְשִׁמְעוֹן: מִי עָשָׂה אֶת הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה? אֲפִלּוּ אִם הוּא מֵבִין, שֶׁרְאוּבֵן חוֹשְׁדוֹ בָּזֶה, אָסוּר לוֹ לְגַלּוֹת, מִי שֶׁעָשָׂה אֶת הַדָּבָר, אֲפִלּוּ אִם רָאָה בְּעַצְּמוֹ, רַק (מג) יָשִׁיב: אֲנִי לֹא עָשִׂיתִי אֶת הַדָּבָר, (אִם לֹא שֶׁהוּא דָּבָר, אֲשֶׁר אֲפִלּוּ אִם לֹא הָיָה שׁוֹאֲלוֹ וְלֹא הָיָה חוֹשְׁדוֹ כְּלָל בָּזֶה, הָיָה גַּם כֵּן צָרִיךְ לְסַפֵּר לוֹ, כְּגוֹן, אִם דָּבָר זֶה הוּא מֵעִנְיָנִים, דְּבֵין אָדָם לַחֲבֵרוֹ, וְנִשְׁלְמוּ בּוֹ כָּל הַפְּרָטִים שֶׁבִּכְלָל זֶה, אוֹ אִם הוּא מֵהָעִנְיָנִים, דְּבֵין אָדָם לַמָּקוֹם, וְנִשְׁלְמוּ בּוֹ הַדְּבָרִים, שֶׁכָּתַבְנוּ לְעֵיל בִּכְלָל ד' סָעִיף ה', ז', ח', עַיֵּן שָׁם). וְכָל זֶה שֶׁכָּתַבְנוּ הוּא מִצַּד הַדִּין, אֲבָל רָאוּי לְבַעַל נֶפֶשׁ, שֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה לְפְנִים מִשּׁוּרַת הַדִּין, וְלֹא יַשְׁמִיט אֶת עַצְמוֹ מִזֶּה, בְּמָקוֹם שֶׁיָּכוֹל לִהְיוֹת, שֶׁיִּתְוַדַּע לְהַשּׁוֹאֵל, וְיִתְבַּיֵּשׁ פְּלוֹנִי עַל יְדֵי זֶה, וְיוֹתֵר מִזֶּה מָצִּינוּ בְּסַנְהֶדְרִין {דף י"א} בְּכַמָּה תַּנָּאִים, שֶׁהִטִּילוּ עַל עַצְמָם הָאַשְׁמָה, כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יִתְוַדַּע מִי הוּא הַחוֹטֵא, וְכֵן אִיתָא {כתוב} בְּ"סֵפֶר חֲסִידִים" סִימָן כ"ב וְזֶה לְשׁוֹנוֹ: וְאִם הוּא בַּחֲבוּרַת בְּנֵי אָדָם וְנַעֲשָׂה דָּבָר אֶחָד שֶׁלֹּא כַּהֹגֶן, וְלֹא נוֹדַע מִי הַחוֹטֵא, צָרִיךְ שֶׁיֹּאמַר: אֲנִי הוּא שֶׁחָטָאתִי, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁלֹּא חָטָא כוּ', עַיֵּן שָׁם.
If something wrong were done and Reuven came and asked Shimon: "Who did this thing?" even if he understands that Reuven suspects him of this, he is forbidden to reveal who did it, even if he saw it himself. But he should answer: "I did not do the thing" (unless it be a thing which, even if he were not asked and he were not suspected at all, he would nonetheless have to tell him, as in an incident between man and his neighbor, where all of the [seven] conditions were met, or one between man and his Maker, where there were satisfied the conditions that we wrote of above in Principle IV, sections 5, 7, and 8.) And all of this that we have written is according to the din, but it befits every man of spirit to do what is beyond the letter of the law, and not to remove himself from involvement when there is a possibility that it will become known to the asker [who did do the thing], and he [the doer] will be shamed because of this. And more than this, we find in Sanhedrin (11a) that several tannaim took blame upon themselves, so that it not be known who the [actual] sinner was. And so we find in Sefer Chassidim 22: "And if he finds himself in the company of men, and something wrong were done, and it is not known who the sinner is, he should say: 'I am the sinner,' even if he did not sin."