Couple of suggestions -

Try a different brand of tire next time - some tire-rim combos seem to work better than others - a folding (kevlar) bead might be easier, but not necessarily... I've had *super* tight folders.

Keep your gloves on (or use a rag) and use your palms to push against the bead - helps save the skin on your hands.

If you have time, you can work to stretch the bead out a bit (and hopefully after the tire has been on the rim for a while it will stretch a bit too)

I'm with the others - I've used levers to get the tire back on with tight ones. I haven't had a problem with pinching the tube. I really like my Pedros levers - they are very rounded and not apt to tear up tubes.