Talmud Bavli
Talmud Bavli

Commentary for Kiddushin 61:3

אמר רבי יהושע בן לוי אסור לאדם שיהלך ארבע אמות בקומה זקופה שנא' (ישעיהו ו, ג) מלא כל הארץ כבודו רב הונא בריה דרב יהושע לא מסגי ארבע אמות בגילוי הראש אמר שכינה למעלה מראשי

R'Isaac said: He who transgresses in secret is as though he pressed the feet of the Shechinah for it is written: Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Isa. LXVI, 1. By transgressing secretly he avers that God's presence is not there, and thus would confine the feet of the Shechinah into a narrower place than what they occupy, viz., the whole earth.');"><sup>2</sup></span> R'Joshua B'Levi said: One may not walk four cubits with haughty mien,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'upright stature.');"><sup>3</sup></span>

Rashi on Kiddushin

"The entire world is full": It implies that He extends and descends below. So one who stands with an upright posture appears as [if he] is pushing [God] away.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy

Daf Shevui to Kiddushin

Since the previous source imagined God dwelling among human beings, these sources continue to discuss the ramifications of God actually living on earth. The first ramification is that God is everywhere—one cannot hide from God. Sinning in secret is akin to making the theological statement that God is not in a certain place. I should note that there are sources that contradict this and seem to say that sinning in secret is preferable to sinning in public.
The second two statements deal with the proper posture and clothing to acknowledge that God is only slightly above one’s head. This last statement is one of the sources used to prove that Jews must keep their heads covered.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Previous VerseFull ChapterNext Verse