Talmud Bavli
Talmud Bavli

Commentary for Kiddushin 71:13

מאי ואומר וכי תימא סכלי הוא דמקרי בני כי לית בהו הימנותייהו לא מיקרו בני ת"ש ואומר בנים לא אמון בם

Phylacteries themselves are learnt from this: just as there, ['between the eyes' means] the place where a baldness can be made [viz. ,] on the upper part of the head,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., where the hair grows.');"><sup>12</sup></span> so here too' the place for wearing [phylacteries] is the upper part of the head.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' But not on the forehead above the nose, as 'between your eyes' would seem to imply.');"><sup>13</sup></span>

Daf Shevui to Kiddushin

The Talmud explains why R. Meir needs so many verses to prove his point. Ultimately, even idol worshipping Israelites are still called “sons of the living God.” This is a deep, but in some ways problematic message. On the one hand, it provides hope to all Israelites. No matter how much a Jew is distanced from God and Judaism, in the eyes of Judaism, he/she remains a Jew. On the other hand, one could read here a genealogical understanding of Judaism that prioritizes genes over everything else, even morality.
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