In the multicultural society we live in, more and more people are becoming interested in Jewish traditions, sometimes even beginning to wear traditional Jewish clothing. Occasionally you may see a man at Sabbath services with four visible white and blue tassels hanging below his suit coat. Prayer shawls and phylacteries (little wooden boxes wrapped around one’s arm with leather straps) are also becoming more well-known. Men who follow these customs often wear a beard, which gives them the appearance of being part of a Messianic Jewish or Neo-Pharisaical group. In this article, we will learn about phylacteries and prayer shawls, and discuss whether Christians should wear them. In another article, we will discuss the issue of tassels.

Phylacteries

Some orthodox Jews wear leather boxes (phylacteries), which contain portions of Old Testament passages. They base this custom on scriptures in Deuteronomy and Exodus. One of those passages is Deuteronomy 6:6-8, which states, just after the reciting of the Ten Commandments:

“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes” (emphasis added throughout).

Also quoted to account for the custom of wearing phylacteries is Deuteronomy 11:18: “Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.”

How are we to apply these commandments in Deuteronomy? Are we to follow the example of the Jews at the time of Christ—or the example of some Jews today—in wearing phylacteries? To begin with the obvious, the leather box phylacteries worn by Jews today are usually worn on the upper arm or forehead, not the hands or bridge of the nose. Since the modern application contradicts the scriptures used as the basis for this practice, it’s evident that it has more to do with tradition than scriptural obedience.

Next it is important to notice the figurative language, which provides emphasis, but is not to be understood literally. Exodus 13:16 says that God’s law is to be “in your heart,” that it is to be “as a sign on your hand,” and “as frontlets between your eyes.” A literal interpretation would require that we literally insert paper with verses written on it into our hearts—which obviously isn’t what’s intended.

In these admonitions God is instructing us to always remember His commandments and to be careful with what we do with our minds and hands, keeping in mind His laws, which should guide us every day. It is important to note that this description is repeated in Revelation 13 concerning the mark of the beast, which will figuratively be on the hands and forehead (a metaphor for the mind) of those who receive it. The mark of the beast represents an adversarial approach to the commandments of God and will involve the head (the beliefs of the heart and mind) and hands (the actions and behaviors).

The use of the word “as” in these phrases is also vital to our understanding that we are to apply God’s laws in how we act, think and speak. Consider other verses using figurative language:

“Let not mercy and truth forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart” (Proverbs 3:3). “Bind them continually upon your heart; tie them around your neck” (Proverbs 6:21, compare verses Proverbs 6:20, Proverbs 6:22-24 and Proverbs 6:27-29). Proverbs 7:3 adds: “Bind them on the fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.”

Your heart does not have a physical tablet, but a spiritual one. God will someday write His laws on the hearts of all mankind—as He does today for those who come under the new covenant—which we are told in Hebrews 10:16.

No Old Testament Record

There are no records of people wearing phylacteries in the Old Testament. That should tell us something. As for historical records, the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia states: “It is not known when the custom (of phylacteries) began. It was unknown among the Samaritans, hence . . . the custom must have developed after the Samaritan-Jewish schism (3rd Century B.C.)” (1986 edition, vol. 3, p. 864, article “Phylactery”).

The ISBE article also states that the oldest known fragments of phylacteries came from the excavations at Qumran and Murabba’at, the Dead Sea Scrolls sites where manuscripts dated from the early A.D. 100s were discovered. The Jewish Encyclopedia records that women, slaves, and minors were exempt from wearing phylacteries, and men should not wear them on the Sabbath (1906 edition, vol. X, 25, “Phylacteries”). The historical record leads to the conclusion that the origin of phylacteries was the religion of Pharisaism that had its birth in the Jewish exiles in Babylon. If God were the author of this, would He want only men to keep His laws—and even then, not on the Sabbath?

Head Coverings

Jewish prayer shawls are being promoted and marketed quite heavily today in the Messianic and Hebrew Roots movements. They have also begun to make their way into some mainline Christian communities. Many Orthodox Jewish men wear prayer shawls or tallits when praying or in a synagogue. The shawls cover the head, and the corners of the prayer shawl are often called wings, having tassels attached to them. These are in addition to the frequently worn kippot—the small round cloth covering worn on the top of the head.

These customs are actually the opposite of what is taught in the New Testament about praying. The apostle Paul wrote: “Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head” (1 Corinthians 11:4). 1 Corinthians 11:7 adds, “For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God.” We follow this teaching in the Church of God today. Men do not wear head coverings when they pray or teach.

Conclusion

In both the case of prayer shawls and phylacteries, it is clear that they are extra-biblical traditions and therefore are not applicable to Christians. In the case of tassels, however, the answer requires a more nuanced understanding of the application of God’s law to Christians who have entered into the New Covenant.