# Othodox Jews with little boxes on their foreheads? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 30, 2005, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/othodox-jews-with-little-boxes-on-their-foreheads/301838 "2005-04-30T05:31:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2005, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/othodox-jews-with-little-boxes-on-their-foreheads/301838/1 "2005-04-30T05:31:24Z")
I saw an intro on the t.v. tonight to an article about Orthodox Jews, and some of the men had little black boxes strapped to their foreheads. Didn’t catch the full article, so I don’t know if it was explained. Can someone explain the purpose or symbolism of the little boxes to me? And as usual, I get a question about Judaism after the Sabbath starts, so I’ll wait for Sunday. Thanks. ;j ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2005, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/othodox-jews-with-little-boxes-on-their-foreheads/301838/2 "2005-04-30T05:56:26Z")
Gentile checking in: Google “philacteries” or “tefilin” ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2005, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/othodox-jews-with-little-boxes-on-their-foreheads/301838/3 "2005-04-30T05:57:28Z")
I’m not Jewish, but… It’s presumably a [tefillin](http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/tefillin.html), a small box containing a scroll with a scroll with a passage from the torah. They are also, presumably, wearing one on the arm, although that wouldn’t stand out nearly so much. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2005, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/othodox-jews-with-little-boxes-on-their-foreheads/301838/4 "2005-05-02T14:04:33Z")
Tefillin is exactly what they are. They come as a matched set, one on the head, one on the arm. Jewish men wear them during morning prayers. They’re leather, painted black, and inside them are parchment scrolls on which are written the four Torah portions in which the commandment to wear them is mentioned: Exodus 13:1-10 (the commandment is mentioned in verse 9) Exodus 13:11-16 (mention in verse 16…although adjacent to the above, these are two separate paragraphs in the Torah as traditionally written) Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (mention in verse 8) Deuteronomy 11:13-21 (mention in verse 18) ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2005, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/othodox-jews-with-little-boxes-on-their-foreheads/301838/5 "2005-05-02T14:13:21Z")
Tengu: > [@](#): > > They are also, presumably, wearing one on the arm, although that wouldn’t stand out nearly so much. Not only are don’t they stand out so much, but they are intentionally concealed under one’s sleeve. This is because the verse in Exodus 13:9 says (bolding mine, obviously): > [@](#): > > This observance will be **for you** like a sign on your hand so Jewish tradition says this indicates that the one on the arm is to be kept as a sign only for one’s self (whereas there is no such qualifier mentioned by the head one). ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2005, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/othodox-jews-with-little-boxes-on-their-foreheads/301838/6 "2005-05-02T16:17:31Z")
Thanks, **cmkeller**. Follow-up question - the clip I saw looked like a group of Orthodox Jews. Do Conservative and Reform Jews also follow this observance? ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2005, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/othodox-jews-with-little-boxes-on-their-foreheads/301838/7 "2005-05-02T16:23:44Z")
The conservative movement does consider this to be an obligation, though the percentage of the lay-folk who observe is lower than amongst the Orthodox. The Reform consider it optional. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2005, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/othodox-jews-with-little-boxes-on-their-foreheads/301838/8 "2005-05-02T16:37:10Z")
thanks - as always, you’re a font of information! ---
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2005, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/othodox-jews-with-little-boxes-on-their-foreheads/301838/9 "2005-05-02T18:34:16Z")
> [@Northern Piper](#): > > Thanks, **cmkeller**. Follow-up question - the clip I saw looked like a group of Orthodox Jews. Do Conservative and Reform Jews also follow this observance? In the past few years, there’s been an outreach effort in the Conservative movement called “The World Wide Wrap,” to encourage Jews to put on tefillin at least once a year (on Super Bowl Sunday). ---
**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2005, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/othodox-jews-with-little-boxes-on-their-foreheads/301838/10 "2005-05-02T19:07:32Z")
How is tefillin pronounced? ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2005, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/othodox-jews-with-little-boxes-on-their-foreheads/301838/11 "2005-05-02T19:31:52Z")
No different than it would seem from the spelling, Chao. “Tef-ill-in.” ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2005, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/othodox-jews-with-little-boxes-on-their-foreheads/301838/12 "2005-05-02T19:39:25Z")
Accent on the “ill”. ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2005, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/othodox-jews-with-little-boxes-on-their-foreheads/301838/13 "2005-05-02T20:12:48Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > Accent on the “ill”. … or on the “_in_”, if you happen to be speaking Hebrew rather than “Yinglish” (Yiddish/English) Dani ---
**Author:** ![JHW3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@JHW3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JHW3)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2005, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/othodox-jews-with-little-boxes-on-their-foreheads/301838/14 "2005-05-03T02:30:30Z")
> [@Noone Special](#): > > … or on the “_in_”, if you happen to be speaking Hebrew rather than “Yinglish” (Yiddish/English) > > Dani In which case it would really be _Tef-eel-EEN_, right? 🙂 Like you, it always amazes me how the Ashkenazic pronunciation shifts the em_pha_sis to the wrong syl_lab_le. To add to **cmkeller** ’s explanation, it’s also worth mentioning that they are only worn during morning prayers on weekdays – not on the Sabbath or major holidays. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2005, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/othodox-jews-with-little-boxes-on-their-foreheads/301838/15 "2005-05-03T02:35:44Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > Not only are don’t they stand out so much, but they are intentionally concealed under one’s sleeve. Thanks for the clarification. I’ve never heard that part before. ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2005, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/othodox-jews-with-little-boxes-on-their-foreheads/301838/16 "2005-05-03T05:51:55Z")
> [@JHW3](#): > > In which case it would really be _Tef-eel-EEN_, right? 🙂 > Like you, it always amazes me how the Ashkenazic pronunciation shifts the em_pha_sis to the wrong syl_lab_le. In fact, most Israelis would probably bunch the whole thing into two syllables, pretty much dumping the initial “e” (which was never more than a really well-articualted _schwah_ to begin with, anyway) – thus: _T’fi-LEEN_ And while I think most scholars agree that Hebrew should, in fact, be pronounced the Sephardi way (emphasis usually on the last syllable), IANALinguist, but I’m pretty sure that this isn’t cut-and-dried. This **is** , however, the way Modern Hebrew has developed, and there is no way back whether right or wrong. Oh, and the term you were looking for was “putting the em_PHA_sis on the wrong syl_LA_ble…” Dani ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2005, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/othodox-jews-with-little-boxes-on-their-foreheads/301838/17 "2005-05-03T14:25:46Z")
Dani, after some thought, I realize you’re right - grammatically, accent on the last syllable is proper. I guess the pronounciation I’ve grown up hearing has been Anglicized or something. ---
**Author:** ![JHW3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@JHW3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JHW3)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2005, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/othodox-jews-with-little-boxes-on-their-foreheads/301838/18 "2005-05-03T20:14:21Z")
**Noone Special** , I tried to put the emPHAsis on the wrong sylLABble by putting the em_pha_sis on the wrong syl_lab_ble (italics) But it didn’t stick out as much as yours! **cmkeller** , Ashkenazim do tend to shift the stress in lots of Hebrew words… like SukkOT --\> SUKkos, ChaMETZ --\> CHOmetz, etc. Technically I guess the _milra_ words end up sounding _mileil_. I’m sure there’s a study on it somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/othodox-jews-with-little-boxes-on-their-foreheads/301838/19 "2005-05-05T01:09:09Z")
> [@Northern Piper](#): > > thanks - as always, you’re a font of information! Or even a _fount_ of information. :smack: “I’ve always considered **cmkeller** a Times Roman kind of a guy…” ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/othodox-jews-with-little-boxes-on-their-foreheads/301838/20 "2005-05-05T02:04:33Z")
You had it right the first time. [See?](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=font)