I OBSERVED A JEWISH MAN WRAP A BLACK TAPE LOOKING MATERIAL AROUND HIS ARM AND HIS HAND TO HIS MIDDLE FINGER...THEN THIS LITTLE BLACK BOX HE PUT ON HIS FORHEAD AND WRAPPED WITH THE SAME BLACK MATERIAL..THEN WAS READING FROM A LITTLE BLACK BOOK THEN SCROLL WEARING HIS SHAWL... WHAT WAS THIS FOR?
2007-03-13 07:10:19 · 7 answers · asked by celestialshorty 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
The tape like thing was the leather strap of Tefilin, which are leather encased hand written scrolls with biblical verses on them, placed on the arm and on the head, as the verse states "It shall be a sign for you between your eyes ans by your heart" or something like that.
The shawl is a Tallit, simply a four cornered garment, also a religious item, with strings at each corner, in a pattern the Rabbis of old have passed down. The book was most likely a prayer book.
It was most likely morning prayers that you observed.
2007-03-13 07:21:06 · answer #1 · answered by XX 6 · 4⤊ 0⤋
He was putting on tefillin, which fulfill Deuteronomy 6:8--"you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they should be a reminder between your eyes. The shawl was a prayer shawl.
Men put them on to recite morning prayers. (or should, not every Jew does. Orthodox do.)
The book was probably a siddur, or prayer book.
2007-03-13 07:35:09 · answer #2 · answered by LadySuri 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
it's called dovening a type of prayer and the leather string & shawl are called talis the shwal and taphilin the leather strap
2007-03-13 07:15:32 · answer #3 · answered by alex m 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
He's preparing for morning prayers. That's all.
2007-03-16 05:54:50 · answer #4 · answered by MaryBridget G 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Palm strap for cell?
2007-03-13 07:14:49 · answer #5 · answered by ManhattanGirl 5 · 0⤊ 3⤋
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/tefillin.html
2007-03-13 07:14:46 · answer #6 · answered by Quantrill 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
he was putting on tefillin.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tefillin
2007-03-13 07:16:42 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋