The Literal meaning of the Hebrew text. Hebrew traditions still kept by the Medieval Dutch. 12 January 2026, 24 Tevet 5786
The Oral Law and the Lost Ten Tribes.
You have probably heard that the Jews believe in two Torahs, the Written Law and the Oral Commentary.
To some degree these two expositions are complementary to each other. They explain one another.
Chabad tells us:
Tefillin ( ) are a pair of black leather boxes containing Hebrew parchment scrolls. A set includes two, one for the head and one for the arm. Each consists of three main components: the scrolls, the box and the strap.
The Torah commands Jewish men to bind tefillin onto their head and upper arm every weekday, in fulfillment of the verse (Deut. 6:8), 'You shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for a reminder between your eyes.'https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1918251/jewish/What-Are-Tefillin.htm
The Torah mentions the mitzvah of tefillin four separate times. Each of these texts is inscribed on parchment and placed into the tefillin. These passages discuss the unity of G d. They describe the miracles G d performed for us when He took us out of Egypt, and how G d alone has the power and dominion to do whatever He wants in the physical and spiritual worlds. In other words, these verses cover the fundamentals of our faith.
These texts are:
1-2. Kadesh (Exodus 13:1-10) and Vehayah ki yeviacha (Exodus 13:11-16): These describe the duty of the Jewish people to always remember the redemption from Egyptian bondage, and the obligation of every Jew to educate his children about this and about G d's commandments.
3. Shema (Deut. 6:4-9): Pronounces the unity of the one G d, and commands us to love and fear Him.
4. Vehayah (Deut. 11:13-21): Focuses on G d's assurance to us of reward that will follow our observance of the Torah's mitzvahs.
The boxes and straps are also made of leather from a kosher animal. The head-tefillin is made of four separate compartments, each one containing a scroll with one of the four Torah selections. The hand-tefillin has just one chamber, with all selections written on a single scroll.
Wikipedia:
Tefillin (Hebrew: or ; Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: [tfi lin]; Modern Israeli Hebrew pronunciation: [tefi lin]), or phylacteries, are sets of small black leather boxes with leather straps containing scrolls of parchment inscribed with verses from the Torah. Tefillin are traditionally worn by male adult Jews during Shacharit (Morning Prayers) on weekdays. ...
Nowadays the boxes should be fashioned from a single piece of animal hide and form a base with an upper compartment to contain the parchment scrolls.
The texts: Here are the relevant Scriptural References concerning this commandment.
Exodus (TCB) 13:
9 AND IT SHALL BE TO YOU AS A SIGN UPON YOUR HAND AND AS A REMEMBRANCE BETWEEN YOUR EYES, IN ORDER THAT THE LAW OF THE LORD SHALL BE IN YOUR MOUTH, FOR WITH A MIGHTY HAND THE LORD TOOK YOU OUT OF EGYPT.
16 AND IT SHALL BE FOR A SIGN UPON YOUR HAND AND FOR ORNAMENTS BETWEEN YOUR EYES, FOR WITH A MIGHTY HAND DID THE LORD TAKE US OUT OF EGYPT.
Exodus (TCB) 6:
8 AND YOU SHALL BIND THEM FOR A SIGN UPON YOUR HAND, AND THEY SHALL BE FOR ORNAMENTS BETWEEN YOUR EYES.
Deuteronomy (TCB) 13:
18 AND YOU SHALL SET THESE WORDS OF MINE UPON YOUR HEART AND UPON YOUR SOUL, AND BIND THEM FOR A SIGN UPON YOUR HAND AND THEY SHALL BE FOR ORNAMENTS BETWEEN YOUR EYES.
In short tefillin are leather boxes with parchments scrolls inside them. They are attached by leather straps to the forehead and to the upper arm usually of the left hand.
Placing the tefillin on the forehead is derived from the expression THEY SHALL BE FOR ORNAMENTS BETWEEN YOUR EYES.
In Hebrew the word translated as ornaments is TOTAFOT.
This word TOTAFOT may derive (according to the Exegisis of Yair Davidiy) from the word root TFH connoting "inflate, hollowed out."
The word is spelled as TTFOT. The letters TT as repeated. This is indicates a doubling over as in a box.
Literally one is commanded to take the words of Scripture being spoken and put them in a box. This box is to be attached to your upper arm ("yad" also connoting hand) and also between your eyes.
This is what Tefillin are and always have been.
Enemies of the ORAL Tradition (Jews and non-Jews) claim the command is figurative BUT the simple meaning is as we have shown above. There is nothing figurative about it.
Present-day Netherlands comprises ca.
Dutch 75.4%, EU (excluding Dutch) 6.4%, Turkish 2.4%, Moroccan 2.4%, Surinamese 2.1%, Indonesian 2%, other 9.3% (2021 est.)
The original peoples of the Netherlands were predominantly ethnic Dutch, Germanic-speaking tribes of Franks, Frisians, and Saxons.
The Fisians were mainly on the coast. The Franks include the Flemish who extend into northern Belgium.
Utrecht seems to be considered a Frissian area bordering the Flemish.
In the Middle Ages the people used to bind as amulets and charms on their heads and on their arms sometimes made out of books or scripture.
This is a Hebrew practice.
Mythology in the Low Countries
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mythology_in_the_Low_Countries
The Bishop of Utrecht, Arnold-2, 1372-1375, noted that the Flemish people still believed in wearing amulets and charms ("phylacteries"); he defined them as amulets worn on the head or arms, sometimes made out of books or scripture. This is in fact an old Hebrew practice (Exodus 13:9, 16, Deuteronomy 6:80, cf. you shall tie them for a sign upon your arm, and they shall be as totafot [leather boxes with parchment scrolls inside them] of between your eyes (Deuteronomy 11:18).
Many people of the Netherlands descend from the Lost Ten Tribes. Seveal different Israelite Tribes may be involved but Zebulon appears to be predominant.
It was prophesied that Zebulon would dwell on the shores of the sea and that is what the Dutch People do.
Genesis (RSV) 49: 13 Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea; he shall become a haven for ships, and his border shall be at Sidon.
Literal translation: "Zebulon will dwell at the shore of the seas, he shall become a haven for ships, and his border shall be at Sidon."
Most of the subsoil in the Netherlands is sea-sand. The Netherlands relies on dyjkes, windmills, and waterworks to keep the Sea at bay.
More than 50% of the Land would be subject to flooding where it not for the dykes (dams) that protect it.
The Netherlands literally speaking is on the shores of the sea.
AI Overview.
The Netherlands' relationship with the sea is defined by a constant battle against flooding, with nearly a quarter of the country below sea level, necessitating massive engineering projects like the Afsluitdijk and extensive dike systems to reclaim and protect land, while also adapting strategies with "Room for the River" projects to coexist with water due to climate change. This struggle has shaped Dutch history, economy, and identity, transforming it from merely defending against water to actively managing it for safety and new land, while its colonial past also involved significant maritime trade.
Netherlands
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherlands
The Netherlands is geographically very low relative to sea level and is considered a flat country, with about 26% of its area[15] and 21% of its population[117] below sea level.