Deuteronomy 11:21Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Thus, to continually remind us of his decrees, the Lawgiver instructs: "Put these words of Mine in your heart and in your soul, and fasten them as a sign upon your hand, and let them be a frontlet between your eyes; teach them to your children, discussing them when you sit in your home and when you walk along the way, when you lie down and when you rise; and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land that the Lord swore to give your ancestors, as the days of the heavens above the earth" (Deut. 11:18-21). The significance of binding these words upon our hands is made clear in the book of Numbers. The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: "Speak to the Israelites and tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and put a blue cord in the tassels. These will serve as tassels for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the Lord and to do them, and not follow your own heart and eyes, which lead you astray, so you shall remember and keep all My commandments and be holy to your God. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God: I am the Lord your God" (Num. 15:37-41). Having wisely commanded that we inscribe the law within our hearts from the beginning, He, knowing the profound distress within the mind, directs that these commandments be carved, as it were, upon a tablet and at the doorways; furthermore, He suggests it is beneficial that the reminders of the law be worn on the right hand; He also sees value in having the tassels and blue threads themselves attached to the garments. Palladius. How can tassels and blue threads remind us of the Divine commandments? Cyril. Do you not accept that the law was conveyed in a mysterious manner by the ancients and written as if in shadows? Palladius. I accept it. Cyril. The presence of these blue threads secured to the hands and arms is a suggestion that we ought to contemplate and engage in heavenly matters, remembering the high laws? To the Indian, if I am not mistaken, the stone known as jachon symbolizes a body that is ethereal, composed of light and darkness, and resembling water in depth, appearing as something that shimmers and flows. In this way, it has been providentially determined that the jachon threads should be fastened both to garments and to the hands, as if stating: "Let the law serve as a covering for your mind and intellect, a signal from heaven, and a guideline for righteous deeds! The hand represents action; hence, what we do is lawful, undoubtedly exempt from blame, and should not align with the left side, which signifies wickedness. Consequently, the Pharisees broadened "their phylacteries and lengthened their fringes" (Matthew 23:5), referring to the records tied to the right hand. However, Christ rebuked them for acting out of servitude rather than for the sake of remembering the law. Therefore, it is indeed possible, while adhering to the law, to commit lawlessness through its misapplication. This echoes Solomon's warning: "Do not be overly wise; why should you bring ruin upon yourself?" (Ecclesiastes 7:16). Thus, it is essential to engrave the Divine commandments within our minds and hearts; the advantages of this are plainly illustrated by David, who spoke of every righteous individual: "The law of his God is in his heart, and his steps do not slip" (Psalms 36:31). For it is manifestly clear that one in whom the Divine law resides in the mind will stand firm and be steadfast in virtue. Palladius. Indeed, that is correct.