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    Title

  • Silver Torah pointer

  • Physical Description

    1 torah pointer : silver ; 12.6 x 1.6 in. (32 x 4 cm.)

  • Date

    undated

  • Summary

    Handmade silver Torah pointer (yad) with three spheres separating sections of the octogonal prism-shaped shaft. Hebrew text and various patterns are engraved, including plant motifs. At end is a hand, index finger pointed and wearing a ring. A scallop-edged cylinder with patterns engraved alludes to a sleeve cuff. Pointed finger on hand bends off to the right, presumably damaged. At the base is a crown, from which a chain is attached.

  • Subject

    Plant-derived motifs; Crowns; Eighteenth century

  • Medium

    Torah ornaments; Ceremonial objects

  • Part Of

    Max Daniel Family Collection, AR 1644

  • Accession Number

  • URL

Biographical/Historical Information

When reading from a Torah scroll, readers typically use an instrument to follow the text without touching it directly with their hand. This “Torah pointer” often ends with the likeness of a closed hand (Hebrew: “yad”) and its forefinger.

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Citation

Silver Torah pointer, Leo Baeck Institute, 61.148.