Silver Torah Pointer (Yad) from the Ottoman Empire
יד קריאה מכסף מהאימפריה העות'מאנית
Description
Pointer shaped as a hand with extended index finger, used to follow the text while reading the Torah scroll without touching the sacred parchment. Ottoman silversmiths worked it in engraved or filigree silver with a baluster handle, and hung it by a small chain from the scroll's staves. A Hebrew dedication is sometimes engraved along the handle.