Obj. ID: 37359 Torah pointer, Djerba, circa 1900
sub-set tree:
O | Ornamentation: | Ornament
H | Human Figure | Hand
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The following description was prepared by William Gross:
The pointer used by the Torah reader to keep the place is known in European communities as the *yad, "hand," or the eẓba, "finger," and in Sephardi and Eastern communities as the moreh, "pointer," or kulmus, "quill," the former because of its function and the latter because of its shape. Halakhic sources also use the terms moreh or kulmus. The pointer was originally a narrow rod, tapered at the pointing end, usually with a hole at the other end through which a ring or chain could be passed to hang the pointer on the Torah scroll.
The original form of the pointer was preserved in Eastern communities, the differences from one community to another being mainly in length and ornamentation. In certain communities, a hand with a pointing finger was added, and accordingly, the pointer came to be known as a yad, "hand," or eẓba, "finger." Pointers are made for the most part of silver or silver-plated brass, but in a few European communities, they used to be made of wood. In such cases, the pointers were carved in the local folk-art style.
A typical form for Tunisian Yads, this design became the most common in Eretz Israel in the first half of the 20th century. This example is probably from Djerba, made by a Jewish silversmith. Working in gold and silver was one of the primary professions for Jews in Tunisia in general and in Djerba in particular; Jewish goldsmiths practice their trade there even today. In an unusual departure from the norm and apparently a unique Tunisian custom, the pointing hand on this Yad has been fashioned from gold and soldered to the rest of the pointer in silver (for another example of the custom, see 052.001.051).
The Jewish community in Djerba is one of great antiquity, and local legend places the origin at the time of the destruction of the First Temple.
Inscription: For the exaltation of the soul of the departed Rabbi Chai Tachar and his wife Rachel, May their memory be a blessing, My their souls be bound up in the bonds of life