Obj. ID: 37373 Torah pointer, Ergram, circa 1880
sub-set tree:
H | Hamsa
O | Ornamentation: | Foliate and floral ornaments | Floral motif
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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 etẓba, "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. An additional reason for using the pointer was to prevent the oily finger from touching the parchment and inked letter, something that would eventually cause severe deterioration.
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.
This is a most interesting example of a technique used in a particular part of Morocco. In this object, a thin layer of silver is soldered to a brass base, creating a sandwich effect that looks like silver from the top and brass from the bottom. The pointing hand is a very primitive form of a hamsa has been left in the gold color of the brass, making it the focal point when looking at the pointer. It is also an early Torah pointer, most likely from the 19th century, an early date for Moroccan Judaica.
Inscription: (First two parts of the priestly blessing) David ben Yichyeh Gaba