Obj. ID: 37258 Torah pointer, Tunisia, circa 1930
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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.
There is a great similarity between the Torah pointers used in Tunisia and Libya. The large flat tapering surface with a rather ornate rod for holding it above is used in both countries. But there is a special Tunisian convention where the pointing finger or hand is made of gold. There are examples of both in the Gross Family Collection, see 052.001.033. On this Yad, only the finger has been cast in gold.
Inscription: Donated by Yonah Cohen for the eternal rest of his Mother, 'Atitkah bat Rachel, May her soul be bound up in the bonds of life