Yad (a pointer used for Torah reading)

A yad made of silver-plated ivory, with a silver chain. At one end of the pointing stick, a cast representation of a hand with an outstretched index finger.
A yad was used during the public reading of the Torah, since the Jewish tradition prohibited touching the scroll containing the holy scriptures with a bare finger. The name derives from the Hebrew word “yad” which means “a hand”. That is why the pointers typically had the shape of a hand with an outstretched index finger. The accompanying chain was used for suspending the pointer on the Torah which was dressed in a mantle (Heb. “meil”- ornamental cover), and decorated with a crown (Heb. “keter” - lavishly decorated crowning), and a special shield (Heb. “tas”).