YAD - Torah pointer

The yad (Hebrew: יד, literally "hand") is a special pointer used in the reading of the Torah (קריאת התורה), at the end of which is a small hand clenched into a fist with the index finger extended. Its use, in which the reading of the text is indicated, is based on the strict prohibition against touching the bare parchment of a Torah scroll (ספר תורה). It originated in the Talmudic tractate Megillah 32a and is also mentioned in the halachic codex Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 147). Jad has historically been made from a variety of materials, but the most common is silver. Others include gold, brass, tin, or hardwood (e.g., from the olive tree). It is usually ornately crafted, and at one end of the yad is an eyelet with a chain, which is used to hang the yad from the Torah scroll, or its wooden bars, when rolled up and draped with a shroud. Together with the other ornaments of the Torah scroll and objects intended solely for religious purposes, the yad is one of the so-called holy vessels (כלי קדש).