Yad 2019515 200264657 2008-03-23T09:02:21Z Itsabouttime 5803670 {{otheruses|Yad (disambiguation)}} [[Image:Torah and jad.jpg|thumb|240px|Torah with yad.]] A '''yad''' ([[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]: '''יד'''), literally, "hand," is a [[Jewish]] ritual pointer, used to point to the text during the [[Torah reading]] from the [[parchment]] [[Torah]] scrolls. It is intended to prevent anyone from touching the parchment, which is considered sacred; additionally, the fragile parchment can be damaged by the oils of the skin. While not required when chanting from the Torah, it is used frequently. A ''yad'' can be made of any number of materials, though [[silver]] is most common. The yad is often shaped like a long rod, with a small hand and an index finger pointing from it. [[Category:Hebrew words and phrases]] [[Category:Jewish law and rituals]] {{Judaism-stub}} [[de:Jad]] [[fr:Yad]] [[nl:Jad]] [[pl:Jad (judaizm)]]