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Their eyes? Perhaps you are referring to the tradition of the reader using a pointer to keep their place in the text, in order to avoid touching the parchment with their fingers. The pointer is called a yad (the word means hand), and the tip of the yad is typically in the form of a small silver hand with an extended index finger. Touching the parchment with your fingers can transfer oil to it, shortening its life and making the ink flake off. Tradition also holds that touching the parchment makes a person ritually impure -- something that only really matters if you're going to the Temple in Jerusalem -- a building destroyed in the year 70.

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Anonymous

4y ago

What else can I help you with?