I wanted to share this new acquisition; it's a Torah Pointer (Hebrew yad 'hand'). Torah scrolls are not to be touched, so these are used as place keepers during public readings.

I was surprised to read in The Dictionary of Jewish Lore and Legend the claim that these were used as improvised weapons. Though the claim is unreferenced, these do seem to have good potential as fistloads, similar to a Japanese kubotan. I will look into this and hopefully come up with more information.

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We don't usually think of Ashkenazi Jews as as martial culture, yet like all cultures violence is a part of their history so it's not unreasonable that certain of their material artifacts might have been used in that capacity during times of need.

I'm not an expert in jewish culture, however I guess research should focus on khazar empire's history.

Otherwise, the direction should be aimed at the pre - roman period.

It does kind of have a mace-like look to it. I would think it is a bit on the fragile side, though. Do you have any measurements for this or similar pointers? I just had a mental picture of Joshua beating the tar out of people with one of these, but of course that is absurd. Anyone who has read Exodus-Judges knows that Joshua used a sword and javelins. :D

Anyway, cool find. I'm curious to hear more.

-Grey

Sorry I didn't include the stats in my original post. This thing is only 9", which is actually long for Torah pointers (usually in the 6" range, though I've seen some up to 14"). It's made of silver, while others are made of a variety of materials including wood, brass, and even blown glass.

At such a small size, it would be most useful as a fistload at close quarters. The reason I'm curious -- and somewhat skeptical -- about it's historic use in defending synagogues in the Middle Ages or during the Spanish Inquisition is that such a thing would be quite over-matched against soldiers in armor and with swords and shields.

Some of these were apparently also kept in homes for domestic Torah readings, where they might have been more useful against burglars or other domestic attackers. Yet in that case, A Jewish home would probably have had other weapons of convenience at hand that were more effective, such as knives.

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I'm not an expert in jewish culture, however I guess research should focus on khazar empire's history.

I don't know how long these Torah pointers have been around, though it's not at unbelieveable that Khazars would have had them. However, as they were an independent state, they had true weapons and armor at their disposal, which were in the Turkic/Central Asian tradition. They woudln't have needed improvised weapons, especially one that didn't fit their style of warfare (mounted steppe warriors using archery, lances, and sabers).

There have been other armed Jewish cultures throughout history as well, but none of which I'm aware had distinctive weaponry -- they used what their host cultures used. That's why it would be most interesting if Torah pointers were indeed weapons of some sort -- they may be the only uniquely Jewish weapons since the Diaspora.

I would feel nervous just carrying that thing, let alone whacking somebody with it. It's really beautiful - I'd keep it under glass, not on a lanyard. If it was a choice of kill or be killed - I assume you'd use it like a kubaton more than a mace if it's that short. I've wondered about Jewish martial tradition, as it's not something that is often discussed, but there must be a story there. The only reason any of us is sitting here is because our distant progenitors knew how to kill some folks.

Personally, I would hit the heather invader with the Menorah instead; It is bigger, heavier, and has very good blocking posibilites...

On the topic of hand shaped maces, these are quite sweet:
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Thanks for the observations, friends. It does seem that as we reflect critically on this object, the less likely it seems to have ever been a truly effective weapon, even on the few occasions it might have been used.

At the same time, it does provide a good reminder that the martial spirit is something that subsides in all cultures, even when circumstances don't permit it to be expressed. Many cultures we now consider peaceable today -- eg. Hawaiians, Tibetans, Scandinavians -- were very warlike in the past. The generally non-warlike Jews of the Middle Ages form a sharp contrast with both the Jews of Roman times and the highly effective military and police of modern Israel.

Wolfgang,
What more do we know about Ott and Lew? I'm familiar with Ott's name as a wrestler but am not otherwise familiar with his work.

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, I would hit the heather invader with the Menorah instead; It is bigger, heavier, and has very good blocking posibilites...

I hadn't thought about that, Elling, but you're absolutely right! Like a main gauche with several sets of quillons... ;)

As with most of the old fencing masters we know almost nothing about Ott and Lew.
Just like Liechtenauer their life remains a mystery. There are a few things known about Talhoffer and Fiore, but the rest.......almost nothing.
I remember having read somewhere that Ott was a baptized Jew and taught Wrestling/Kampfringen to the Austrian Nobility.
Both Lew and Ott probably lived in Southern Germany, perhaps Swabia (Lew's Fechtbuch is kept in Augsburg)
Maybe someone else has more information :)

In Talhoffer's Alte Armatur und Ringkunst there's a section that includes the Arabic numbers, the Hebrew alphabet, astrology and anatomy.
Link: http://flaez.ch/talhoffer/teil8.html

Thanks for the information and especially the Talhoffer link. Seems kind of ironic that Talhoffer, being a fighting master and all, has Mars down as "ungluckhaftig und böß"! ;)