Sefer Ḥokhmat ha-yad
Eliyahu Mosheh Galino, active 15th century
Sefer Ḥokhmat ha-yad (Wisdom of the Hand)
[Russia], ca. 1800
Kabbalists believe that a person’s soul is engraved in their body, particularly in the lines of their face and hands, and that the secrets of chiromancy (the prediction of someone’s future by interpreting lines on their hand), also known as palmistry, are accessible only to true masters of Jewish mysticism. While discussions on Jewish palmistry could be traced back to the early kabbalistic treatises, essential works on the subject began to appear in the 16th century. Eliyahu Mosheh Galino, a scholar and translator who lived in Cardia, Greece, in the 15th century, is the author of one of the most iconic works on Jewish chiromancy. His book Sefer Ḥokhmat ha-yad (Book of Wisdom of the Hand) was first published in 1515 and incorporated knowledge from Jewish, Arabic, and other sources. It was republished numerous times—proof of its widespread popularity. This edition might be one of the early editions of the book published on the territory of the Russian Empire.
Jewish fascination with chiromancy is dramatically represented by two black full-page palms from Galino’s book, with bold white lines and kabbalistic symbols engraved into their landscapes.
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