Nail

1. The finger nail. In Hebrew the corresponding word occurs only in the plural,

In Habdalah.

According to one authority (quoted in the "Be'er Heṭeb" on Shulḥan 'Aruk, c.), one should not cut toe nails and finger nails on the same day. The parings must not be thrown away; the Rabbis declare that he who burns them is a pious one ("ḥasid"), he who buries them is a righteous one ("ẓaddik"), and he who throws them away is a wicked one (M. Ḳ. 18a; Niddah 17a). The reason for this is that if a pregnant woman steps on them the impurity attached to them will cause a premature birth (comp. "Be'er Heṭeb," c.). The Persian custom of washing the hands after cutting the nails (comp. Schorr, c.) has been adopted by the Jews and explained cabalistically (Zohar, 2:172b, 208b; 3:79a, b). Saturday evening, at the Habdalah benediction, it is customary to look at the outer side of the nails, but not at the under side (Oraḥ Ḥayyim, 298, 3, quoting the Zohar).

The modern belief that white spots on the nails are a sign of good luck is found in the Zohar (2:76a). "Sometimes there are on the nails brilliant white spots of the size of lentils; if these spots are not concave they do not mean anything; but if they are concave they are a good omen; the person having them will be successful in his affairs, or will escape a fatal decree" (comp. also Güdemann, "Gesch." 1:208). The nails occupy a certain place in the ritualcode; for instance, as the nails must not be cut on a Sabbath, there are certain regulations about a broken nail (Oraḥ Ḥayyim, 328, 31). Certain of the regulations with regard to the ritual bath likewise concern the nails (Yoreh De'ah, 198, 18-21).

2. A metal pin (in the Old Testament plural only,