The Hamsa pendant symbol is known in the Jewish lore as the hand of Miriam or Hamesh hand.
The Hamsa serves as an ancient talismanic way of averting the evil eye and providing a "protecting hand" or "Hand of G-d". The Hamsa appears often in stylized form, as a hand with three fingers raised, and sometimes with two thumbs arranged symmetrically. The symbol is used in amulets, charms, jewelry, door entrances, cars, and other places to ward the evil eye. Some sources link the significance of the five fingers to the five books of the Torah though this significance may have been attributed after the fact to a symbol that quite possibly pre-dated both religions.

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