Bridal Association of America

If you’re having a Jewish wedding, you’ve no doubt been shopping for a ketubah, or you will be soon. You may have already discovered that there are hundreds of text options available, and choosing the right one for you can be very confusing!

If the officiating rabbi is Orthodox, however, your choices are made quite simple, since an Orthodox rabbi will in almost all cases only accept the traditional Aramaic wording, frequently referred to as the “Orthodox text.” So what is the Orthodox ketubah text? Since it’s written in Aramaic, which you probably don’t read or speak, and few ketubot come with an English translation, the whole thing can seem very opaque! Even if you order an “Orthodox plus English” text, the English will usually be something short and poetic — not a direct translation at all!

So what does the Orthodox ketubah text say anyway?

A little historical background

Originally developed over 2,500 years ago, the ketubah started out as a prenuptial agreement, an attempt to ensure that a woman would have a means of support if her husband should die or divorce her. Although the text was mostly codified in the Middle Ages and hasn’t changed much since then, there are in fact a few minor variations around, so it’s critical that your rabbi sees the actual text that will be used on your ketubah before you purchase it. If one word is spelled differently from the way your rabbi wants it, your ketubah will be rendered un-kosher and you won’t be able to use it at your wedding! Always check with your rabbi first!

There’s nothing poetic or romantic about the traditional Aramaic ketubah text – it is, as mentioned above, quite literally a prenuptial agreement, very dry and legal. Here is a translation.

Traditional Aramaic Orthodox Ketubah Text Translation

“On __________ [day of the week], the __________ day of the month __________ in the year __________ since creation of the world, the era according to which we are accustomed to reckon here in the city of __________ how __________ son of __________ said to this virgin/widow/divorcée/convert __________ daughter of __________ ‘Be thou my wife according to the law of Moses and Israel, and I will work for thee, honor, support, and maintain thee in accordance with the custom of Jewish husbands who work for their wives, honor, support, and maintain them in truth. And I will set aside for thee 200 zuz [traditional money] {for virgins}/100 zuz {for all others}, in lieu of thy virginity, which belong to thee (according to the law of Moses), and thy food, clothing, and necessaries, and live with thee in conjugal relations according to universal custom.’ And __________ this virgin/widow/divorcée/convert consented and became his wife. The dowry that she brought from her father’s house/her own house, in silver, gold, valuables, dresses and bedclothes, amounts to __________ [100 silver pieces {virgin}/50 silver pieces {all others}], and the bridegroom consented to increase this amount from his own property with the sum of __________ [100 silver pieces {virgin}/50 silver pieces {all others}], making in all __________ [200 silver pieces {virgin}/100 silver pieces {all others}]. And thus said
__________ the bridegroom, ‘I take upon myself and my heirs after me the responsibility of this marriage contract, of the dowry, and of the additional sum, so that all this shall be paid from the best part of my property, real and personal, that I now possess or may hereafter acquire. All my property, even the mantle on my shoulders, shall be mortgaged for the security of the contract and of the dowry and of the addition made thereto.’ __________ the bridegroom has taken upon himself the responsibility for all the obligations of this ketubah, as is customary with other ketubot made for the daughters of Israel in accordance with the institution of our sages — may their memory be for a blessing! It is not to be regarded as an illusory obligation or as a mere symbolical delivery between __________ son of __________ the bridegroom, and __________ daughter of __________ the virgin/widow/divorcée/convert, and they have employed an instrument legally fit for the purpose to strengthen all that is stated above, and everything is valid and established.”

What to do with the text

The blank spaces represent places in the text that will be filled in with your personal info (this is what is usually referred to as “fill-in” or “ketubah personalization&#8221. You’ll notice that there are some spots that have some set options. For example, the bride is referred to either as a virgin, widow, divorcée or convert. If this is the bride’s first marriage then she counts as a “virgin” (whether or not she technically is a virgin — don’t worry, nobody’s going to check! — “virgin” being the legal term for a first-time bride 2,500 years ago), and the default amount she is granted on the ketubah is 200 silver pieces: 100 from her father’s property, if he’s still living (the assumption being that the bride is coming from her father’s household to her groom’s household), or her own property if he’s deceased, and 100 from the groom’s property. This total amount now legally belongs to the bride.

If, however, the bride is not a first-time bride, the default amount is decreased to 100 silver pieces: 50 from her father’s property and 50 from the groom’s. Although this may seem quite unfair, the rabbinical reasoning behind the different amounts was that a widow or divorcée would already have money from her previous marriage, and wouldn’t need as much. (It still doesn’t account for the fact that a convert may never have been married before, however!)

(An interesting side note: although nobody knows what a zuz would be worth in today’s money, from the Passover song “Chad Gadya” it is said that 100 zuz would be enough to buy 50 goats: “My father bought for 2 zuzim chad gadya (one little goat).” Presumably 50 or 100 goats would keep a woman in good stead for some time!)

Most Orthodox rabbis will not let you alter the text, but your rabbi may permit you to add to it. This is why it’s not uncommon to find Orthodox ketubot with English wording that is unrelated to the Aramaic. This way a couple can fulfill their rabbi’s requirement for the traditional wording, but also include language that may be more personally meaningful to them. Some couples even choose to get two ketubot: one to fulfill their rabbi’s requirements — their halakhically kosher ketubah, and one to be a special, non-legal but personally meaningful contract between themselves.

Be advised, also, that an Orthodox rabbi may have very strict requirements about how the text can appear on the ketubah. For example, the text may have to be fully justified, left and right, with no ragged edges, and it may need to be in a regular shape, such as a rectangle, square or circle. This is ostensibly to prevent anyone from adding a word without your knowing, thereby changing the content and possibly rendering the ketubah invalid. (The same way you add a squiggly line after the dollar amount when you write a check, to prevent anyone from changing the dollar amount without your consent.)

In summary, always check with your rabbi before you purchase your ketubah, especially if he’s Orthodox!

Have fun ketubah shopping!

©copyright Melissa Dinwiddie 2010