Bridal Association of America

In its most traditional form, the ketubah (Jewish marriage contract) is a legal document, written in Aramaic, and signed by two witnesses to attest that the groom "acquired" the bride and agreed to support her. It is not a contract between the bride and groom, but is given to the bride as her guarantee of her rights in the marriage. Although this may seem sexist now, for its time it was considered quite an advance for the rights of women, because it protected wives from being left penniless should their husbands die or divorce them.

Nowadays, although the Orthodox community still uses the same Aramaic text that was originally used over two thousand years ago, many couples choose to use more progressive, poetic texts. Ultimately the choice of text is determined by your rabbi, so be sure to check with him or her before selecting your ketubah! An Orthodox rabbi will require the traditional Aramaic text (though he may allow additional text), but rabbis of other streams of Judaism may be more flexible about text choice, or they may have different requirements.

Conservative rabbis will usually require that the ketubah includes a clause called the Lieberman Clause, which is appended to the traditional Aramaic wording. This additional clause, written in the 1950s, basically says that if the couple ever gets a civil divorce and the husband refuses to give the wife a get (a Jewish writ of divorce), both husband and wife are to appear before a Bet Din (rabbinic court), which could (and usually would) order the man to give his wife a get.

The Lieberman Clause was developed by the Conservative Movement as an attempt to solve the problem of agunot, (literally "chained women"), whose husbands refuse to give them a get, and so can never remarry.

The ketubah is usually signed at a separate ceremony right before the chuppah ceremony, typically attended by only immediate family and close friends, or even just the couple, rabbi, and witnesses. Traditionally the witnesses must be adult Jewish males, unrelated by blood to either the bride or the groom. Some couples have additional witnesses - for example, more progressive couples may have two women witnesses in addition to two men, to adhere to halakha while also being more egalitarian. Again, check with your rabbi, as s/he is the final arbiter of what is allowed at your wedding.

The ketubah is read underneath the chuppah by the rabbi, as part of the wedding ceremony, held up for all the guests to see, and then displayed on an easel or table during the reception. After the wedding, the ketubah is framed and hung in a prominent place in the couple's home. One of the few things from your wedding that actually endures beyond the day itself, it is a lasting reminder of your love and commitment, and of your special day.