An illustrated ketubah

A ketubah is a Jewish marriage contract. It states that the husband commits to provide food, clothing and companionship to his wife, and that he will pay a specified sum of money if he divorces her. If he dies and leaves her as a widow, she can collect the Ketubah money from his estate. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (881x1167, 236 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Marriage Ketubah User:Zuejay/sandbox ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (881x1167, 236 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Marriage Ketubah User:Zuejay/sandbox ... Judaism considers marriage to be the ideal state of existence; a man without a wife, or a woman without a husband, are considered incomplete. ... A contract is a legally binding exchange of promises or agreement between parties that the law will enforce. ...

The Ketubah is not part of kiddushin, the actual Jewish marriage ceremony, however, the groom and bride may not engage in marital relations as a consequence of nissuin (the second part of the marriage ceremony) unless two valid witnesses have signed a Ketubah. Nashim (Women or Wives) is the third order of the Mishnah (also of the Tosefta and Talmud), containing the laws related to women and family life. ...

Ketubot (the plural for ketubah) have many different styles of language and designs, depending on the beliefs and traditions of the couple. Traditionally, the language of the ketubah formalises the various requirements by the Torah of a Jewish husband vis à vis his wife (e.g. giving her adequate resources for dress, sexual intercourse), and stipulates the sum to be paid by him in case of divorce, which is 200 Zuz (a Talmudic currency) - generally considered the sum to support oneself financially for a full year. “Tora” redirects here. ...

A traditional ketubah is written in Aramaic. Conservative Jews often include an additional paragraph, called the Lieberman clause, which stipulates that divorce will be adjudicated by a modern rabbinic court in order to prevent the problem of the agunah. Reform Jews and interfaith couples often opt for more egalitarian language, similar in tone to marriage vows, which stress the values on which they base their relationship and marriage (love, companionship, family, tradition, etc.). Many times a traditional text will be accompanied by a more creative, poetic and egalitarian rendition in English. Because there is a variety of available texts, betrothed couples often consult their rabbi or wedding officiant in order to determine which ketubah text is right for them. A Lieberman clause is a clause included in a ketubah which stipulates that divorce will be adjudicated by a modern rabbinic court in order to prevent the problem of the agunah. ... Agunah (plural: agunot, literally anchored or chained women) is a Jewish halachic term for a woman who is chained to her marriage; either because her husbands whereabouts are unknown, or her husband refuses or is unable to grant her an official bill of divorce under Jewish law known as... Reform Judaism (also known as Progressive Judaism while in the U.K. Reform Judaism and Liberal Judaism together make up Progressive Judaism) is a branch of Judaism characterized by: The belief that an individuals personal autonomy overrides traditional Jewish law and custom. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

A recent flourishing of non-standard ketubah texts have provided more specialized options for marrying couples, including those designed for same gender couples, couples with only one Jewish partner, secular humanists, and other individually crafted commitment texts.

The ketubah is one of the predominant forms of Jewish art, or judaica, found in the home. Ketubot are often hung prominently in the home by the married couple as a daily reminder of their vows and responsibilities to each other. Ketubot have been made in a wide range of designs, usually following the tastes and styles of the era and region in which they are made. Many couples follow the Jewish tradition of hiddur mitzvah which calls for ceremonial objects such as the ketubah to be made as beautiful as possible. They choose a design which reflects both their artistic tastes and their feelings about marriage. Many designs incorporate religious or secular symbolism, such as the Tree of Life, the Star of David, Jerusalem, or images from nature.

See also

• Judaism
• Jewish view of marriage
• Nikah (A Muslim Marriage contract)

This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Judaism considers marriage to be the ideal state of existence; a man without a wife, or a woman without a husband, are considered incomplete. ... Nikah or nikkah (Arabic: النكاح ), is the contract between a bride and bridegroom and part of an Islamic marriage, a strong covenant (mithaqun Ghalithun) as expressed in Quran 4:21). ...

External links

• Ketubbot collection, Jewish National and University Library
• Description of the Lieberman Clause
• Translation of the traditional Orthodox and Conservative ketubah texts
• Ketubah in the Judaica Guide
• Article on how interfaith couples add a ketubah to their ceremony