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What is a ketubah?

by Rabbi Naftali Silberberg

  

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The Ketubah is the wedding contract which features the husband’s various obligations to his wife.1 The focal point of the document is the financial compensation due to the wife in the event of the marriage’s dissolution through divorce or widowhood. The ketubah even includes provisions which place liens on the husband’s different assets. The document is signed by Kosher witnesses2, but not necessarily the same witnesses who observe the betrothal beneath the Chupah.

According to most Halachic authorities, the ketubah is a rabbinic ordinance. The sages were troubled by the relative ease whereby a man could divorce his wife. They therefore instituted that no man may be married to a woman unless he obligates himself to pay a substantial imbursement in the event that he divorces her.

The focal point of the document is the financial compensation due to the wife in the event of the marriage’s dissolution through divorce or widowhood
Today, the standard ketubah is a printed form which has blanks for the date and the names of the bride, groom, and witnesses. Before the wedding, the officiating rabbi fills in these blanks and supervises the signing of the document by the witnesses. Also available today are customized ketubahs which are genuine works of art.

It is forbidden for a couple to live together, even temporarily, without a ketubah. In the event that the document is lost or destroyed, or if a serious error is found in its text, the couple must immediately obtain a replacement ketubah from a rabbi. This rule applies for the duration of the marriage. Hence it is wise to store the ketubah in a safe location.

Footnotes

  • 1. See "http://www.askmoses.com/article/572,2038522/What-are-a-husbands-obligations-to-his-wife-and-vice-versa.html"
  • 2. I.e. non-related, Torah-observant adult males. The following relatives of either the bride or groom are disqualified from being witnesses: a father or step-father, grandfather or step-grandfather, great-grandfather, etc., sons and sons-in-law, grandsons and grand-sons-in-law, brothers and brothers-in-law, uncles and great-uncles (through blood or marriage), cousins (through blood or marriage), nephews or great-nephews (through blood or marriage). Additionally, the witnesses may not be related to each other. Because these laws are complex the officiating Rabbi should be notified in advance in order to verify the legitimacy of the witnesses.

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RELATED CATEGORIES

Life Cycle » Marriage » The Wedding
Halachic
Pertaining to Jewish Law.
Kosher
Literally means "fit." Commonly used to describe foods which are permitted by Jewish dietary laws, but is also used to describe religious articles (such as a Torah scroll or Sukkah) which meet the requirements of Jewish law.
Chupah
Wedding canopy. Under this canopy, the groom betroths the bride with the customary ring, and the traditional marriage benedictions are recited.
Ketubah
The wedding contract which features the husband’s various obligations to his wife. The focal point of the document is the financial compensation due to the wife in the event of the marriage’s dissolution through divorce or widowhood.