In every Jewish wedding, the ketubah signing is a pivotal ritual. It primarily takes place before the wedding, but on the day of the wedding itself. In the signing ceremony, the officiants, bridal couple, the witnesses, and a few close family members and friends join in to witness the signing procedure.
What is Ketubah?
Shalom, who offers online homework writing service with TFTH, explains ketubah as a marriage contract of the Jewish wedding. The contract is validated before the marriage. The ketubah signing is about business. Usually, what goes in the ketubah is different at different weddings.
Primarily, the rule for all that is included in ketubah and who should sign the ketubah depends on whether the wedding is modern or Orthodox. Regardless of everything, the witnesses have to sign the document after reading it. After the ketubah is signed, it would be read out loud at the ceremony. Usually, it is later displayed in the new home of the couple.
History and meaning of the concept
Marital contract or ketubah is an essential element of Jewish weddings for several thousand years. You can even find a mention of it in the bible. It puts forth how much a groom’s family needs to pay to the bride’s family upon the reunion of the couple.
In a few Orthodox Jew communities, the text of the ketubah has not changed even in modern times, and it is still published in Aramaic. It is more or less similar to the prenuptial agreement. So, in the contract, you will also find the details of what the wife gets in the event of a divorce or an untimely death. It lays out all the promises made between the husband and a wife.
Samuel, an educator, who offers online statistics help with TAE, says that ketubah primarily lays out the marital obligations of the husband towards his wife. It also has an enlistment of how the husband will provide for the wife’s clothing, roof, food, and what he would do to please her on all the days of his life.
In modern Jew households, couples employ modern texts, which stipulate love and equality amongst the partners. It is common today for the bride and the groom to write the contract all by themselves.
What will you find in a traditional ketubah?
In the traditional ketubah, you can find all the details of the wedding, including the name of the bride and the groom, the date of the wedding, and other related details. The contract also lays out all the things the couple owes to each other in the marriage. In the traditional contract, the ketubah will have mostly the obligation of the groom towards his wife.
In addition to it, it also lists out the conjugal and financial responsibilities of the groom. It will also take divorce into account. However, in the modern communities, ketubah is different and assures more equality.
However, it will have a detailed listing of what the bride and groom give each other. So, these are more or less similar to the marriage vows.
How to write your ketubah?
The traditional text found in ketubah is outdated and ancient. Joshua, an educator and a tutor with EduWorldUSA, says that he and wife wrote their ketubah. Well today, almost all the young couples prefer writing their ketubah. Many even include their marital vows in this contract. A few also incorporate a romantic song or poetry into it.
Well, collectively speaking, different denominations have different rules associated with ketubah. So, it would be best if you checked with your officiant or rabbi about any specific requirements required at your ceremony.
What to do if you neither want to write your ketubah nor wish to use the traditional text?
Well, if you want a new ketubah, but do not want to write your ketubah, you can easily find the several versions of the ketubah texts on the internet to pick from. The good thing is they are available in several different languages. You can even find ones for same-sex or inter-faith couples. Rayan, an associate with TrumpLearning, says that he took his version of ketubah from one of the websites that sell ketubah.
Who signs the ketubah?
If you attend an Orthodox Jew wedding, you will find that in their culture, it is not the bride and groom that signs the ketubah. According to the law, the two witnesses, who are unrelated to the couple, need to sign the ketubah. They should be males and abide by the Jew law.
However, in the modern Jew households, the two witnesses can be anyone who the couple appoints, regardless of their gender or faith. Some couples even like to have more than two witnesses. The bride and groom and the rabbi will also sign the document in modern Jew weddings.