Understanding the Ketubah

The drawing up and signing of a Ketubah is an ancient Jewish custom. Archeologists have discovered Ketubot that date back to 500 B.C.E.

Originally, a Ketubah was a contract by which a man acquired a wife. That does not sound very desirable in our modern way of thinking because couples today choose each other. But in ancient times, women had very few rights. They were thought of only as daughters or wives, not as independent individuals. The Ketubah was a rather unusual contract for it was meant to protect women. It gave status and protection to women in the event of the husband's death or in the case of divorce. The Ketubah described the type of property both the man and the woman were bringing to the marriage and guaranteed the wife a certain amount of money if her husband died before she did or if he divorced her.

The Ketubah was the woman's property, and if it was lost or destroyed, the woman or her husband could not live together until a new Ketubah was written.

In countries where Jewish communities flourished, the custom developed of creating beautiful, original Ketubot with illustrations designed especially for the bride and groom. In this way, an important legal document often also became a work of art. This custom has gained acceptance all around the world, and there are many people who earn a living as Ketubah artists.

In ancient times, the text of each Ketubah was different, but over time a "standard" text, written in Aramaic, was developed. Today a traditional Ketubah text or a more modern Jewish wedding document is almost always included as part of a Jewish wedding. While many couples still use the standard Aramaic text, it is now possible to find Ketubot with different texts in virtually any language. Some couple seven write their own Ketubah text.

Source: The Book of Jewish Life