Our available text options:
Translation of Orthodox Aramaic Text:
On the ____ day of the week, the ____ day of the month ____ in the year ____ since the creation of the world, in the city of ____, ____ son of _____ said to this maiden ____ daughter of ____, "Be my wife according to the laws of Moses and Israel, and I will cherish, honor, support and maintain you in accordance with the custom of Jewish husbands who cherish, honor, support and maintain their wives faithfully. And I here present you with the settlement of ________ silver zuzim, which belongs to you, according to the law of Moses and Israel, and I will also give you your food, clothing and necessities, and live with you as husband and wife according to the universal custom." And the maiden _____ consented and became his wife. The trousseau that she brought to him from________, in silver, gold, valuables, clothing, furniture and bedclothes, all this _______, said bridegroom, accepted in the sum of ______silver zuzim, and _____, the bridegroom, agreed to increase this amount from his own property with the sum of ______silver zuzim, making in all _____ silver zuzim. And thus said ____, the bridegroom: "The responsibility of this marriage contract, of this trousseau, and of this additional sum, I take upon myself and my heirs after me, so that they shall be paid from the best part of my property and possessions that I have beneath the whole heaven, that which I now possess or that which I may hereafter acquire. All my property, real and personal, even the shirt from my back, shall be mortgaged to secure the payment of this marriage contract, of this trousseau and the addition made to it, during my lifetime and after my death, from the present day and forever." _____, the bridegroom, has taken upon himself the responsibility of this marriage contract, of the trousseau and of the addition made to it, according to the restrictive usages of all marriage contracts and the adjoins to them made for the daughters of Israel, according to the institutions of our sages of blessed memory. It is not to be regarded as a mere forfeiture without consideration or as a mere formula of a document.
Conservative Text:
The Conservative text is essentially the same as the Orthodox text and thus is written in Aramaic, a Semitic language closely related to Hebrew and written with Hebrew script. However, the Conservative text sometimes includes an additional provision called the Lieberman Clause. The Lieberman Clause is a codicil that was introduced by the Conservative movement as an added protection for women entering marriage. The Lieberman Clause states the following: "And both together agreed that if this marriage shall ever be dissolved under civil law, then either husband or wife may invoke the authority of the Bet Din of the Rabbinical Assembly and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America or its duly authorized representatives, to decide what action by either spouse is then appropriate under Jewish matrimonial law; and if either spouse shall fail to honor the demand of the other or to carry out the decision of the Bet Din or its representative, then the other spouse may invoke any and all remedies available in civil law and equity to enforce compliance with the Bet Din's decision and this solemn obligation." Most of the Conservative texts on our site include an English portion, however, the English is not a direct translation of the Aramaic.
Reform Text:
Reform texts are written in modern Hebrew and English. Each artist has written his or her own Reform text, so there is a fairly large degree of variation in the wording that appears on different Ketubah designs. In most cases, the English text is an exact translation of the Hebrew.
Interfaith Text:
Although some of our Interfaith texts are English only, most include a Hebrew header. Most artists have written their own Interfaith text, so there is a fairly large degree of variation in the wording that appears on different ketubot. The Interfaith texts make fewer references to the Jewish tradition and are suitable for marriages in which one of the partners is not Jewish.
Anniversary Text:
The Anniversary text is appropriate for those couples celebrating an Anniversary and wishing to commemorate the special event with an equally special document. This text is appropriate for those people who already have a ketubah as well as those who have never had one.
Write Your Own/Blank Text:
This text option was created for those couples who love a particular design but wish to write their own text. The pricing for custom texts varies from artist to artist. See the Custom Texts: Pricing in the Help section or call us for details. |
