Introduction
Welcome to The Kesubah website!
The objective of this site is to present a clear translation and basic explanation of the Kesubah. A Kesubah is a contract that every Jewish man signs when he gets married. In it, he obligates himself to his wife to provide her with her needs and what he will provide his wife in the event of divorce or death. If you plan on signing this contract, or already did, but you were wondering what the contract actually contains, wonder no more! Read on.
All comments, corrections, and suggestions are welcome. Feel free to shoot me an email.
- Shmuel Barkin
Kesubah Overview
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The obligations of a husband to a wife during the marriage.
-
The husband must support his wife.
- He must provide clothing for her.
- He must provide nourishment for her.
- He must provide her with a weekly allowance to buy her other needs.
- The husband must have marital relations with his wife.[1]
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The husband must support his wife.
-
The monetary obligations of a husband to his wife upon his death or divorce.
- The husband must pay her two hundred Zuz.[2]
- The husband must reimburse his wife the value of all her possessions that she brought in to the marriage and became his through the marriage.[3]
- The extra one hundred Zekukim[4] that the husband adds on his own.[5]
- The legal technicalities of the above three obligations.
- The strength of the obligations of the Kesubah and the acquiring[6] of the obligation.
The Kesubah
On Thursday
בחמישי בשבת
the 29th of the month of Nissan
בתשעה ועשרים יום לחדש ניסן
the year 5762
שנת חמשת אלפים ושבע מאות וששים ושתים
from the creation of the world
לבריאת עולם
according to the way we count here,
למנין שאנו מונין כאן,
in The Holy City of Yerushalayim
ירושלים עיה"ק תובב"א
[we the witnesses know] how Yitzchok son of Avrohom
איך שהבחור יצחק בן אברהם
said to the Besulah[7]
אמר לה להדא בתולתא
Rivkah daughter of Besuel
רבקה בת בתואל
“Be for me a wife
״הוי לי לאנתו
in accordance with the laws of Moshe and Yisroel”.[8]
כדת משה וישראל״.
I will work [to support][9]
ואנא אפלח
and I will honor
ואוקיר
and I will provide sustenance
ואיזון
and I will support [provide clothing]
ואפרנס
you.[10]
יתיכי ליכי.
Like the laws of the Jews[11]
כהלכות גוברין יהודאין
that work[to support]
דפלחין
honor, provide sustenance, and support
ומוקרין וזנין ומפרנסין
their wives
לנשיהון
with truth.[12]
בקושטא.
And I will give you
ויהיבנא ליכי
the worth of your Besulim[13]
מהר בתוליכי
two hundred Zuz
כסף זוזי מאתן
which is coming to you according to biblical law.[14]
דחזי ליכי מדאורייתא.
[And I will give you] your sustenance and your clothing
ומזוניכי וכסותיכי
and money for your needs[15]
וסיפוקיכי
and I will be with you like is the way of the land.[16]
ומיעל לותיכי כאורח כל ארעא.
[In accordance with] the agreement of
וצביאת
Miss Rivkah daughter of Besuel the Besulah
מרת רבקה בת בתואל בתולתא דא
to be with him for a wife.[17]
והות ליה לאנתו.
And the dowry[18]
ודן נדוניא
that she brought in from her father’s house
דהנעלת ליה מבי אבוה
whether [in the form of] silver or gold
בין בכסף בין בזהב
whether [in the form of] jewelry,
בין בתכשיטין,
clothing,
במאני דלבושא,
house hold items,
בשימושי דירה,
or bedroom items.[19]
ובשימושא דערסא.
Yitzchok son of Avrohom our groom obligates himself
קבל עליו יצחק בן אברהם חתן דנן
one hundred Zekukim[20]
במאה זקוקים
of pure silver.[21]
כסף צרוף.
and he added on from his own[22]
והוסיף לה מן דיליה
another one hundred Zekukim of pure silver
מאה זקוקים כסף צרוף אחרים
matching those[23],
כנגדם,
the total being two hundred Zekukim of pure silver.
סך הכל מאתים זקוקים כסף צרוף.
And so said Yitzchok son of Avrohom, our groom:
וכן אמר יצחק בן אברהם חתן דנן:
The obligation of this Kesubah contract[24],
אחריות שטר כתובתא דא,
the dowry[25] and the extra[26]
נדוניא דן ותוספתא דא
I accept upon myself
קבלית עלי
and upon those who inherit after me[27]
ועל ירתי בתראי
to pay [all of the aforementioned obligations]
להתפרע
from the best and finest of my real state
מכל שפר ארג נכסין
and from my possessions[28]
וקנינין
which I have under the sky,[29]
דאית לי תחות כל שמיא,
which I have acquired
דקנאי
and what I will acquire,
ודעתיד אנא למקנא,
possession which have responsibility[30]
נכסין דאית להון אחריות
and possessions which do not have responsibility,
ודלית להון אחריות,
they will all be responsible[31]
כלהון יהון אחראין
and be as a guarantor[32]
וערבאין
to collect from them
לפרוע מנהון
this Kesubah contract,
שטר כתובתא דא,
the dowry and the extra,
נדוניא דן ותוספתא דא,
from me,
מנאי,
and [you may] even [collect from] the shirt on my back[33]
ואפילו מן גלימא דעל כתפאי
in my life[34] or in my death
בחיי ובמותי
[the responsibilities begin] from this day
מן יומא דנן
and [continue] forever.
ולעלם.
And the responsibilities of this Kesubah contract,
ואחריות שטר כתובתא דא,
the dowry and the extra,
נדוניא דן ותוספתא דא,
Yitzchok son of Avrohom, our groom, has accepted upon him self
קיבל עליו יצחק בן אברהם חתן דנן
with all of the stringencies
ככל חומר
of the Kesubah contract
שטרי כתובות
and the extra
ותוספתות
like the customary laws applicable to Jewish daughters[35]
דנהגין בבנות ישראל
of which were made by our scholars of blessed memory.
העשויין כתיקון חכמינו ז"ל.
and not [by the laws] of Asmachtah[36]
דלא כאסמכתא
and not [by the laws] of “additions to the contract”.[37]
ודלא כטופסי דשטרי.
of the Kesubah contract
שטרי כתובות
And we[38] have acquired[39]
וקנינא
from Yitzchok son of Avrohom, our groom
מן יצחק בן אברהם חתן דנן
for Miss Rivkah[40] daughter of Besuel the Besulah
למרת רבקה בת בתואל בתולתא דא
all that is written and explained above,
על כל מה דכתוב ומפרש לעיל,
with a object that is good for a “kinyon”[41]
במנא דכשר למקניא ביה
and all of the above is correct and in good standing.
והכל שריר וקיים.