1,519. When a Kesubah Has Been Written

Hilchos Ishus 9:29

Let’s say that it has been established that a kesubah was written for a certain woman. If the common practice for people in that location is to consecrate first and write the kesubah after, then we are concerned that the woman has been consecrated. This is so even if there is no local sofer (scribe). We don’t say that just because there’s a local sofer then the man necessarily had the kesubah written before consecrating the woman. If all the men in a place have the kesubah written before consecrating a woman, then a kesubah is not a reason for concern.

Hilchos Ishus 9:30

Let’s say that two witnesses say they saw a woman consecrated on a certain day but two other witnesses say that they did not observe this. Even though they are all neighbors sharing the same courtyard, the woman is considered consecrated. This is because a claim not to have seen this is immaterial given that people often give kiddushin in private.