1,633. A Girl Without a Dowry

Hilchos Ishus 20:2

If a father tells a prospective son-in-law that his daughter has nothing and that he intends to marry her off without any clothes, the bride is not entitled to any of her father’s possessions. The groom shouldn’t say that he’ll provide the bride with a wardrobe after the wedding. Rather, he should provide her with a wardrobe while she is still living in her father’s house.

Hilchos Ishus 20:3

If a man dies leaving behind a daughter, we calculate what the father would have given as the daughter’s dowry and she is paid that amount. We make such calculations based on his social circle, his business activities and his standard of living. If he married off a daughter in his lifetime, the amount is based on what he spent on that daughter. If the court cannot determine what he would have given his daughter, then she is given one-tenth of the estate as her dowry.