1,671. Customs Regarding a Woman's Dowry

Hilchos Ishus 23:11

In some places, the accepted practice is to list a woman’s dowry in the kesubah, increasing it by one-third, one-fifth or one half. For example, if her dowry was 100 zuz, they would write that she brought 150 zuz into the marriage; this was done to give a more generous appearance. Accordingly, if she came to collect her dowry, she would only receive the actual 100 zuz that she brought into the marriage. On the other hand, in some places the practice is to write a smaller amount so that if they agreed that she would bring utensils worth 100 zuz into the marriage, she must actually bring utensils worth 120 or 150 zuz, though the kesubah would only reflect the 100 zuz. In still other places, the practice is that 100 zuz means 100 zuz. In some places the practice is for a man to give a certain amount of money commensurate with the dowry for his bride to use on finery, perfume, etc. There are also places where the practice is for a man to add an amount from his own money onto his bride’s dowry to make her more attractive to him.

Hilchos Ishus 23:12

If a man marries a woman without making any conditions, he writes her a kesubah giving her the amount that reflects the accepted local practice. Similarly, if she commits to bring something into the marriage, she must bring what is normally brought in that area. When she comes to collect the value of her kesubah, she collects it according to the accepted local practice. The accepted local practice is the overriding consideration in this and all related matters. It is used as a standard for litigation, assuming that the accepted local practice is to do so.