1,681. Violating Religious Standards

Hilchos Ishus 24:13

Ezra instituted that a woman should wear a belt in her home at all times as a form of modesty. Failure to do so, however, is not considered a violation of das Moshe, nor does a woman forfeit the value of her kesubah over it. Similarly, if a woman goes from courtyard to courtyard (i.e., a semi-private area) with her hair only partially covered with a kerchief, she is not considered to be in violation of religious standards.

Hilchos Ishus 24:14

In order to forfeit the value of her kesubah, a woman who violates religious standards must have been warned and must have witnesses to her infraction. Let’s say that she violated in private and her husband knew about it so he issued a warning without witnesses, and then she did it again. If the husband claims that she violated religious standards after receiving a warning and the wife claims that she didn’t, or that she was never warned, the husband must pay her the value of her kesubah if he divorces her, though she must first take an oath that she didn’t violate religious standards. The oath is necessary because she wouldn’t be paid if she admitted to violating religious standards after being warned.