1,908. The Standard Text of a Kesubah

Yibum v’Chalitzah 4:33

The standard text of a kesubah is: “On day A of the week...X the son of W told Y the daughter of Z, a virgin bride, ‘Become my wife according to the religion of Moses and Israel. With God’s help, I will work to honor, support, feed, provide for and clothe you according to the practice of Jewish men who dutifully honor, support, feed, provide for and clothe their wives. As a dowry appropriate for a virgin, I will give you 200 silver zuz in coin, which is equal to 25 zuz of pure silver, to which you are entitled under Torah law, as well as your maintenance, clothing and other needs, including conjugal rights.’ Y agreed and became X’s wife. He consented and added to the baseline amount of the kesubah for a total of Q. R is the value of the dowry that she brought into the marriage, which the groom has received in its entirety. It entered his domain and was brought under his control, and he has accepted responsibility for the entire sum as a loan and an obligation. The groom has likewise told us, ‘I accept responsibility for the entire value of the kesubah, including the baseline amount, the dowry, the additional amount and all the conditions, on my heirs and on all the valuable and desirable property and assets that I own under Heaven, both those that I already own and those that I will later acquire, including both real estate and movable goods that are acquired through real estate. All of them will be mortgaged towards the value of this kesubah – the baseline amount, the dowry and the additional sum – so that payment should be taken from them in my lifetime and after my death. This includes even the cloak that I wear on my shoulders.’ We have validated this arrangement through the performance of an act of acquisition. This should not be considered a trial run or sample legal text that is non-binding. Rather, it is binding with the full force of marriage contracts as are normally accepted among the Jewish people, enacted by our Rabbis, of blessed memory. We signed this kesubah on the aforementioned date and everything in it is clear, practical and enforceable.”

Yibum v’Chalitzah 4:34

If a kesubah is written for a widow or a divorcee, it should say “Y, a widow,” or “Y, a divorcee,” as appropriate. Similarly, if she had been taken captive, it should say, “Y, who had been taken captive.” This is necessary so that a kohein will know. In these cases, the kesubah says, “As a dowry, I will give you 100 silver zuz coins, which is equal to 12.5 zuz of pure silver, to you which are entitled….”