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66 [1] It is forbidden [for the groom] to seclude himself with the bride before he has written her the ketubah, *Rem"a: There are some who are lenient and allow [being alone together] without a ketubah provided that they do not have sexual relations. (Ran, beginning of Tractate Ketubot).* and the groom pays the scribe's fee [for writing the ketubah]. Even if he wants to set aside her ketubah with money [i.e. the monetary payment that is stipulated in the ketubah], or with other goods [which have the value of the ketubah], we do not listen to him. Rather he needs to write a contract that obligates himself to pay her the monetary value of the ketubah, all his assets have a lien on them, or witness can witness and and they effect transfer directly from [the groom] that he is obligated [to pay] her 100 or 200 [the value stipulated by the ketubah]. *Rem"a: Some say that we only rely on witnesses in exigent circumstances. As soon as he is free to write [a ketubah], he is required to write one, all the more so we do not rely on [witnesses] preferably (Inferred from the language of the Tur, and what was written by the Maharik Shoresh 64, and the Mordechai at the beginning of Tractate Ketubot) And such is proper to disseminate. If he appoints a ketubah delivery guarantor for her, and he makes the condition that he [himself] should be exempt from [paying] her, this is forbidden, until he makes it a lien on himself, so that it should not be an easy thing for him to divorce her (Bet Yosef in the name of the Teshuvot HaRashba 2:58) And see Choshen Mishpat 60 if he can make a lien on himself for the ketubah from something that has yet to come into existence. And the witnesses should only sign the ketubah after the groom effects the transfer before them (Divrei HaRav). Some places are lenient about this (Mordechai, Tractate Gittin chapter 2). And so there should be signing witnesses for the ketubah read under the wedding canopy, even if they didn't hear it read; even though they didn't act well [by not hearing it read], we do not change the custom, as we don't cast aspersions on previous ketubahs (Or Zarua).* [2] If [the groom] is unable to write her [the bride] a ketubah, for example if it is shabbat, or he forgot to write her one, he can give her objects [which have value] in place of the ketubah, and accept responsibility if they are lost or stolen [the wife is not responsible for replacing them], and then it is acceptable for them to be together until he is able to write [a ketubah]. Rem"a: and then he must write one immediately (tur). [3] If [a husband] wrote [his wife] a ketubah and it became lost or destroyed, specifically if it was written: I accept [the payment of] my ketubah, [the husband] is required to write a new one because it is forbidden for a man to delay with his wife for a single hour without a ketubah. *Rem"a: If the militia overtakes a city, or [the people] were exiled from the city, and the women lost their ketubah [documents], new ketubahs are required even though the claim could be made that they may yet find their [old] ketubot afterwards ketubahs, or they will be returned. Nevertheless, once the ketubah is presumed lost [because of such a situation], another one is required. And if the sum for the ketubah is not known, if some [ketubahs] remain, we go according to [their sums]. And if not, we judge them according to the elders of the city, and according to custom, the wealthy according to his wealth, and the destitute according to his destitution (Bet Yosef in the name of the Responsa of the Geonim). And when the ketubah is lost and he came to write for her another ketubah, he needs to write for her a ketubah as large as the original. (Maharik Shoresh 116). And look later at siman 187, and in the place that they only divorce according to the will of the woman, he does not need to write a ketubah; if so, in our time in our lands, that they do not divorce the woman by force because of the ban of Rabbenu Gershom, and it is like what was explained later in siman 119, it was possible to be lenient in the writing of the ketubah but this is not the custom, and it should not be changed (this is his own opinion).* [4] In the case of [a ketuba] that was lost, if the witnesses know the original date [of the lost ketuba], the original date is written [into the replacement ketuba]. If they do not know the original date, we use today's date. If she relinquished her financial rights to the ketuba, we only write today's date [into the replacement ketuba]. [5] If [a wife] sells her ketubah to her husband, [the husband] needs to write her a new ketubah. However is she sells the ketubah to someone else, a new ketubah is not needed. [6] What is the amount of the ketuba? For a virgin it is 200 [zuz] and for a widow it is 100. In both cases it refers to state (i.e. Israelite, and not Tyrian) silver coins. As a result, the ketubah of a virgin is equivalent to 37.5 dirhems of refined silver (Ottoman coins, 3.207 gm as per Wikipedia), and the ketuba of widow is one half that amount, which is 18.75 dirhems of refined silver. Note: See Yoreh Deah chapter 294 and 305 for the value of a dirhem coin. This is the opinion of some authorities who hold that the ketuba of a woman is in Rabbinic zuz (Rif, Rambam, Ran, and Ram), that 200 [zuz] of a virgin equal 6.25 sela. There is an authority who calculates the ketuba of a virgin as 10 gold zuz, and that of a widow as 5 gold zuz (Maharil in the name of Agudah). But according to the opinion of some authorities, the 200 of a virgin and 100 of a widow are denominated in Bibilical zuz, which is eightfold greater, and they write that the text of the ketuba therefore states, "...that you deserve by Biblical law" (Rabbenu Tam). Other authorities opine that we write, "...that you deserve" (Hagahot Maimoni, Hilchot Ishut chapter 10). The custom is that for a virgin we write, "...that you deserve by Biblical law, " but not for a widow. These rules apply where there is no [local] custom, but were there is a local custom as to the collection of the ketuba, we follow the local custom, as will be explained infra. [7] If he wishes to add to this amount [for the Ketubah] he may do so. The additions are sometimes judged similarly to the primary Ketubah, and sometimes judges differently, as will be explained later. Rem"a: He does not need to explicitly state which is the primary Ketubah and which is the addition; he can combine it all into one total if he so wishes. Some authorities disagree ,and they hold that he must write the Ketubah according to the local practice independently, and then separately include the additions, and this is our practice. If all the members of some family are in the practice of including additions, he need not write each one individually. A Ketubah that includes the phrase, "and this dowry that is given to her of 100 dinar and he has added on his own such and such amount" does not include the primary Ketubah, and he must pay this amount independently, unless the formulation is, "and I will give her the price of her virginity, 1000 silver zuz," because this includes the primary Ketubah. [8] There is one who says that there is no need for the act of acquisition at the time of the wedding, insofar as it is given to her (the bride). And there are those who disagree. [9] Anyone who reduces the amount of the Ketubah has rendered his acts of intercourse licentious. This is true not only if she wrote [after the betrothal], "[I will consider it as if] I have received the Ketubah, or some part of it, from you," (which is effective according to a minority of authorities) but even if they stipulated at the time of the betrothal that she would not receive a Ketubah, or that the amount would be reduced, even though his condition if cancelled and she receives her full Ketubah, still this renders his intercourse licentious, since she believes that she does not have a Ketubah she is not committed [to the marriage.] [10] If some families customarily write their marriage contract amounts for more than the amounts set by the Sages, don't object to them, not only that, but even if one member of that family didn't write a marriage contract for their wife, the courts enforce collection of their customarily written amount. Therefore, a woman who lost her marriage contract should examine her relatives' marriage contracts to see what amount her family normally would write for her. and even if it was written "what is fit for me", "Rem"a" she still collects the amount customary in her family (Beit Yosef in the name of the Ra"n as is written in the name of Tosafot). And if the customary contract amounts in women from his family exceed the customary contract amount in her family, the amount is raised accordingly and not lowered. [11] If one married a woman without specific conditions, he should write the Ketubah according to common practice. Similarly, if she designated funds for the wedding, she should give according to the local practice. Rem"a: Whatever a woman brings [into the marriage] for her husband, whether it is currency or textiles, if he assumes responsibility for these items they are called a 'dowry' in every context, and they can only be collected with the Ketubah. Other items, however, are not treated similarly to the Ketubah, as is explained later. In some places the groom may add to the Ketubah and write [an amount] greater than that which he received. In such cases we follow local practice. The standard rule is that the level of responsibility assumed over the dowry is that of 'iron sheep property' (i.e., the husband must return the principal in full), but if he wishes to leave the property rights with his wife and to not assume responsibility for it, he may do so. See (beginning of Shulchan Arukh, Even HaEzer 93 and Shulchan Arukh, Even HaEzer 100 for more on this subject). When the father is alove and marries off his daughter, we write, "this is the dowry that has been bestowed with her from her father's house"; if the father is not alive, we write, "from the house of marriage." Sill, if they change it, it is not an issue. In the Ketubah of a divorcee we write, "divorce" so that we know that she is a divorcee and may not marry a Kohen. When the time comes for her to collect the Ketubah, we collect whatever amount is customary in that place. Rem"a: If she says that [her husband] added more than the standard practice, she must provide proof for her claim. If, however, she produces a Ketubah contract that has not been properly verified, or if one of the signatories is not qualified to testify, even though she shows us the pre-marital contract that committed him to adding to the Ketubah, she is only entitled to collect according to the standard practice. See (Shulchan Arukh, Even HaEzer 100:30). In all these matters and those similar to them, the primary determinant is the local practice, and on that basis we form our judgement, provided that the practice is poplar throughout the region. Rem"a: Nevertheless, if he wishes to create a condition with his wife that [obligates him] in less than the standard practice, he may do so, provided that he does not go below the amount that was prescribed by the Sages. It seems to me that it is necessary for him to set the condition at the time of engagement. If, however, they engage without specifying, and they obligated themselves in [the usual] financial penalties, he must write [the Ketubah] according the standard practice and he has no right to change it. In some places the local practice is to write every Ketubah identically, even if she brings nothing into the marriage, and if he wishes, he may add something, and if he wishes to reduce the amount, she must write to him, "I have already received such-and-such amount from my Ketubah." This is the practice in our countries. [12] If he marries a woman from a different place, planning for her to live with him where he is from, one follows the customs of his place: [13] In a place where only valid witnesses sign a ketuba, a person who does not know how to read should not sign. Rem"a: And therefore an uneducated man who comes to get a divorce, and says afterwards that he did not understand what was written in the wedding stipulations [BETTER TRANSLATION NEEDED?] or the ketuba is not believe, because of course the witnesses [to the ketuba] would not have signed unless they had first verbally told him [what was written in the ketuba] (responsum of the Rashb"a chapter 629)
Version: Sefaria Community Translation
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