Why it is advisable to purchase a custom made Ketubah ?
Today one can buy a pre-printed Ketubah in any Judaica store, these prints are printed on paper with empty spaces, designed in that way so that the personal information of bride and groom can be filled out before the Chuppah. In many cases these gaps are not big enough to fill in all the names and details of the couple, like for example when the bride or groom have two or more names, if the groom is a Kohen/Levi this title must be added to his name as well, or if the name of the city is a long one it might not fit in the foreseen space. Once the information is filled in one cannot add or erase anything on the ketubah, if a mistake was made one must purchase a new print.
The advisable time to prepare the Ketuba
Custom made Ketubahs are made as part of the wedding preparations and not just prior to the Chupah, the inquiries of the details are done calmly and in a composed manner together with the Rabbi officiating at the wedding.
Mistakes and Changes in the Kesubah
The great Gaon R’ Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt”l, the posek of the last generation, officiated at weddings for over 60 years in Jerusalem and thought it to be a great honor of the Mitzvah for the Ketubah to be custom made for the bride and groom. The reason for this being that many mistakes made with the pre-printed Ketubahs will be prevented by making a custom Ketubah before the ceremony where only the witnesses are left to sign. (as stated in; ספר חסד יהושע מהדורא תנינא ל"ב )
Adding words after the Ketuba is Filled in
Another important reason stated in the laws of the Ketubah is that one must scrutinize the text and make sure that all the letters are of equal sizing and that there are no big gaps between the words, so that no words or letters can be added in the future, which will render the Ketubah as disqualified. With hand writing this is very difficult to notice whereas if the Ketubah would be custom made there would be no hand writing on the document.
The Significance of Investing in the Ktubah
The Ketuba is the most important and significant document of the Jewish wedding. It is a form of commitment and protection that the husband promises his wife, therefore the Groom must take special care to ensure that it is kosher and printed with no errors. He will also invest in its beauty, to portray his value and love for his bride.
Related Topics:
What is a Ketubah?Why it is advisable to purchase custom made Ketubot? Ketuba versions for free download Lost KetubahFound a mistake in your ketuba? Kesubah for a second marriage Ketuba for converts DIY Ketubah
