Ketubah: Its Importance.

The Jewish view of marriage can be summed up by a line from the Talmud: "One who does not have a wife lives without joy, without bliss, without happiness." (Tractate Yevamot 62b). The signing of the ketubah is the most vivid example of this idea and one of the emotional highlights of a wedding.

The oldest Ketubah known is from the 5th century B.C.E. Later, during the Middle Ages, Jewish manuscripts like the ketubah were highly adorned. Today, following that tradition, the ketubah should be designed to express the couple's unique personality.

While in Jerusalem some 25 years ago, my then fiancé and I purchased a beautiful hand-painted ketubah from a tiny, corner shop in the heart of the city. This marriage contract, which hangs to this day in our dining room, is the inspiration for my present work in creating ketubot. My own ketubah is not only a traditional marriage commitment and a legal contract, but also a symbol of love and a keepsake of the togetherness we experienced in Israel as a young couple.

It is my hope that I can help recreate this experience for you so that you, in turn, will feel the joy from uniting tradition, religion, aesthetics and spirituality into an enchanting visual memory, which will enlighten your home.