Ketubah - Explanation of the Text, Groom Signed Without Understanding, Text the Groom Did Not Want
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Question
Hello,1. What is the explanation of the entire Ashkenazi ketubah in Hebrew?2. A groom signs the ketubah without understanding what is written there. Is this acceptable?3. What is the ruling if the father-in-law brings one ketubah and the groom prefers the yeshiva's ketubah but feels uncomfortable asking for it, and he signs what the father-in-law brought. Is this acceptable? Does it not delay, etc.?Thank you very much, honorable Rabbi.
Answer
1. It is important to note that the instruction of the rabbis is not to use a translated ketubah. The translation is only to facilitate understanding. Translation of the ketubah:
On.. on the Sabbath, of the month ... in the year five thousand seven hundred ... from the creation of the world, according to the count we reckon here ... how ... son of ... said to ... daughter of ... be my wife according to the law of Moses and Israel. And I will work to support you, honor you, and provide for you, and clothe you as is customary among the sons of Israel who do all this in faith, and I give you ... as is proper to give you from ... and food and clothing and other needs and your marital rights as is customary throughout the land.
And Mrs. ... agreed and became his wife, and the dowry she brought to her husband from her father's house, including jewelry and clothing, housing needs, and bed needs, all this the groom ... accepted before us in ... refined silver coins, and the groom before us agreed and added to her from his own funds another ... refined silver coins, totaling ... refined silver coins.
And thus said ... the groom before us, the responsibility of the ketubah and the dowry and the addition I accept upon myself and upon my heirs after me from all the best and beautiful of my properties and possessions that I have under the heavens that I have acquired and that I am going to acquire, properties that have responsibility and those that do not have responsibility, all my properties will be responsible and guaranteed to pay from them the ketubah and the dowry and the addition, and even from the clothes on me in my life and after my life from now and forever, and the responsibility and severity of the ketubah and the dowry and the addition was accepted by ... the groom before us, as the severity of all ketubahs and additions practiced among the daughters of Israel made according to the enactment of the sages, not as a condition [- an obligation not taken seriously] and not as a sample document [- a document written for learning or not seriously]. And we acquired from ... son of ... the groom before us, for Mrs. ... daughter of ... before us all that is written and explained above in a tool suitable for acquisition, and all this is firm and established.
2. The groom is obligated to everything written, even if he does not understand.
3. Since he agreed and signed the ketubah, for whatever reason he had, the ketubah is valid.
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