A Ketubah with a Bird’s-Eye View

Birds are the universal symbol of freedom. There’s no limit to where they can travel and go; land, sea and air. The world is open to hundreds of species of birds in all shapes and sizes. They roam the earth as they please facing no barriers to their whims and desires.

Man has always been fascinated by birds. As the only living thing to fly, they have inspired man for generations in art, science, and mostly recently in the kind of technology that enables man to fly themselves. Historical ketubahs have conspicuously depicted birds in their artwork to symbolize the future of a renewed life.

In the Book of Genesis, Noah releases a Dove to find land after the flood. The bird returned with a freshly plucked olive leaf in its beak. The Dove has since come to represent life in Jewish literature. The Talmud compares the spirit of God to a dove that hovers over the face of the waters. The Flying into the Dark Ketubah is great for couples who love the symbolism of two doves flying together into the sunrise to find new land and life together, like the dove from Noah’s ark.

Birds are akin to our dreams. Langston Hughes aptly once said, “Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.” The Modern Sunrise Ketubah embodies the sense of a couples pursuing their dreams with a new beginning, shown by two birds flying above the sun of a new day.

Like the Dove, different species of birds have come to hold certain meanings and emotions. An illustration of a flamingo represents a well-balanced and family-oriented personality. Stronger breeds, such as falcons and eagles, are taken as signs of hope, positivity, prosperity and success. Find your spirit bird and make it a part of the most important document of your life – your ketubah!