Jewish Artwork has always had a few themes throughout the centuries, and the famed Seven Species are part of that! If you head over to the Ketubah Gallery, you’ll notice a stunning mix of color and dramatic flare, that our Collective is so excited to share! So of course that got us thinking: what exactly do the Seven Species refer to?

Both in the Torah and in Jewish imagination, the “Shiv’at Ha-Minim” or Seven Species have been a trademark of the land of Israel since it was promised to our Biblical kin! Here’s the test: Can you list the Seven Species? Here’s a hint: they’re mostly fruits, but there’s a few zingers you might not be prepared for! See the bottom of the post of the answers!

You and your fiancé(e) don’t need to be agricultural aficionados to appreciate the rich tones and imagery of fertility, prosperity, and bounty cultivated by the Seven Species. But if you love mixing modern and traditional to find your way in Judaism, we think you’ll love it! Instead, you can just reflect on the pure joy and excitement of your wedding day, as you sign your beautiful and bold traditional-yet-modern Ketubah. A sweet start to your lives together, filled with bold color your family will absolutely love!

In fact, the Seven Species aren’t just limited to the Jewish Tradition, and we’ve already had a few couples interested in an Interfaith Ketubah who absolutely loved it! As the Holy Land of Christians and Jews alike, Israel has long spoken to the soul of folks of many faiths!

ANSWERS: What are the Seven Species of Israel?

• wheat
• barley
• grapes
• figs
• pomegranates
• olives
• dates

You can find them beautifully arranged by a gentle wind, set against a warm and dynamic background in the Seven Species Ketubah!

What if I feel more like a Humanist than Reform? Or more Conservative than Orthodox? Finding the right Ketubah can be a time of deep thought and introspection, and Team Ketubah is here to help!

If you didn’t go to Rabbinical school, the whole idea of the Ketubah might be something a little confusing if not downright perplexing. Usually, we like to think our Team Ketubah posts are off-the-wall fun, but from time to time we like to take a swing to the academic. This might just even turn into a series!

If you’re a Conservative couple looking for a Conservative Ketubah, your Rabbi probably referred you to something called the “Lieberman Clause” without blinking an eye. While Lieberman might have been the name of your elementary school librarian (in my case anyway!), it is pretty unlikely that Mrs. Lieberman has anything to do with your conservative wedding.

Luckily, the work of Saul Lieberman had been an interesting—if not exciting—topic among Jewish intellectual and academic circles for some time. Ever since the idea of enacting a modern Beit Din to grant divorces as proposed by Rabbi and Professor Lieberman, different sects of Judaism have brought their own views, opinions, and ultimately use or rejection of it.

Among the best of these commentators is Rabbi Josh Yuter, who publishes his podcasts an articles over at his site, Yutopia: The Online Home of Rabbi Josh Yuter. Awesomely, his insightful classes and podcasts have occasionally touched on marriage, even this delicate issue of the Lieberman Clause! You can check out his podcast, called Saul Lieberman and the Orthodox. Check it out!

If you’re a Conservative couple not sure what text to use, we’re more than happy to work with you on finding the perfect words for an awesome beautiful modern art Ketubah. We’d love to work with you both on your journey to the wedding, whether inspired by Chagall Ketubah designs or our other modern masters!

Jacob
Team Ketubah

(That is NOT one of our Ketubot – but a traditional one.)

Different Jewish traditions treat Ketubot, after marriage, in different ways.

Some keep it hidden in a safe.

Some prominently display it in the center of the house.

Some keep it in the wife’s parent’s house.

My grandmother still has hers, framed, in the center of her living room; but my parents, I have no idea where theirs is.

How should you decide what to do with your Ketubah? Well, one predominant factor is the culture: Sephardim, for example, tend to keep it out of sight more, while Ashkenazim tend to flaunt it more.

We would suggest that, the decision as to whether to show off the Ketubah or not rests firmly on three criteria:

First, how strong your connection is with the Ashkenazi or the Sephardi tradition. The more traditional Ashkenazi, the more public; the more traditional Sephardi, the more private.

Secondly, how safe is your living space: if your home is secure, then it makes more sense to display it in your home. If you live in a group living situation, or there are often robberies in your area, you might want to protect it to a greater degree.

Third, how artistic is your Ketubah. The more artistic it is, the more it makes sense to display it. It is, of course, part of our hiddur mitzvah tradition to make the Ketubah as beautiful as possible. But not all Ketubot are designed beautifully–although the hiddur mitzvah tradition is not followed by Jews in various parts of Latin America, for example.

Where in your home would you put your Ketubah?

Wikipedia makes two interesting points about Ketubot, which we will explore in more detail later on. I just want to throw them out for everyone to think about. First:

The ketubah is a significant popular form of Jewish ceremonial art. Ketubot have been made in a wide range of designs, usually following the tastes and styles of the era and region in which they are made. Many couples follow the Jewish tradition of hiddur mitzvah which calls for ceremonial objects such as the ketubah to be made as beautiful as possible.

In other words, it is a Mitvah — hiddur mitvah — to design the Ketubah as beautifully as possible. Many of you probably knew this; I didn’t, I will confess.

Secondly, on displaying the Ketubah in the couple’s house, La Wik says:

Display

Ketubot are often hung prominently in the home by the married couple as a daily reminder of their vows and responsibilities to each other.

However, in some communities, the ketubah is either displayed in a very private section of the home or is not displayed at all. Various reasons given for this include the fact that the details specify personal details, prominent display may invite jealousy or fears of the evil eye.

That is to say: the Ketubah is usually displayed in the house, as my parents and Grandparents did–but they are Ashkenazi. But this custom is weaker among the Sephardim, due to their not wanting to publicize the details of the contract. Luckily, few people today read ancient Aramaic.