What Makes a Modern Ketubah Kosher?

Can a thoroughly modern and contemporary Ketubah (like ours at This is Not a Ketubah) still be Kosher?

Many of the features of the new, modern, cool Ketubot — like the high quality design, the creative look and even the custom creation — don’t effect whether it is Kosher or not. Some even help it: it is, after all, a Mitzvah to decorate your Ketubah to be as beautiful as possible.

The awesome design and special love we give to our Ketubot are what make them thoroughly modern, but that just doesn’t change how kosher it is or isn’t.

Other features of the hipster or unique Ketubah really depend on your Rabbi. For example, some Rabbis might perform a gay Jewish marriage or an intermarriage; many do not, and Orthodox rabbis never do.

Another factor is, whether a woman signs it or not. This, too, depends on your rabbi and shul. Traditionally, it is usually men who sign the Ketubah. But modern congregations these days usually allow woman to sign them as well.

The single most important factor is, of course, the wording of the Ketubah. Although we obsess over creating amazing designs for our Ketubot, the Ketubah is fundamentally a legal contract — and it is the Jewish law that matters above everything else. We use the standard wording — and there are a few traditions for the wording, such as the traditional Ashkenazi wording and the traditional Sephardi wording — and we work closely with your Shul’s rabbi in order to ensure that all the wording is perfect.