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A beautiful Ketubah completes a Jewish Wedding.Welcome to my personal Ketubah Studio. All the ketubahs on ArtKetubah.com were created by me, Nishima Kaplan. I will personally guide you every step of the way and and help create your dream ketubah.
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| I am thrilled to unveil my newest ketubahs. [click here to view this gallery] | |||||
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Get a "sneak peek" of my new Lifecycle Event Artwork Beautifully framed art gifts for Jewish Weddings, Parents, Rabbi & Home (plus Baby Naming, Graduation, Bar & Bat Mitzvah and other elegant gift items.) [click here to view] |
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[view the ketubahs] |
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Landscapes & Seascapes |
Celestials |
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Judaic Designs |
Seasons
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Modern
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Nishima Kaplan's Exclusive Gallery of Handmade Ketubahs
Available for the first time, the original artwork of many of Nishima's most popular ketubahs. Nishima can hand-letter personalized texts or wedding vows on the original watercolor or mixed-media ketubot that she created for her gorgeous limited edition gyclees. Only ONE of each of these original ketubot exists... [view handmade ketubahs] |
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What in the world is a ketubah, ketubot, kettubah, ketuvah?
There are many different English spellings for Ketubah, or Jewish gallery of jewish wedding ketubahs. Here you'll find a wealth of information about the history, traditions, art and poetry which go into creating each of our museum-quality, limited edition ketubahs. And if there is information you cannot find, we are happy to chat on the phone. |
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First Times: How I Met My Ketubah
I have to admit that when Nishima and I were getting married, I never gave a second thought to ketubahs. I knew about ketubahs: I had seen my parents' black and white photocopied ketubah from 1964. I'm sure I had stared at ketubahs in synagogue gift shops. But when it came time to needing one myself, I guess I just assumed that our Rabbi would magically wisk one out from inside his jacket on our wedding day. [read more]
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Guide to the Jewish Wedding
"The Jewish wedding ceremony is ...Judaism in miniature -- a cavalcade of Jewish meanings, images, theological notions, and historical memories." --Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin [read more]
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Article: The Mysticism of Marriage
By Nishima Kaplan, When two people come together in marriage, it is as if an entire world has been created. In six days the Lord made heaven and earth. What has God been doing since then? Since creating the earth, God has been arranging Jewish Weddings, writes Rabbi Yossi ben Halaphta,. Not an easy task! In fact, it is written that arranging a Jewish marriage (or any marriage) is as difficult as splitting the Red Sea. [read more]
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Article: Writing Your Own Ketubah Text
WHY? The Ketubah today is not the legally binding pre-nup that it was for so much of Jewish history. Few - if any - couples actually exchange the required Zuzim and Zekukim (ancient coins) that the Orthodox and Conservative ketubahs still lay out as the dowry for first time brides, divorcees, widows and converts. If anything, the most legally binding aspect of the ketubah is the one we hope never to use: The Lieberman Clause Ð which compels a Jewish man to grant his wife a legal separation - and which even then, only carries legal weight within the Jewish community. Some Rabbis even suggest using the ketubah as it was originally meant: As a legally binding prenuptual agreement. Now, if you are put off by the idea of having your prenup hanging on the wall of your bedroom, or dining room, other possibilities exist. One is to find an English text (or write one yourself) that accurately describes the feelings of love and respect that you have for each other. This declaration may include a vision of the type of life and home you envision creating together. Such a Ketubah can be read out loud every year on your Anniversary (just as your Ketubah is read under the Huppah, the wedding canopy, during your ceremony). During times of strife or stress, you can consult the words for comfort and strength, knowing that good times follow bad, and that the Love that created this document will burst through the clouds that presently obscure it. Such a Ketubah is more than beautiful artwork, more than a requirement of Jewish law. Such a Ketubah is a testament for all time of the Love which brought you together. HOW? Is writing your own Ketubah text permitted? The answer depends on your beliefs and those of your Rabbi or Officiant. It also depends on whether you want to rewrite the English while leaving the Hebrew/Aramaic as is, or whether you want the English to match the Hebrew/Aramaic. If you are Orthodox, the answer may be "no." But it doesn't hurt to ask. Perhaps your Rabbi hearkens back to the early days of ketubahs when each document was written with the individual couple in mind. Or perhaps he doesn't mind what the English says. If you are Conservative, your Rabbi may wish to help you write a meaningful, personal English text while leaving the Hebrew/Aramaic as is. Some Conservative rabbis have alternative Hebrew or Aramaic texts that they like to work with. For Reform, Renewal or Reconstructionist couples, there may not be any strictures against using a custom text. Some Rabbis may even prefer that your ketubah text be tailored to your specific situation. Rabbi David Stein has authored an e-book entitled "Ketubah Kit for Rabbis, A Reconstructionist Approach" which guides the process of writing a custom ketubah text from the perspective of six Reconstructionist rabbis around the United States. |
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