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 [close-up of "Cosmic Fusion" ketubah. From reading distance, the words are clear. From across the room, all you see is Nishima's beautiful artwork.] |
 Sheltered Cove |
 Celebration |
 New Dawn |
 New Dawn ~no borders~ |
 Windswept |
 Destiny |
 Distant Shores |
 Destiny ~no borders~ |
 Pathways |
 Growing Together |
 Sea of Tranquility |
 Moonfall |
History of the KetubahThe Ketubah (Hebrew: the writing) is the Jewish marriage contract introduced into the Jewish wedding ceremony more than 2,000 years ago. It was written in Aramaic, the spoken language of the Jews of the time, and amazingly, Aramaic has remained the written language of many Ketubahs today.Certainly the stipulations and "legalese" found within the Ketubah have changed somewhat over its 2000-year-plus history. The Ketubah was originally written to ensure the bride’s well being within her Jewish marriage. When the groom signs the Ketubah, he contractually agrees to honor and support his new wife, to treat her with fairness, dignity and respect in a peace-filled home. The Ketubah documents what she will receive in the event of divorce or (G-d fobid!) his death. The Ketubah was developed to protect the Jewish wife in a time when historically women had very little protection and very few rights. Because Judaism is a matrilineal society, the woman sometimes did come into a marriage with certain material goods; these were protected by the Ketubah. Many Ketubahs written today have more egalitarian language but the overall sentiments remain.
History of the Ketubah as ArtIn the novel, Tell Me a Mitzvah, by Danny Siegel, he writes that "É when we do mitzvahs [perform commandments], we should do them with a special touch. That’s called hiddur mitzvah, making mitzvahs beautiful." It is a mitzvah to contract and execute (sign) a Ketubah, and it’s a mitzvah of course to marry and begin a new Jewish home. Therefore, it is a "hiddur mitzvah"* to create a beautiful Ketubah, the Ketubah as art.Hiddur mitzvah* As Rabbi Allison Bergman Vann has written, "Hiddur mitzvah is the visual glorification of God. It’s roots are found in Exodus 15:2, which exclaims: " This is my God and I will glorify God" Our ancient rabbis queried about what this meant. Their answer was to do it through visual beauty. Over time, this developed into the adornment of our sacred objects." Mezzuzahs, kiddush cups, menorahs, a ketubah (the list goes on and on), all are sacred art. One of the special qualities that all artists have is their ability to be continually inspired and influenced by their environments. Judaica (Jewish art) is full of sacred items that are inspired by the culture of that artistŐs time and place. On the Ketubah, because we have names, dates and location of the marriage, we can actually study Ketubahs as art historical documents. For instance, a Ketubah from the 16th century in Italy might contain Florentine or Renaissance symbols or flourishes, in addition (or even to the exclusion) of Judaic symbols (such as the lions of Judah). Or a Persian Ketubah might feature designs that are commonly seen in the Sufi or Islamic art of the same era. |
