Ketubah for a Second Marriage

The fixed amount of money for second marriages

In the Ketubah we state the amount of money the woman will get from her husband in case of divorce or death, G’d forbid. The amount of money has been fixed by our Sages, who determined that the amount for a first marriage is 200 Zuz and the amount for a second marriage is only 100 Zuz, these amounts are fixed and are not changed.

Dowry for the women

Besides for the set amount of money stated in the ketubah one also states the portion the woman brings into the marriage from her youth or previous marriage, this consists of money, tools and clothing which she might she have from her home or first husband. These items she can repossess in case of divorce or death, G’d forbid.

Previously one would specify the total value of her dowry very accurately, nowadays this practice does not exist anymore and one usually writes a fixed amount in the Ketubah, which is called “מאה זקוקים כסף צרוף” for a first marriage and half of that for a second marriage “חמישים זקוקים כסף צרוף”.

Supplements in the Ketubah

The supplement one adds in the Ketubah is another amount of money on top of the fixed amounts already stated. This is the amount of money which the Groom adds in order to show his commitment towards his wife. This amount is usually double the amount one writes for the dowry.

Second part of the Supplement

There are grooms who want to impress their bride and bride’s family and therefore write an unrealistic and irrational sum of money which they will probably never even obtain. It is advisable to be very cautious about this, as the Ketubah is a legal and binding document which can be brought to court, therefore one should be sensible with the amount promised. For this reason some people have the custom not to read the amount out loud, but just to say “a certain amount of money”.

Download text: Ketubah for a second marriage

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