What is a Ketuba?

The ketubah, or marriage contract, is formalized during the groom's reception. The pivotal step during this event is the fulfillment and signing of the ketubah, which is essential and mandated by law within the wedding proceedings. The ketubah, composed in Aramaic, outlines the husband's responsibilities towards his wife, encompassing provisions such as sustenance, clothing, housing, and intimacy. Additionally, it establishes a claim on all his assets to ensure payment of financial support to her in the event of divorce or his death preceding hers.

What are the two parts of Jewish marriage and when do they happen (ארוסין/ נשואין)?

The Biblically defined wedding ceremony actually consists of two parts: nesuin or marriage and or erusin.

Erusin can be likened to an engagement rather than marriage, as it doesn't allow the couple to reside together or engage in marital relations. However, once erusin is finalized, the woman assumes the full status of a married woman, and the man also attains the status of a married man. They are then prohibited from intimate relations with anyone else (Deuteronomy 20:7; Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, Made in Heaven, pp. 133-4). Hence, in contemporary practice, erusin and nesuin are often combined to avoid a scenario where the woman is considered married but is not living with her husband.

Nesuin originates from a term meaning "to lift or take," suggesting the action of the man taking the woman as his wife. Once this step is taken, they are officially husband and wife, permitted to cohabit and engage in intimate relations.

The Prenup:

The prenup consists of 2 parts:

1. Each spouse agrees to appear before a panel of Jewish law judges arranged by the Beth Din of America, if the other spouse demands it, and to abide by the decision of the Beth Din with respect to the Get.

2. If the couple separates, the Jewish law obligation of the husband to support his wife is formalized, so that he is obligated to pay $150 per day (indexed to inflation), from the date he receives notice from her of her intention to collect that sum, until the date a Jewish divorce is obtained. This support obligation ends if the wife fails to appear at the Beth Din of America or to abide by a decision of the Beth Din of America.