on July 14th, 2010 | Customs & Traditions, Interesting
Judaic decorative art has many forms and styles. Steeped in the often turbulent but for that rich and multifaceted history of the Jewish people and sometimes combined with a Jewish desire to be more modern than modern, today’s Judaic artworks express themselves with diversity of colors and shapes, of ideas and symbols. To a sensitive eye, Judaic art is a confluence of experiences through time (the long history of our nation) and space (the geographic dispersion throughout the four corners of the earth) expressed through the prism of uniquely personal vision and personal experience of the artist.
Ketubah, although essentially a legal document (and legal papers rarely find themselves a source for artistic inspiration), has been an important outlet for artistic expression for hundreds of years. Before we explore contemporary Ketubah artists, let me post here a few examples of Ketubahs of yesterday. There are a few Ketubah collections on the web; here are just a few excerpts from these that caught our attention:
These are from the New York Public Library collection:
(To see more from this collection of rare, antique ketubahs, click here: NYPL Digital Library)
![[Ketubbah. Isfahan, 1881]. Digital ID: 1238124. New York Public Library](http://images.nypl.org/index.php?id=1238124&t=r "[Ketubbah. Isfahan, 1881]. Digital ID: 1238124. New York Public Library")
1881, Isfahan, Iran
Reggio Emilia, 1770
Reggio Emilia, 1774
Nizza Monferrato, 1782
Another Digital collection can be found at the Jewish National and University Library; here are a few excerpts:
Bayonne, France, 1695
Salonika, Greece, 1883
Rome, Italy, 1638
Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1661 (this printed ketubah appears in many weddings of the time.)
on June 17th, 2010 | Customs & Traditions
Since the Fast of 17th of Tammuz is in two weeks, we’re sharing with you an article regarding the halachah questions that arise when someone needs to hold their wedding on the eve of 17th of Tammuz.
Reposted from Revach.net:
The fast of Shiva Asar B’Tammuz (17th of Tammuz), which begins the mourning period known as the Three Weeks’, does not commence until the morning. Does that mean that the night before is not part of the Taanis and the halachos of the three weeks don’t start until the morning, or does the three weeks start as soon as it becomes night on 17 Tammuz but the actual not eating only begins in the morning?
Rav Moshe Feinstein in Igros Moshe (OC 1:168) says that it is a Machlokes Rishonim. Rav Moshe brings proof from the gemara that the taanis only starts in the morning but he says because of his proof we cannot pasken between the opinions of the rishonim. Nevertheless, says Rav Moshe, these issurim of shaving, weddings, and the halachos of the three weeks are not Din but rather Minhagim of Aveilus during a bad period for Am Yisroel, therefore we can be more lenient. Additionally he suggests that maybe even the Rishonim who hold the Taanis starts at night would agree that these things only become forbidden in the morning when the actual fasting begins.
Therefore Rav Moshe says that in a Makom Tzorech – circumstances that call for a wedding to be held on the eve of the 17th – it is permissible to treat the night of Shiva Asar B’Tammuz as if the three weeks have not started.
on December 13th, 2009 | Customs & Traditions
A Chanukah wedding may have a number of halachic implications for both the couple and the wedding attendees.
The Mitzvah To Light in Ones Home
The place where a person lights the Chanukah candles is just as important, even more important, than the time when he or she lights. The halacha requires that the Menorah is kindled in one’s place of residence. (Even though, the menorahs are lit in public places such as shuls, one does not fulfill his mitzvah of Chanukka candles with this lighting.) Temporary residence is also considered one’s residence for the purpose of lighting the candles; i.e. the place where a person sleeps that night is the place where he or she should light the menorah.
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on September 15th, 2009 | Customs & Traditions
Rabbi Eliyahu Shear
(http://torahonline.weebly.com)
Imagine the world before creation… the Spirit of G-d hovered over the face of the waters. A topsy-turvy world flooded with water, the source of life. G-d brings light into the world… and darkness. He separates the waters and the dry land is seen. It is here where creation takes places. Life comes into the world. Even the dry earth is filled with a sense of life – or else it would be non-existent. The plants grow, the animals move, and man speaks. (more…)
on October 4th, 2008 | Customs & Traditions
The Jewish wedding contains many fascinating and meaningful rituals, symbolic gestures that not only consecrate the new couple’s marriage but bring out the inner beauty of that uniquely human institution. A marriage is a foundation to the Jewish family – the rock and the staple of Jewish continuity. Other articles on the website may go into depth and detail of the wedding ceremony; here we wanted to describe briefly the layout of a traditional Jewish wedding.
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