Ketubah or Commemorative Art

Above: Examples of custom messianic ketubot (wedding contracts) produced by Messianic Scribal Arts.

Messianic Scribal Arts can produce a custom wedding contract (ketubah) for your wedding or anniversary. Each design is unique, with the wording and art selection tailored to your personal style. The example shown above was custom designed and produced by M.S.A. for a couple celebrating their anniversary and was completely hand-scribed (including all names and dates, not shown here) on an 11x17 piece of goatskin vellum using irridescent inks and metallic gold. Other possible uses of this 11x17 format could be Commemorative Art for a b'rit milah (circumcision) or a bar or bat mitzvah (son/daughter of the commandment). Perhaps you might like to honor the memory of a loved one who has gone to be with the L-RD, with a yizchor manuscript for your congregation.

Timeframe to complete a custom handmade ketubah varies, but experience has shown that a minimum of six weeks before the wedding day is necessary to send design proofs back and forth, translate your vows, hand scribe and paint the ketubah, and allow plenty of time for ground shipping. Please plan ahead and allow us to begin work at least six weeks before the wedding date. If your wedding date is only a month from now, consider purchasing one of the many beautiful pre-printed ketubot available from various Judaica companies. NOTE: We have occasionally produced ketubot within a month's time or less, but then only if our work schedule permits it, and ONLY using pre-existing designs from our website (there is not enough time to create custom designs or color schemes). For rush ketubot, we require an additional "rush fee" of $100 to cover our extra costs: we end up paying extra for expedited translation work, and we must pay the high cost of shipping via air instead of ground.

Many people have asked us for help in writing their "vows" or contractual wording for the ketubah. As a helpful starting point, the following contract has been written and submitted to us by a Messianic Jew who desired to express the fullness of both the orthodox tradition, and the truths of TaNaCH (Old Testament) and B'rit Chadashah (New or Renewed Covenant). We think this wording is beautiful and accomplishes both goals, and the writer generously encourages others to freely use the wording he wrote:

On the _________[DAY] day of the week, the ______[DATE] of ______[MONTH] in the year 576_ the eternal covenant of marriage was entered into in _______ [CITY] in the State of _________[STATE] between the Bridegroom _______________[GROOM FULL NAME] son of __________ [GROOM'S FATHER'S FIRST NAME] and _______________[GROOM'S MOTHER'S FIRST NAME] and his Bride ________________ [BRIDE'S FULL NAME] daughter of ____________ [BRIDE'S FATHER'S FIRST NAME] and _______________[BRIDE'S MOTHER'S FIRST NAME].

The said Bridegroom _________[GROOM'S FIRST NAME] son of _________ [GROOM'S FATHER'S FIRST NAME] and _________ [GROOM'S MOTHER'S FIRST NAME] made the following declaration to his bride:
Be you my wife according to the law of Moses and of Israel. I hereby leave my father and mother to be united to you that we two may become one flesh. You shall belong to me as long as I shall live. I faithfully promise that I will fulfill my marital duty to you. My flesh shall belong to you. I shall be your head as Messiah is the head of the congregation, His body, of which He is Savior. I shall love you as Messiah loved the congregation and gave Himself up for her. In the same way I shall love you as my own flesh. For this reason I have left my father and mother to be united to you that we two may become one flesh. You shall be my one wife. I will honor and cherish you: I will work for you. I will protect and support you, and will provide all that is necessary for your sustenance, even as it is proper for a Jewish husband to do. I also take upon myself all such further obligations for your maintenance, as are prescribed by our religious statute.

And the said Bride _________ [BRIDE'S FIRST NAME] daughter of _________[BRIDE'S FATHER'S FIRST NAME] and ___________ [BRIDE'S MOTHER'S FIRST NAME] has made her covenant to her bridegroom to fulfill her marital duties as a Jewish wife. Her flesh shall belong to him. She shall submit to him as to Adonai. As the congregation submits to Messiah, so she shall submit to her bridegroom in everything. The said Bride shall respect her Bridegroom.

This Covenant of Marriage was duly executed and witnessed this day, according to the law of Israel.

[SIGNATURES OF BRIDE, GROOM, AT LEAST TWO WITNESSES AND RABBI/OFFICIATOR]