Palestinian Ketubah (Ṣā, Egypt)

1081

About This Entry

This Palestinian ketubah from Ṣā, Egypt, a small village in the Nile Delta (now Sa el-Hagar), may be the only documented evidence of Jewish settlement in that locale. The ketubah is for the marriage of ‘Allūn ben Daniel and ‘Azūz bat Joseph, a divorcée. This document underscores the poverty of the Jews in Ṣā, as the dowry was quite a small sum. ‘Azūz’s previous divorce may also have been a contributing factor to her impoverished situation. The ketubah largely follows Palestinian Rabbanite practices, but the early payment of the mohar (bridal gift) and the phraseology of the witness statement do not adhere to those traditions.

By Your name, our Creator. Groom and bride. May they build and prosper. On the second day of the week, which is the third day of the month of Nisan, of the year 4841 A.M., in the city of Ṣā, which is located on the Nile, was written this marriage deed, before us, we the undersigned witnesses.

De[clared] ‘Allūn, the groom, b. Daniel [whose] s[oul is at] r[est] intentionally, voluntarily, and of his own choice, not coerced, not enticed, and not intoxicated, to marry ‘Azūz, the bride, the divorcée, daughter of Joseph [whose] s[oul is at] r[est], with the intention that he will nourish, provide for, clothe, and cover her, in the manner of Jewish men. And this ‘Azūz, the bride, the divorcée, daughter of Joseph [whose] s[oul is at] r[est] harkened to him [accepted his proposal] and consented, with her full will, to be married to him, with the intention that she will attend him and serve [“stand before”] him, in the manner of respectable wives, who esteem and attend their husbands in purity and cleanness. And after he gave her 100 zuz, which the sages fixed for her, they agreed, groom and bride, that the total mohar be twelve full, good dinars: two dinars the advanced payment—this bride has received them; and there remain incumbent upon the groom [t]‌en dinars, delayed, a [strong and firm de]bt. These are what [this bri]de brought in from the Merciful [and from the house of her fathers:] . . .—one dinar, two pillows—tw[o din.]. . . pillows—one dinar, a cover—one dinar. The total of what this bride brought in to her husband’s house is five and one third dinars and the ten dinars, delayed. And this groom undertook the safekeeping of this dowry and the security of this marria[ge] deed and the stipulations of [the Torah] and the ketubba stipulations. And with this understan[ding, they agreed,] gr[oom] and bride, and they gave permission [to the witnesses] to testify. And we performed a qinyan with [ . . . for all] that is written and specified above [in] this marria[ge deed], af[ter it had been read to them [?] . . . ]

Moses b. Japheth [whose] s[oul is at] r[est]. Is[aac] b. Yeshu‘a Amram b. Joseph r[emembered] for [good]. Samuel b. . . . Bi[shr] ha-Levi b. Ḥalf[on].

Source: CUL T-S 16.53.

Translated by Mordechai A. Friedman.

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Notes

Words in brackets appear in the original translation.

Credits

‘Allūn ben Daniel and ‘Azūz bat Joseph, Palestinian Ketubah (Ṣā, Egypt), trans. Mordechai A. Friedman, from Mordechai A. Friedman, Jewish Marriage in Palestine: A Geniza Study, vol. 2 (Tel Aviv and New York: Tel Aviv University, Chaim Rosenberg School of Jewish Studies and Jewish Theological Seminary, 1980–1981), 177–78. Courtesy of The Jewish Theological Seminary and Tel Aviv University, The Chaim Rosenberg School of Jewish Studies and Archaeology.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 3: Encountering Christianity and Islam.