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  • From: Shoshanna Walker <rosewalk AT concentric.net>
  • To: b-hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] virgin vs. young woman
  • Date: Sat, 21 Jul 2007 21:21:50 -0400

Not correct, Yigal

The bride is referred to as "Betulta" (aramaic for betula) and she gets 200 zuzim. If she is divorced or widowed, the word "Betulta" is simply left out, it is not replaced, and she gets 100 zuzim. The only other word that is used is "Giyorta" if she is a convert and she also gets 100 zuzim.

In my case, because I had a child without having been previously married, and I was still entitled to 200 zuzim, we had to explain, since I had a daughter, why I was still entitled to 200 zuzim, not having been married previously, but also not being a virgin at my wedding, so Rabbi Riskin told me to write (I am a veteran Ketuba calligrapher and artist) "It'ta" (Aramaic for 'woman')

Shoshanna



I'll add this to Karl's comment: the traditional Jewish marriage contract,
the Ketubah, reffers to the bride as a "betulah", unless she had been
previously married (in other words, a divorcee or a widow), in which case
she's referred to as "ishah". Today, when most brides are certainly not
"virgins" in the "pure" sense of the word, this often causes some joking,
but I have yet to see either the couple or the rabbi who would dare suggest
that the wording be changed.

Something like wearing a white dress...

Yigal Levin




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