In most Sephardic congregations, before the Tora is read on the first day of Shabu’ot, we recite a very special “marriage certificate or Ketuba” which compares the relationship between God and Israel to a “marriage”. The Covenant of Love between God and Israel that we remember on Shabu’ot was formalized with the giving of the Tora, in the same way that a marriage between husband and wife is formalized with the giving of the Ketuba. This comparison between the God-Israel’s covenant and a marriage is not new. It is mentioned numerous times in the Tanakh. Interestingly, the Haftara that we read this last Shabbat (Hoshea 2: 21-22) mentions the beautiful words that God said to Israel: “I will take you as My wife forever. I will marry you with justice, right, kindness and compassion. I will marry you and I will be eternally faithful to you, and thus you will know that I am Your God… ” .
The Shavuot ketuba was written by R’ Yisroel Najara (1555-1625) who lived at the end of his life in Gaza.
Menu