This design uses different sizes of letters to make a lovely rich lacy border. What are the texts it’s using?
The first text around the outside is Isaiah 61:10-62:1.
| שוש אשיש בייﭏ תגל נפשי בﭏדי כי הלבשני בגדי ישע מעיל צדקה יעטני כחתן יכהן פאר וככלה תעדה כליה כי כארץ תוציא צמחה וכגנה זרועיה תצמיח כנ אד’ ﭏדים יצמיח ותהלה נגד כל הגוים למען לא אחשה ולמען ירושלים לא אשקוט עד יצא כגנה צדקה |
I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. |
It’s the first three verses of the haftarah associated with the Seven Weeks of Consolation, which falls out on Nitzavim or Vayelech. But it’s here in a ketubah because it’s also known as the hatan’s haftarah; in the Middle Ages it was a widespread custom for communities all over Europe and North Africa and beyond for the hatan to read this haftara in celebration of a wedding. This custom was extant at least up until the early 20th century.
There was a less widespread custom to have a special maftir for the groom as well; the verses from Hayei Sarah (Genesis 24:1-6). Traces of this custom remain among Syrian communities, who sing these verses (with Aramaic Targum) when the groom comes up to take his aliyah.
Anyway, this haftarah uses wedding imagery to describe the consolation of Jerusalem, hence its suitability as a haftarah for a hatan. In the weeks following the destruction of Jerusalem, the haftarot get more and more confident that the city will be restored, culminating in the joy of a wedding, and this haftarah.
The beautiful thing here is that in the liturgical cycle, we use the imagery of a wedding to evoke the nascent hopes of Jerusalem – but in the lifecycle, we use the imagery of the consolation of Jerusalem to evoke the nascent hopes of a marriage – as well as having this as a special haftarah in the wedding week, phrases from it feature in the celebratory meals, in the sheva berakhot.
| אשת חיל מי ימצא ורחק מפנינים מכרה בטח בה לב בעלה ושלל לא יחסר גמלתהו טוב ולא רע כל ימי חייה דרשה צמר ופשתים ותעש בחפץ כפיה היתה כאניות סוחר ממרחק תביא לחמה ותקם בעוד לילה ותתן טרף לביתה וחוק לנערתיה זממה שדה ותקחהו מפרי כפיה נטעה כרם חגרה בעוז מתניה ותאמץ זרועתיה טעמה כי טוב סחרה לא יכבה בלילה נרה ידיה שלחה |
Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. She is like the merchants’ ships; she bringeth her food from afar. She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms. She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night. She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. |
The text in the hoops around the edge is from Eshet Hayil, the last chapter of Proverbs. Interestingly, with both this and the other texts, you’ll note that the artist stopped halfway through a verse, when he ran out of space!
| למנצח על שושנים לבני קרח משכיל שיר ידידות רחש לבי דבר טוב אמר אני מעשי למלך לשוני עטסופר מהיר יפיפית מבני אדם הוצק חן בשפתותיך על כן ברכך ﭏדים לעולם חגור חרבך על ירך גבור הודך והדרך והדרך צלח |
For the chief musician, on “lilies.” To the sons of Korach. A Maskil. A love song. My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever. |
The inner layer of text is the first four-and-a-bit verses of Psalm 45, which identifies itself as “shir yedidit,” “a love song.” Sometimes it was done as the Psalm of the Day, on the day of a wedding, in place of the usual Psalm of the Day in the back of the siddur.
| קול ששון וקול שמחה קול חתן וקול כלה |
The sound of joy and the sound of celebration; the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride. |
And this part, the biggest letters, is from Jeremiah; it appears several times, also in the context of Jerusalem, where first it is pronounced as a doom, and later is a promise of blessing.
Next time: the text in the middle.
