How did the monetary guarantee of the ketubah develop? What light can similar contracts from the Ancient Near East and modern pre-marital financial agreements such as the pre-nup shed on the nature of the ketubah, including the question of whether it is binding?

Prof. Michael L. Satlow is Professor of Judaic Studies and Religious Studies at Brown University.  He holds a Ph.D. from JTS, and is an author of numerous works including the book Jewish Marriage in Antiquity, and the chapter “Reconsidering the Rabbinic Ketubah Payment” in The Jewish Family in Antiquity.  

Special thanks to our executive producer, Adina Karp

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"Midnight Tale" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)

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