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If a convert (orthodox) later finds out she was Jewish anyway through her mother, does she need a new ketubah since the one she has says bas Avraham and giyorta? Would the answer be different if the biological father was Jewish or not Jewish?

Isaac Moses
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Jilleen2011
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    Jilleen2011, welcome to Mi Yodeya, and thanks very much for this interesting question! Please note that Mi Yodeya does not offer personal rabbinic advice, so if you know someone for whom this is a practical question, she should consult her Rabbi for a ruling, possibly armed with useful information collected by the community here. Also, please consider registering your account, which will give you access to more of the site's features. – Isaac Moses Dec 28 '12 at 15:00
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    A convert's Ketuba is for 100 zuz. Would this wife have deserved 200 had she known she wasn't a convert? If so then she certainly needs a new Ketuba. – Double AA Dec 28 '12 at 15:10
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    Actually, I wonder if the Kiddushin is nullified as a Mekach Ta'ut? – Double AA Dec 28 '12 at 15:16
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    @DoubleAA most standard kutubot include additional gifts that far exceed the 200 zuz threshold no? Also, wouldn't it only be a mekach ta'ut if the result could be claimed by the husband to be inferior to what he was expecting? – not-allowed to change my name Dec 28 '12 at 15:22
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    @ichangedmyid What if he was a Mamzer? Or a Ger-lover? And since those extra gifts are explicitly called 'extra' I don't know if that helps. – Double AA Dec 28 '12 at 15:34
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    @DoubleAA not sure about a mamzer but if he preferred a different status it would be a mekach ta'us but that would have to be indicated by the husband, not assumed, I believe. – not-allowed to change my name Dec 28 '12 at 15:38
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    Where do ketubot include the extra beyond the 100/200? I'm in the US and haven't heard anyone using other than the standard formula - which US law won't enforce anyway, but that may be local to me. I wonder what people do when you can't use betulah, giyores ,matrachta or almanah, does anyone actually use zonah? – Jilleen2011 Dec 28 '12 at 17:30
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    @Jilleen2011 It's in every standard Ketubah text (that I've ever noticed). See line 12 here http://www.hasoferet.com/weddings/stamtext.pdf – Double AA Dec 28 '12 at 17:37
  • @DoubleAA, wouldn't it be invalidated as a mekach taus only if the husband so wishes? – msh210 Dec 30 '12 at 02:28
  • Thanks DoubleAA! Forgot about that part, I was thinking the poster meant some people used a real amount in place of the 200/100 zuzim etc. – Jilleen2011 Jan 01 '13 at 06:39
  • @msh210 Is it? If the daat koneh was faulty, perhaps the kinyan just never happened. How do you know mekach taut is just a forced return policy? Think about a parallel case, like http://judaism.stackexchange.com/q/17077/759 – Double AA Jan 01 '13 at 20:21
  • @Jilleen2011 They are. 1 kesef tzaruf (from the ketubah text) is 2 zuz. So actually the woman in that ketubah is being promised 400 zuz total. – Double AA Jan 01 '13 at 20:22
  • @DoubleAA I thought it's only by request. I may be wrong: it's happened before on occasion. :-) I'd have to look it up. – msh210 Jan 02 '13 at 00:05

1 Answers1

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A kesubah is a shtar -- a binding legal document under Jewish law -- and must meet the criteria required of all shtars. If a kesubah is found to have a mistake, it can be corrected with a kesubah dimishtakich bei ta’usa, a kesubah in which a mistake was found, that is used in these circumstances and signed by witnesses. See http://e.yeshiva.org.il/midrash/shiur.asp?id=11715. It seems to me that since both your name and halachic status (converted women are entitled to less money than born-Jewish women in the writing of a kesubah), it would seem to me that the mistake is serious enough to take to your local rabbi for further consultation.

Bruce James
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