Hebrew, Aramaic or English? What Language Should Your Ketubah Be In?

One of the questions couples often ask me is: Does a ketubah have to be in Hebrew?

Actually, the traditional ketubah isn’t written primarily in Hebrew at all. It’s in Aramaic, the language of many foundational rabbinic Jewish texts.

More contemporary ketubahs are often written in Hebrew, while Reform, Humanistic, interfaith and custom texts frequently combine Hebrew and English. And really, there is no single language combination a ketubah needs to have.

I usually recommend starting with the text itself. If you’re choosing a traditional halakhic ketubah, Aramaic is its natural language. Many contemporary Jewish covenant texts are written in Hebrew. And values-based or custom ketubahs can work beautifully in Hebrew and English together.

The English can be a direct translation of the Hebrew, or it can do something different entirely—perhaps a more personal set of commitments or vows alongside a traditional Jewish text.

A Ketubah Can Hold More Than Two Languages

For couples bringing together different cultures and backgrounds, language can also become part of the artwork and ritual.

I’ve created multilingual ketubahs incorporating Spanish, Italian, Gujarati, Japanese, Greek and other languages alongside Hebrew or Aramaic. Sometimes it’s a complete translation; sometimes a title, name or meaningful phrase is enough to bring another part of the couple’s identity into the document.

There really is room to make the languages of the ketubah reflect the languages of the home you’re creating.

What If We Want Only Hebrew or Aramaic on the Artwork?

I love this option too.

Some couples want the visual simplicity and traditional feeling of having only Hebrew lettering on the ketubah while still wanting to understand the complete translation. In those cases, we can create the ketubah in Hebrew or Aramaic and print the English translation separately as a beautiful companion document to keep beside it or with the framed artwork.

The ketubah can then operate both literally and symbolically: you know what the commitments say, while the artwork itself remains centered around the traditional Jewish letters.

The Letters Are Part of the Art

There is also something special about Hebrew and Aramaic that goes beyond translation.

Jewish mystical tradition has long treated Hebrew letters as carrying meaning in their own right—their shapes, names and sounds becoming part of a sacred vocabulary. These are the same letters that make up a Torah scroll and the words inside a mezuzah; mystical texts even imagine them as building blocks of creation.

That’s part of why I care so much about the lettering itself.

My ketubahs can be hand-scribed, letter by letter, or created using my own custom calligraphic lettering based on Ashkenazi and Sephardi scribal traditions. A hand-scribed ketubah makes the writing itself into the artwork; my custom calligraphy brings some of that same character and attention to the letters into a more accessible format.

So the question isn’t really Hebrew, Aramaic or English?

It’s what do you want your ketubah to say, what do you want to understand when you look at it, and what languages and letters feel like yours?

There are lots of ways to make those things live together.

I can help you design a ketubah in Hebrew, Aramaic, English—or the combination of languages that best reflects your home.

More from the Ketubah Journal

How to Choose a Ketubah Text · The History of the Ketubah · Explore Ketubah Texts