Yemen (1775) / Malta (1807) / France (1970) / Lebanon (1835) / Portugal (1841) / Egypt (1873) / Syria (1883)
Chayei Sarah (חיי שרה – The Life of Sarah)
Genesis 23:1 to 25:18 and I Kings 1:1–31
Sarah passes away at the age of 127 in Hebron. Abraham purchases the Cave of Machpelah to bury her. Isaac marries Rebecca; they fall in love, and Isaac finds comfort after the loss of his mother. Abraham remarries Keturah, makes arrangements for his children, and dies at the age of 175. Isaac and Ishmael bury him in the Cave of Machpelah alongside Sarah. In the haftarah, King David also makes arrangements before his death.
Genesis 24:7
וְלָקַחְתָּ אִשָּׁה לִבְנִי, מִשָּׁם.
“And you shall take a wife for my son from there.”
This verse is part of the “Avraham Zaken” passage, read in Hebrew and Aramaic when the groom is called to the Torah. Aramaic is also the language used for writing the ketubah, the marriage contract that the hatan (groom) gives to the kallah (bride) during the wedding ceremony. The ketubah outlines the husband’s responsibilities and obligations toward his wife.
The Ketubbot collection at the National Library of Israel is a unique treasure reflecting the richness and diversity of Jewish traditions across centuries. These marriage contracts, often adorned with magnificent illustrations and calligraphy, are not merely legal documents; they testify to cultural practices, local artistic influences, and communal identities across the Jewish diaspora. Whether featuring Oriental, Italian, or Ashkenazi motifs, each ketubah tells a story, intertwining the sacred and the personal in Jewish family life.