Mordechai Edel beside the personalized ketubah he created for A.J. and Olena Steigman; A.J. is a chess champion and Olena is a classical pianist. (photo from Mordechai Edel)<\/i><\/p>\n
Vancouver artist Mordechai Edel is one of a handful of people in Canada who make ketubot <\/i>(singular: ketubah), the standard contract for traditional Jewish marriages, which have been used for millennia.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was trained as an impressionist artist, from which I developed the philosophic concept of \u2018impression-mystic\u2019 art,\u201d Edel told the Independent<\/i>. \u201cHopefully, this contributes in a small way to \u2018marrying\u2019 wedding contracts with art and harmonizing the opposites of heaven and earth, chiaroscuro<\/i> [the use of strong contrasts of dark and light], fire and water.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the central theme of a ketubah is constant \u2013 an obligation on the part of the groom to provide for his bride \u2013 their designs can vary immensely, and each one designed by Edel tells, in its way, a separate story. He has been creating ketubot for 40 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cI often incorporate a stylized menorah symbol, which reflects the potential marriage of all humanity uniting together under G-d\u2019s joyous chuppah canopy of shalom<\/i> [peace and wholeness],\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
A kosher ketubah requires precision and documentation, especially regarding Hebrew names, marriage location and dates. Ketubot are usually written in Aramaic, in calligraphic style, and halachic<\/i> (Jewish legal) requirements allow little room for embellishment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNot much fun there,\u201d said Edel of the creative possibilities. \u201cHowever, \u2018the fun\u2019 may begin with the surrounding artwork. That\u2019s when personal requests start to kick in. I am often requested to incorporate \u2018painted stories,\u2019 illustrating romantic memories of how a couple first met.\u201d<\/p>\n In the past several years, Edel has received numerous ketubah requests from local rabbis, including a \u201cstandard house model\u201d developed with Rabbi Andrew Rosenblatt of Congregation Schara Tzedeck.<\/p>\n \u201cOccasionally, some people do still enjoy elaborate weddings, which tend to generate requests for more personalized, sometimes eccentric artwork,\u201d said Edel.<\/p>\n Depending on the couple\u2019s budget, the creative detail of a personalized ketubah can vary substantially, from minimal artwork to the most elaborate designs, he said.<\/p>\n Edel can take several weeks to paint a personalized ketubah, although sometimes it can \u201cjust click\u201d and he can finish one in two to three weeks. Ideally, couples planning on getting married would contact him as soon as possible, to give him as much time as possible.<\/p>\n Often, he said, the biggest challenge is to receive accurate place, name, date and time information. Sephardi ketubot do not permit any erasures, whereas Ashkenazi halachah<\/i> (Jewish law) allows changes before the contract is signed and validated by two kosher witnesses, he explained.<\/p>\n Edel shared an experience that happened during a Sephardi wedding in the mid-2000s. He had painted a calla lily ketubah for a couple that had met in Acapulco, replete with a romantic sunset and a ship setting sail for Jerusalem in the background.<\/p>\n \u201cGuess what? The night before the marriage, the rabbi checked the ketubah and there was one letter, \u2018vov,\u2019 missing in the Hebrew spelling of Vancouver. I was told it was invalid, it could not be rectified and was void,\u201d Edel recalled.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The solution, Edel found, was to physically cut out the contract part, leaving the surrounding artwork, forming a window. He then spent the entire night rewriting the document, which he then inserted, forming a two-part ketubah.<\/p>\n \u201cThis negative-into-positive transformation has become a trademark blessing that I now incorporate into all commissioned ketubot,\u201d said Edel. \u201cAnd, in case of a last-minute error or wine spill, all ketubot come with a duplicate backup document.\u201d<\/p>\n Along the way, Edel has received some unique ketubah requests. One couple, who had encountered a skunk on their first date in Stanley Park, asked that the scene be recreated in the marriage contract.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI had difficulty finding a stinky model who would sit still,\u201d Edel recalled. \u201cThat turned out to be a most scent<\/i>imental ketubah.\u201d<\/p>\n Another couple commissioned a grandiose, oil-on-canvas ketubah to fit over their fireplace. At the wedding ceremony, the three-foot-by-five-foot ketubah was carried into the sanctuary. The audience stood up and, according to Edel, let out an enormous communal \u201cwow!\u201d<\/p>\n Some of the more exceptional commissions Edel has seen have come from far afield. He recently completed a request that arrived \u201cout of nowhere\u201d from American businessman and professional chess player A.J. Steigman and his bride Olena, a classical pianist. They got married at the Western Wall (Kotel) in Israel and the ketubah features the groom (chatan<\/i>) playing chess on a Vermeer-style chessboard with the bride (kalla<\/i>) playing a Shostakovich concerto, all in the foreground of the Kotel.<\/p>\n Edel has also refurbished ketubot. In one instance, he was commissioned by the son-in-law of longstanding Schara Tzedeck members to \u201cenhance\u201d their original 1948 marriage certificate for their 50th anniversary. He created a ketubah \u201cwith memories of leaving the shtetl in sepia tones, transported into modern times via heaven\u2019s kohanic [priestly] blessings, and embellished with a gorgeous bouquet of their favourite, fragrant rose flowers.\u201d<\/p>\n One of Edel\u2019s ketubot, \u201cLe Picnique,\u201d began as a painting commissioned by the late Joe and Rosalie Segal to be viewed by residents and staff at the Louis Brier Home and Hospital. \u201cIt later developed into a ketubah as a joyous tribute to this wonderful, caring couple,\u201d said Edel.<\/p>\n Edel is grateful for the many blessings he has received in life, and gives special thanks to his wife, Annie, who helps design the ketubot.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is humbly interesting to note that the surname Edel<\/i> means fine and noble, whereas a play on words of Mordechai suggests the French amour de chai<\/i> or love of life,\u201d Edel said. \u201cIt is this joyous love of life partnership that characterizes our ketubot and relationship between G-d, bride and groom and artist.\u201d<\/p>\n