If two brothers live together and one of them dies, the surviving brother is to have sexual intercourse with his brother’s widow and take her as his wife. Their firstborn child shall bear the name of the dead brother so that his name shall not be wiped out. (Editor’s note: This is called “levirate marriage” or, in Hebrew, yibbum.) If the surviving brother does not want to marry his brother’s widow, she is to report that to the city elders. If they cannot convince him to marry her, then the widow shall, in the presence of the elders, pull off his sandal, spit in his face and say, “This is what is done to a man that will not build up his brother’s house.” From that time on, his family shall be known as “the house of him whose sandal was pulled off.” (Editor’s note: This is known as the ritual of halitzah.)

If a wife has violated Jewish law as it pertains to women then she does not receive any part of the amount of her ketubah. Such violations include feeding her husband food that was forbidden for eating, including giving him food not tithed, and telling him that it was permitted food; having sexual intercourse with her husband when she was menstruating without his knowing it;[19] or speaking with another man after her husband made her swear that she would not speak with that man and he warned her that she would lose her ketubah amount if she did.[20] If there are no witnesses or if the wife contradicts the witness by saying, for example, that the witness had taken out the tithe from the food or had declared that her stain was not from menstruation when the witness claims otherwise, then the woman is believed and does not forfeit the amount of her ketubah.[21]

Additionally, a woman has violated Jewish law as it pertains to women and loses her right to receive any of the amount of her ketubah by going out in a public place where there are many people without wearing a shawl like other women, even if her hair is covered by a kerchief; spinning yarn in the market with her arms showing or with a rose or similar ornament on her face like promiscuous non-Jewish women; flirting with men; asking for sex from her husband so loudly that neighbors hear her talking about sex; or cursing her father-in-law in front of her husband. This applies only when there are witnesses to her behavior and she was warned by her husband in advance.[22]

She also loses the full amount of her ketubah if she has committed adultery[23] but not if she was raped.[24]

If a man dies while married to several wives whom he married at different times, their ketubah payments are made in the order in which they were married if his wealth is insufficient to pay them all.[25] Even if they were married on the same day, if the time of signing is recorded on each ketubah, the payment is made in the same order as the signing.[26]

If the widows were all married to the man on the same day with no record of the time of signing of each ketubah and the amount specified in each ketubah is the same, each wife receives the same amount even if there is not enough money to pay the full amount specified. If the amounts specified in the ketubahs of the wives are different and there are insufficient funds to pay each wife even the lowest amount specified in any of the ketubahs, then the money is divided equally among the wives.  If the funds available are enough to pay each wife the amount written in the lowest ketubah, then the wife with that ketubah is paid in full and the remaining funds divided equally among the other wives. And so on.[27]

If a man gives all his property to his children and gives his wife a piece of land, no matter how small, or even just a palm tree or just the fruit of that tree, then his wife has lost most of her ketubah amount since she did not object to being part of this arrangement.[28]

When a man dies, those who inherit his property must provide food for his widow until she dies or remarries. If, instead, she claims the ketubah amount and they pay it to her, then they no longer have to provide her with food.[29]

If the man who died had many wives at the time of his death, the inheritors of his property must feed them all for as long as they are widows (remain unmarried), whether they became his wives all at the same time or at different times.[30]

In addition to food, a widow is entitled to receive clothing and living quarters from the heirs of her dead husband. She is also entitled to use the pillows, linens and male and female slaves that she used when her husband was alive.[31] Her husband's heirs must also pay her for nursing if she is breastfeeding[32] and pay her taxes.[33]

A widow who is receiving sustenance from her husband's heirs must turn over to them the proceeds of her labor, just as she had been obliged to turn them over to her husband.[34] She must also serve them as she had been obliged to serve her husband, though she need not mix their drinks, wash their face and hands and feet, or make their beds.[35]

When a man marries a widow, they should not have sex for the first time on Shabbat or on any holiday.[36]

Unless his wife is with him, a scholar of the Torah is forbidden to live in a courtyard where a widow lives because of the suspicion that this will raise.[37] A widow should not have a dog because it will cause people to suspect that she is having sexual intercourse with the animal.[38]

A judge is to hear a lawsuit case brought by an orphan before a case brought by a widow, a widow before a scholar, a scholar before one who is not educated, and a woman before a man.[39]

Laws of Religion is a project of the Religion Research Society.