Marriage in Judaism is the documentation of a contract between a Jewish man and a Jewish woman in which God is involved. In Judaism, a marriage can end either because of a divorce document given by the man to his wife, or by the death of either party. Certain details, primarily as protections for the wife, were added in Talmudic times.
A Jewish wedding (1903) by Jozef Israëls
Jewish marriage certificate, dated 1740 (Brooklyn Museum)
The Jewish Bride (Rembrandt, 1662–6)
Orthodox Jewish protesters holding anti-LGBT signs during the Gay Pride parade in Haifa, Israel (2010)
A get, ghet, or gett is a document in Jewish religious law which effectuates a divorce between a Jewish couple. The term is also used to refer to the divorce itself. The get is a 12-line document written in Aramaic. The requirements for a get include that the document be presented by a husband to his wife. The essential part of the get is a very short declaration: "You are hereby permitted to all men". The effect of the get is to free the woman from the marriage, and consequently she is free to marry another and that the laws of adultery no longer apply. The get also returns to the wife the legal rights that a husband held in regard to her.
Le Get (The Divorce), painting by Moshe Rynecki, c. 1930.
Postcard illustrating a divorce procedure, Jewish Museum of Switzerland