A man was marrying off his daughter. In honor of the occasion, he spent an exorbitant amount of money and commissioned an artist to create an exquisitely decorated, one-of-a-kind kesubah. At the chuppah, when the eidim were signing, one of them made a mistake and tried to correct it, only to make another mistake and attempt to correct it yet again.
The rabbonim there ruled that the kesubah was disqualified and may no longer be used. They had a basic standard form as a backup, which they used instead. The father of the bride was noticeably upset about the wasted ruined time, money and effort that had gone into that kesubah.
Suddenly, Rav Avrohom Pam zt"l went over to the father and whispered something in his ear. Immediately, the man calmed down and was happy for the rest of the night. Afterwards, someone asked him what Rav Pam had told him.
He replied, "He told me that there was obviously a gezeirah in shamayim that my daughter will have to have two kesubos in her lifetime. Usually, that happens if she needs to remarry after the death or divorce of her first husband. Hashem, in his infinite kindness, allowed the decree to be fulfilled in the easiest way-by having a mistake in her first kesubah and substituting it with the second one. After I heard that, I was calm."
Reprinted from the Parshas Vayeira 5785 email of Shabbos Chayeinu as compiled by Tzvi Schulz.
