Yahrzeit

n. Judaism
The anniversary of the death of a relative, observed with mourning and the recitation of religious texts.

[Yiddish, anniversary, from Middle High German jārzīt : jār, year (from Old High German) + zīt, time (from Old High German).]

For more information on yahrzeit, visit Britannica.com.

("anniversary"). Yiddish term for the death anniversary of a parent or other close relative whom one is obliged to mourn. The Hebrew date on which the death occurred is observed each year as the yahrzeit. Rituals associated with this observance were first instituted by Ashkenazim in 15th-century Germany and then spread to other parts of the Jewish world. In particular, there was a mystical belief that saying Kaddish on every successive yahrzeit would be conducive to the "elevation of the departed soul" to higher spheres of immortality and repose. This also accounts for the now standard practice of kindling a Memorial Light (ner neshamah or yahrzeit candle) which burns for 24 hours in the home.

Mourners recite Kaddish within the framework of a Minyan (prayer quorum) at the three daily services on a yahrzeit. Some Sephardim begin to recite Kaddish from the preceding Sabbath. Should the yahrtzeit coincide with a Monday or Thursday, Ashkenazi mourners are called to the Reading of the Law, otherwise they are called on the previous Sabbath. On weekdays a Memorial Prayer is chanted by the reader after the mourner's Torah portion has been completed. Sephardi mourners are usually called to the Torah on the Sabbath before or after the death anniversary. Already in talmudic times, children abstained from eating meat or drinking wine on the anniversary of a parent's death (Ned. 12a; Shev. 20a). This later gave rise to the custom, still practiced by some Orthodox Jews, of fasting on a yahrzeit, unless it falls on a day when the Taḥanun supplications are omitted from daily worship (see Fasting and Fast Days). Similarly, when the date of a yahrzeit coincides with a Circumcision or Redemption of the Firstborn ceremony, exemption from fasting is granted to the father of the boy who is to be circumcised or redeemed, as well as to his godfather (sandak), circumciser (mohel), and the priest taking part in the redemption ceremony. It is a widespread practice to visit the grave of a departed close relative on the occasion of a death anniversary. Stanzas from Psalm 119 commencing with the letters of the deceased person's Hebrew name are usually recited.

Among Oriental Sephardim, an alternative designation for the yahrzeit is naḥalah ("inheritance"). Spanish and Portuguese Jews often call it meldado, a "study session" in memory of the departed to which relatives and friends are invited. Afternoon and Evening Services form part of the meldado, which concludes with the serving of a light meal. At one time, meldado observances took place at home, but nowadays they are usually transferred to the synagogue.

Traditionally, 7 Adar is observed by members of a Burial Society and other pious Jews as the anniversary of the death of Moses. Lag Ba-Omer marks the putative yahrzeit of R. Simeon Bar Yoḥai, celebrated in Meron, Israel, with mass pilgrimages to his grave and the lighting of bonfires. Ḥasidic Jews celebrate the yahrzeit of their Admor or Rebbe, while North African Jews conduct a joyful observance (Hillula) at the grave of revered rabbis.

---

kol bo l yahrzeit