View source for Yahrzeit

{{Short description|Death anniversary in Judaism}}
{{For|the ''CSI: NY'' episode|CSI: NY (season 5)#ep114}}
[[File:Jahrzeittafel.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Early 20th-century Yahrzeit table, in the collection of the [[Jewish Museum of Switzerland]]]]
{{Judaism}}
'''Yahrzeit''' ({{Langx|yi|יאָרצײַט|translit=yortsayt|translation=year-time}}, plural {{Lang|yi|יאָרצײַטן}}, {{Transliteration|yi|yortsaytn}}){{r|weinreich}} is the [[Death anniversary|anniversary of a death]] in [[Judaism]]. It is traditionally commemorated by reciting the [[Mourner's Kaddish|Kaddish]] in synagogue and by lighting a [[Yahrzeit candle|long-burning candle]].

==Name==
The word ''Yahrzeit'' is a [[Loanword|borrowing]] from the Yiddish {{Transliteration|yi|yortsayt}} ({{Lang|yi|יאָרצײַט}}), ultimately from the [[Middle High German]] {{Lang|gmh|jārzīt}}. It is a [[Doublet (linguistics)|doublet]] of the English word [[wikt:yeartide|yeartide]].{{r|oed}} Use of the word to refer to a Jewish death anniversary dates to at least the 15th century, appearing in the writings of {{ill|Shalom of Neustadt|he|שלום מנוישטאדט}},{{r|lehnardt}} [[Isaac Tyrnau|Isaac of Tyrnau]],{{r|JE}} and [[Moses ben Isaac ha-Levi Minz|Moses Mintz]].{{r|oxford}} [[Mordecai Yoffe|Mordecai Jafe]] also uses the term in his 1612 work ''Levush ha-Tekehlet''.<ref>{{cite book|first=Mordecai|last=Jafe|title=Levush ha-Tekehlet|at=§133}}</ref>

Though of Yiddish origin, many [[Sephardic Jews|Sephardic]] and [[Mizrahi Jews|Mizraḥi]] communities adopted the word,{{r|EJ}}<ref>{{cite book|last1=Molho|first1=M.|last2=Zara|first2=A. A.|last3=Bedford|first3=R.|title=Traditions & Customs of the Sephardic Jews of Salonica|publisher=Foundation for the Advancement of Sephardic Studies and Culture|year=2006|isbn=978-1-886857-08-7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Nq4sAQAAIAAJ}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Meldado: Jewish Memorial Services and the Boundaries of Sacred Space|date=2019|website=Exploring Sephardic Life Cycle Customs|publisher=Stroum Center for Jewish Studies, University of Washington|url=https://jewishstudies.washington.edu/omeka/exhibits/show/sephardic-life-cycles/meldado-memorial-sacred-space|access-date=November 29, 2023}}</ref>{{r|zafrani}} which likely spread through rabbinic literature. Variants of the word are found in [[Judeo-Arabic dialects|Judeo-Arabic]] (''yarṣayt'' or ''yarṣyat''), [[Judaeo-Spanish|Ladino]], [[Judeo-Italian languages|Judeo-Italian]], [[Bukharian (Judeo-Tajik dialect)|Judeo-Tajik]], and [[Judeo-Tat]].{{r|benor_hary}} [[Yosef Hayyim|Yosef Ḥayyim of Baghdad]] notes a once-common [[false etymology]] of the word [[Backronym|as a Hebrew acronym]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Yosef Ḥayyim of Baghdad|author-link=Yosef Hayyim|title=Ben Ish Ḥai|chapter=Halaḥot, Year 1: Vayeḥi|language=he|chapter-url=https://www.sefaria.org/Ben_Ish_Hai%2C_Halachot_1st_Year%2C_Vayechi.14.1|at=14|date=1894–1898}}</ref> Other names for the commemoration include '''naḥalah''' ({{Lang|he|נחלה}}) in Hebrew, '''meldado''' and '''anyos''' in [[Judaeo-Spanish|Ladino]], and '''sāl''' ({{Lang|fa|سال}}) in [[Judeo-Persian]].

==History==
The tradition of commemorating a death anniversary in Judaism has ancient origins. During the [[Talmud]]ic era, it was common to observe the date of a father's or teacher's death by [[Ta'anit|fasting]], or by abstaining from consuming meat and wine.<ref>{{Cite Talmud|b|Nedarim||12a}}</ref> The [[Gemara]]'s discussion<ref>{{Cite Talmud|b|Shevuot||20a}}</ref> suggests that this was a voluntary practice in accordance with the directive to honour one's father "while alive and after his death."<ref>{{Cite Talmud|b|Kiddushin||31b:10}}</ref> [[Rashi]] notes that it was customary to gather around the grave of a distinguished individual on the anniversary of his death.<ref>Rashi on Yevamot 122a.</ref>

The modern practice of observing Yahrzeit for parents likely originated among the [[Ashkenazi Jews|Jewish communities]] of [[Holy Roman Empire|medieval Germany]], later being adopted by Sephardic Jews.{{r|JE}}

==Customs==
{{see also|Bereavement in Judaism|Yahrzeit candle|Yom Hillula}}
[[File:Shalom Kosher interior 44.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Yahrzeit candle]]s for sale at a Jewish grocery store]]
[[File:Bugsy'sPlaque.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Memorial plaques on a synagogue Yahrzeit board]]
===Date of observance===
Yahrzeit is typically observed on the anniversary according to the [[Hebrew calendar]] of the date of death of an [[Immediate family|immediate]] family member or outstanding individual.{{r|EJ}} Some [[Posek|authorities]] hold that when an individual was not buried within two days of their death, the first Yahrzeit is instead held on the anniversary of their burial.<ref>{{cite web|website=Orthodox Union|title=Yahrzeit|first=Richard B.|last=Aiken|date=12 May 2016 |url=https://outorah.org/p/29736/|access-date=November 29, 2023}}</ref> There are also exceptions when the date falls on [[Rosh Chodesh|Rosh Ḥodesh]] or in a leap year of the Hebrew calendar:<ref>{{cite web|first=Maurice|last=Lamm|url=http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/281636/jewish/Yahrzeit-Memorial-Anniversary.htm|title=Yahrzeit: Memorial Anniversary|work=The Jewish Way in Death and Mourning|publisher=Chabad.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110917154539/http://www.chabad.org/|archive-date=September 17, 2011}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Date of passing !! Situation on the day of Yahrtzeit !! Commemorated on
|-
| First day of a two-day Rosh Ḥodesh, ''i.e.'', last (30th) day of the previous month || Rosh Ḥodesh only has one day || 29th (last) day of the earlier month (not a Rosh Ḥodesh)
|-
| Second day of a two-day Rosh Ḥodesh, ''i.e.'' first day of the new month || Rosh Ḥodesh only has one day || First day of the month (Rosh Ḥodesh)
|-
| First day of a two-day Rosh Ḥodesh, ''i.e.'', last (30th) day of the previous month || Rosh Ḥodesh has two days || First day of the two-day Rosh Ḥodesh
|-
| Second day of a two-day Rosh Ḥodesh, ''i.e.'', first day of the new month || Rosh Ḥodesh has two days || Second day of the two-day Rosh Ḥodesh
|-
| [[Adar]] I (leap year) || Is a leap year || Adar I
|-
| Adar I (leap year) || Not a leap year || Adar
|-
| Adar (not a leap year) || Is a leap year || Opinions vary (either Adar I, Adar II, or both)
|-
| Adar (not a leap year) || Is not a leap year || Adar
|-
| Adar II (leap year) || Is a leap year || Adar II
|-
| Adar II (leap year) || Is not a leap year || Adar
|-
| Other days (incl. [[Shabbat]] or [[Jewish holidays|Yom Tov]]) || Any || On date of passing
|}

===Common practices===
When commemorated by an immediate relative, the day is marked by two main practices: reciting the Mourner's Kaddish, and lighting the [[Yahrzeit candle]], which is kept burning for twenty-four hours. Other customs including being [[Aliyah (Torah)|called up]] to the public reading of the [[Torah]] or reciting the [[Haftara]] on the preceding [[Shabbat]],{{r|oxford}}{{r|britannica}} and sponsoring a synagogue [[Kiddush]] in honour of the deceased.{{r|raphael}} A [[Incandescent light bulb|lightbulb]] by the name of the deceased may be lit on the synagogue's Yahrzeit board.{{r|kaye}} Historically, fasting was also a common practice.{{r|JE}}

According to some sources, the Yahrzeit candle holds [[Kabbalah|Kabbalistic]] significance. [[Aaron Berechiah of Modena]] likens the burning wick in the candle to the soul in the body, citing the [[Book of Proverbs|Proverb]] "man's soul is the candle of God."<ref>{{Bibleverse|Proverbs|2:27|he}}</ref> He notes furthermore that the [[Gematria|numerical value]] of {{lang|he|נר דלוק}} ('burning candle') is equivalent to that of {{lang|he|השכינה}} ('the [[Shekhinah]]').<ref>{{cite book|title=Ma'abar Yabboḳ|author=Aaron Berechiah of Modena}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Sefat Emet|volume=15|at=94b|location=Amsterdam|date=1732}}</ref> Other scholars posit that the candle-lighting tradition may have Christian origins.{{r|lehnardt}}<ref>{{cite book|first=Moritz|last=Güdemann|title=Geschichte des Erziehungswesens und der Cultur der Juden in Deutschland während des XIV. und XV. Jahrhunderts|language=de|volume=3|location=Vienna|date=1888|page=132}}</ref>

Some communities, especially Sephardim in the [[Land of Israel]], were initially opposed to reciting the Mourner's Kaddish after the first eleven months following a death, contending that it would cast a negative light on the departed.  [[Isaac Luria]] offered an alternative perspective, explaining that "while the orphan's Kaddish within the eleven months helps the soul to pass from [[Gehenna|Gehinnom]] to [[Paradise in Judaism|Gan Eden]], the Yahrzeit Kaddish elevates the soul every year to a higher sphere in paradise."<ref>{{cite book|first=Abraham|last=Lewysohn|title=Meḳore Minhagim|at=§98|location=Berlin|date=1846}}</ref> [[Menasseh Ben Israel|Menasseh ben Israel]] also adopts this perspective.<ref>{{cite book|author=Menasseh ben Israel|title=Nishmat Ḥayyim|volume=2|at=27|location=Amsterdam|date=1652}}</ref>

[[Hasidic Judaism|Ḥasidic Jews]] traditionally [[Yom Hillula|celebrate the Yahrzeit]] of their respective rabbis with song, dance, and general rejoicing, resulting in a shift from the originally mournful nature of the celebration to an occasion of joyous festivity.<ref>{{cite book|first=A.|last=Bolechower|title=Shem Aryeh|at=§14}}</ref> The [[Misnagdim|Mitnaggedim]] vehemently objected to this innovation.{{r|JE}}

==Notable Yahrzeits==
The most widely-observed Yahrzeit are on the [[Seventh of Adar|Seventh of Adar I]], the anniversary of [[Moses]]' death; [[Lag BaOmer|Lag ba-Omer]], the Yahrzeit of [[Shimon bar Yochai|Simeon ben Yoḥai]], [[Hillula of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai|observed at his tomb]] in [[Meron, Israel|Meron]] since at least the 16th century;{{r|oxford}} and the [[Fast of Gedalia]], the date of [[Gedaliah|Gedaliah ben Ahikam]]'s assassination.{{r|EJ}}

A Yahrzeit celebration in honour of [[Rabbi Meir|Meïr Ba'al ha-Nes]] is held in [[Tiberias]] on the 15th of [[Iyar|Iyyar]]. In Morocco, annual pilgrimages are made to the [[Hiloula of Rabbi Isaac Ben Walid|tombs of Isaac ben Walid]] and [[Hiloula of Rabbi Haim Pinto|Haïm Pinto]] on the anniversaries of their deaths. Until the Second World War, the Yahrzeit of [[Moses Isserles]] was observed in [[Kraków|Cracow]] on the 18th of Iyyar.

In the State of Israel, the Yahrzeits of national figures are observed as holidays, such as [[Ben-Gurion Day]], [[Herzl Day]], [[Jabotinsky Day]], and [[Rabin Day]].

==See also==
* [[Bereavement in Judaism]]

==References==
{{Jewish Encyclopedia|article=Jahrzeit|url=https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/8501-jahrzeit|first1=Cyrus|last1=Adler|first2=Judah David|last2=Eisenstein|volume=7|page=63–64}} 
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name=britannica>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Yahrzeit|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica|date=2013|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/yahrzeit|access-date=November 27, 2023}}</ref>
<ref name=EJ>{{cite EJ|title=Yahrzeit|first=Louis Isaac|last=Rabinowitz|url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/yahrzeit}}</ref>
<ref name=JE>{{Jewish Encyclopedia|article=Jahrzeit|url=https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/8501-jahrzeit|first1=Cyrus|last1=Adler|first2=Judah David|last2=Eisenstein|volume=7|page=63–64|no-prescript=1}}</ref> 
<ref name=kaye>{{cite book|last=Kaye|first=Terry|title=The Jewish Mourner's Handbook|location=Springfield, N.J.|publisher=Behrman House|year=1992|isbn=978-0-87441-528-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IO_9D3BPXUwC&pg=PA58|pages=56–58}}</ref>
<ref name=lehnardt>{{cite book|chapter=Christian Influences on the ''Yahrzeit Qaddish''|first=Andreas|last=Lehnardt|editor-first=Stefan C.|editor-last=Reif|editor2-first=Andreas|editor2-last=Lehnardt|editor3-first=Avriel|editor3-last=Bar-Levav|title=Death in Jewish Life: Burial and Mourning Customs Among Jews of Europe and Nearby Communities|date=2014|isbn=978-3-11-033918-5|publisher=De Gruyter|doi=10.1515/9783110339185.65|pages=65–78|chapter-url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvbkjvh6.10|jstor=j.ctvbkjvh6.10}}</ref>
<ref name=oed>{{Cite OED|Yahrzeit|231129}}</ref>
<ref name=oxford>{{cite book|last=Berlin|first=A.|title=The Oxford Dictionary of the Jewish Religion|location=Oxford|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2011|isbn=978-0-19-973004-9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hKAaJXvUaUoC&pg=PA782|page=782}}</ref>
<ref name=benor_hary>{{cite book |last1=Benor | first1=Sarah Bunin|last2=Hary | first2=Benjamin|chapter=A Research Agenda for Comparative Jewish Linguistic Studies| title=Languages in Jewish Communities, Past and Present | publisher=De Gruyter | series=Contributions to the Sociology of Language|volume=112 | year=2018 | isbn=978-1-5015-0455-6 | chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nFk8EAAAQBAJ&pg=PT609|doi=10.1515/9781501504631|pages=682–683| s2cid=239900533}}</ref>
<ref name=raphael>{{cite book|last=Raphael|first=S. P.|title=Jewish Views of the Afterlife|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|year=2019|isbn=978-1-5381-0346-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ESOJDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA390|page=390}}</ref>
<ref name=weinreich>{{cite book|last=Weinreich|first=Uriel|title=Modern English-Yiddish Dictionary|publisher=Knopf Doubleday|year=1987|isbn=978-0-8052-0575-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1M6ImTy1xFAC&pg=PA589|language=en,yi|page=205}}</ref>
<ref name=zafrani>{{cite book|last=Zafrani|first=Haïm|title=Deux mille ans de vie juive au Maroc: histoire et culture, religion et magie|publisher=Maisonneuve & Larose|year=1998|isbn=978-9981-09-018-7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=39Y_RxaUiFQC&pg=PA115|language=fr|page=115}}</ref>
}}

{{Jewish life}}

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[[Category:Bereavement in Judaism]]
[[Category:Yiddish words and phrases]]
[[Category:Observances honoring the dead]]