Yahrzeit

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File:Yahrzeit alphonse levy.jpg
This drawing by Alphonse Lévy (1843-1918) shows a man marking his wife's yahrzeit at her grave.

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Sidebar/configuration' not found. Yahrzeit (Script error: No such module "IPA".; Template:Langx; Template:Plural form; Template:Langx)[1]Template:R/superscript is the anniversary of a death in Judaism. It is traditionally commemorated by reciting the Mourner's Kaddish during Jewish prayer services and by lighting a 24-hour Yahrzeit candle in the synagogue and/or at home.

Name

The word Yahrzeit is a borrowing from the Yiddish Script error: No such module "lang". (Script error: No such module "Lang".), ultimately from the Middle High German Script error: No such module "Lang".. It is a doublet of the English word yeartide.[2]Template:R/superscript Use of the word to refer to a Jewish death anniversary dates to at least the 15th century, appearing in the writings of Shalom of Neustadt [he],[3]Template:R/superscript Isaac of Tyrnau,[4]Template:R/superscript and Moses Mintz.[5]Template:R/superscript Mordecai Jafe also uses the term in his 1612 work Levush ha-Tekehlet.[6]

Though of Yiddish origin, many Sephardic and Mizraḥi communities adopted the word,[7]Template:R/superscript[8][9][10]Template:R/superscript which likely spread through rabbinic literature. Variants of the word are found in Judeo-Arabic (yarṣayt or yarṣyat), Ladino, Judeo-Italian, Judeo-Tajik, and Judeo-Tat.[11]Template:R/superscript Yosef Ḥayyim of Baghdad notes a once-common false etymology of the word as a Hebrew acronym.[12] Other names for the commemoration include naḥalah (Script error: No such module "Lang".) or azkarah (Script error: No such module "Lang".) in Hebrew, meldado and anyos in Ladino, and sāl (Script error: No such module "Lang".) in Judeo-Persian.

History

The tradition of commemorating a death anniversary in Judaism has ancient origins. During the Talmudic era, it was common to observe the date of a father's or teacher's death by fasting, or by abstaining from consuming meat and wine.[13] The Gemara's discussion[14] suggests that this was a voluntary practice in accordance with the directive to honour one's father "while alive and after his death."[15] Rashi notes that it was customary to gather around the grave of a distinguished individual on the anniversary of his death.[16]

The modern practice of observing Yahrzeit for parents likely originated among the Jewish communities of medieval Germany, later being adopted by Sephardic Jews.[4]Template:R/superscript

Customs

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File:Shalom Kosher interior 44.jpg
Yahrzeit candles for sale at a Jewish grocery store
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Memorial plaques on a synagogue Yahrzeit board
File:Jahrzeittafel.jpg
Early 20th-century Yahrzeit table, in the collection of the Jewish Museum of Switzerland

Date of observance

Yahrzeit is typically observed on the anniversary according to the Hebrew calendar of the date of death of an immediate family member or outstanding individual.[7]Template:R/superscript Some 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.[17] There are also exceptions when the date falls on Rosh Ḥodesh or in a leap year of the Hebrew calendar:[18]

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 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 called up to the public reading of the Torah or reciting the Haftara on the preceding Shabbat,[5]Template:R/superscript[19]Template:R/superscript and sponsoring a synagogue Kiddush in honour of the deceased.[20]Template:R/superscript A lightbulb by the name of the deceased may be lit on the synagogue's Yahrzeit board.[21]Template:R/superscript Historically, fasting was also a common practice.[4]Template:R/superscript

According to some sources, the Yahrzeit candle holds Kabbalistic significance. Aaron Berechiah of Modena likens the burning wick in the candle to the soul in the body, citing the Proverb "man's soul is the candle of God."[22] He notes furthermore that the numerical value of Script error: No such module "Lang". ('burning candle') is equivalent to that of Script error: No such module "Lang". ('the Shekhinah').[23][24] Other scholars posit that the candle-lighting tradition may have Christian origins.[3]Template:R/superscript[25]

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 Gehinnom to Gan Eden, the Yahrzeit Kaddish elevates the soul every year to a higher sphere in paradise."[26] Menasseh ben Israel also adopts this perspective.[27]

Ḥasidic Jews traditionally 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.[28] The Mitnaggedim vehemently objected to this innovation.[4]Template:R/superscript

Notable Yahrzeits

The most widely-observed Yahrzeit is on the Seventh of Adar I, the anniversary of Moses' death; Lag ba-Omer, the Yahrzeit of Simeon ben Yoḥai, observed at his tomb in Meron since at least the 16th century;[5]Template:R/superscript and the Fast of Gedalia, the date of Gedaliah ben Ahikam's assassination.[7]Template:R/superscript

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

References

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  1. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Weinreich, Uriel (1987). Modern English-Yiddish Dictionary (in English and ייִדיש). Knopf Doubleday. p. 205. ISBN 978-0-8052-0575-6.
  2. ^ Script error: No such module "template wrapper". (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  3. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Lehnardt, Andreas (2014). "Christian Influences on the Yahrzeit Qaddish". In Reif, Stefan C.; Lehnardt, Andreas; Bar-Levav, Avriel (eds.). Death in Jewish Life: Burial and Mourning Customs Among Jews of Europe and Nearby Communities. De Gruyter. pp. 65–78. doi:10.1515/9783110339185.65. ISBN 978-3-11-033918-5. JSTOR j.ctvbkjvh6.10.
  4. ^ a b c d File:PD-icon.svg Script error: No such module "template wrapper".
  5. ^ a b c Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Berlin, A. (2011). The Oxford Dictionary of the Jewish Religion. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 782. ISBN 978-0-19-973004-9.
  6. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Jafe, Mordecai. Levush ha-Tekehlet. §133.
  7. ^ a b c Template:Cite EJ
  8. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Molho, M.; Zara, A. A.; Bedford, R. (2006). Traditions & Customs of the Sephardic Jews of Salonica. Foundation for the Advancement of Sephardic Studies and Culture. ISBN 978-1-886857-08-7.
  9. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Meldado: Jewish Memorial Services and the Boundaries of Sacred Space". Exploring Sephardic Life Cycle Customs. Stroum Center for Jewish Studies, University of Washington. 2019. Archived from the original on December 15, 2023. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  10. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Zafrani, Haïm (1998). Deux mille ans de vie juive au Maroc: histoire et culture, religion et magie (in français). Maisonneuve & Larose. p. 115. ISBN 978-9981-09-018-7.
  11. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Benor, Sarah Bunin; Hary, Benjamin (2018). "A Research Agenda for Comparative Jewish Linguistic Studies". Languages in Jewish Communities, Past and Present. Contributions to the Sociology of Language. Vol. 112. De Gruyter. pp. 682–683. doi:10.1515/9781501504631. ISBN 978-1-5015-0455-6. S2CID 239900533.
  12. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Yosef Ḥayyim of Baghdad (1894–1898). "Halaḥot, Year 1: Vayeḥi". Ben Ish Ḥai (in עברית). 14.
  13. ^ Template:Cite Talmud
  14. ^ Template:Cite Talmud
  15. ^ Template:Cite Talmud
  16. ^ Rashi on Yevamot 122a.
  17. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Aiken, Richard B. (12 May 2016). "Yahrzeit". Orthodox Union. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  18. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Lamm, Maurice. "Yahrzeit: Memorial Anniversary". The Jewish Way in Death and Mourning. Chabad.org. Archived from the original on September 17, 2011.
  19. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Yahrzeit". Encyclopedia Britannica. 2013. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  20. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Raphael, S. P. (2019). Jewish Views of the Afterlife. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 390. ISBN 978-1-5381-0346-3.
  21. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Kaye, Terry (1992). The Jewish Mourner's Handbook. Springfield, N.J.: Behrman House. pp. 56–58. ISBN 978-0-87441-528-5.
  22. ^ Script error: No such module "Bibleverse".
  23. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Aaron Berechiah of Modena. Ma'abar Yabboḳ.
  24. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Sefat Emet. Vol. 15. Amsterdam. 1732. 94b.
  25. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Güdemann, Moritz (1888). Geschichte des Erziehungswesens und der Cultur der Juden in Deutschland während des XIV. und XV. Jahrhunderts (in Deutsch). Vol. 3. Vienna. p. 132.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  26. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Lewysohn, Abraham (1846). Meḳore Minhagim. Berlin. §98.
  27. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Menasseh ben Israel (1652). Nishmat Ḥayyim. Vol. 2. Amsterdam. 27.
  28. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Bolechower, A. Shem Aryeh. §14.

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