yahrzeit

yahrzeit, in Judaism, the anniversary of the death of a parent or close relative, most commonly observed by burning a candle for an entire day. On the anniversary, a male (or female, in Reform and Conservative congregations) usually recites the Qaddish (doxology) in the synagogue at all three services, and males may be called up (aliyah) for the public reading of the Torah. If the anniversary falls on a day on which the Torah is not read, the calling up takes place before the anniversary, as near as possible to the actual date of death. Sephardic (Spanish-rite) Jews attach great importance to the privilege of being called up on the sabbath that precedes the anniversary, for on that day they are allowed to recite the Hafṭarah (a passage from the prophets).

More learned or more pious Jews may mark the anniversary by studying portions of the Mishna, choosing sections from the sixth division (laws of purity) that begin with letters from the name of the deceased. While some Jews observe a strict fast on yahrzeit, others will abstain only from meat and drink. Visiting the grave is no longer quite so common.

Yahrzeit apparently developed from an early Jewish custom of fasting on the anniversaries of the deaths of certain important leaders. During the last centuries of the Second Temple period (c. 520 bc–ad 70), Jews are known to have made solemn vows never to partake of meat or wine on the anniversaries of their parents’ deaths. As observed today, yahrzeit probably began in Germany about the 14th century and gradually spread to other regions.