Yahrzeit Candle / Yizkor Service

There are 4 times a year when Jews light a special candle, called a Yahrzeit Candle, in memory of loved ones who have died.

Yizkor is a memorial service which is recited on Yom Kippur as well as the last days of Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot. Yizkor, which is the Hebrew word for "remember", asks G-d to remember those we mourn and to grant them proper rest.

A Yahrzeit Candle is lit at sundown on...

1. The first night of Yom Kippur
2. The night of Shemini Atzeret (the 8th night of Sukkot)
3. The second night of Shavuot
4. The last night of Passover

The Yizkor service takes place the following day.

Related Articles:
Five Easy Steps To A Seder Everyone Can Enjoy
Kosher for Passover
Miriam's Cup
Passover Music
The Story of Passover

Add Comment

 

Name:
E-Mail:
Location:	Select US State or Country ... Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Ascension Island Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling Islands) Colombia Comoros Congo Cook Islands Costa Rica Cote D'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) Croatia (Hrvatska) Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic East Timor Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Europe Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France France, Metropolitan French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard and McDonald Islands Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea (North) (People's Republic) Korea (South) (Republic) Kuwait Kyrgyzstan (Kyrgyz Republic) Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles Neutral Zone (Saudia Arabia/Iraq) New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestine Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Reunion Romania Russian Federation Rwanda S. Georgia and S. Sandwich Isls. Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and The Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa Soviet Union (former) Spain Sri Lanka St. Helena St. Pierre and Miquelon Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom (Great Britain) United Kingdom (Great Britain) United States Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican City State (Holy See) Venezuela Viet Nam Virgin Islands (British) Virgin Islands (US) Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Yugoslavia Zaire Zambia Zimbabwe
Message:

Comments

Eli Colvin from California, US

19:48 04/06/2010

 

I would like a better explanation of how to do a yizkor service and why do we do it

ted from Connecticut, US

20:57 04/04/2010

 

what day do i say yizkor here in Ct USA i observe acccording to Israel i do only th e eighth day but want to say yiskor with the orthodox congregation is it tomorrow?

Robert Cohen from United Kingdom (Great Britain)

20:06 02/27/2010

 

Eh, not quite right, what about on the anniversary of the hebrew date of when our love ones had deceased? Surely that makes five right?

WILLIAM SADEK

21:55 04/21/2008

 

YIZKOR-LIGHT CANDLE SAT. NIGHT 4/26.

Heddy

21:14 04/18/2008

 

This should be helpful

Beth Minzter

12:57 04/18/2008

 

So is the last night the 25th (next Friday night), and Yizkor on Saturday (the 26th)? (In other words, do I assume it's an 8-day holiday no matter what?) Thanks.