A Sacred Jewish Observance

Yartzeit
Honoring Those
We Have Loved

On the anniversary of a loved one's passing, the soul ascends to new heights. The Yartzeit is not only a day of mourning — it is a day of elevation, connection, and eternal love.

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Share Your
Yartzeit Dates

Fill in the form below — you may add multiple family members — and we'll handle the rest.

🔒 Your information is kept private and used only to send you Yartzeit reminders. We will never share it.

Understanding the Day

What is a Yartzeit?

Yartzeit — Yiddish for "year's time" — is the annual Hebrew calendar anniversary of a loved one's passing. Unlike a secular date, it shifts each year on the Gregorian calendar, always observed on the original Hebrew date.

In Jewish thought, the soul continues its journey after death, growing and ascending. The Talmud teaches that on the Yartzeit, the soul rises to its highest yearly elevation — lifted there by the prayers and mitzvot of those who loved them.

"The soul of a person illuminates the world like a candle. Just as a candle ignites other candles without diminishing itself, so too does the soul continue to radiate after it departs."
📅
Hebrew Calendar
Always observed on the Hebrew date of passing — which falls on a different secular date each year.
Soul Ascent
On Yartzeit the soul reaches its highest yearly elevation, carried upward by our prayers and good deeds.
💛
Eternal Bond
Love does not end at death. The Yartzeit is the day that bond is felt most deeply and powerfully.
How We Observe

The Traditions
of Yartzeit

Each tradition on Yartzeit serves a specific spiritual purpose — together they form a complete act of love, memory, and elevation.

01
🕯️ Light a Yartzeit Candle
A 24-hour candle is lit the evening before and burns through the day — the flame representing the soul, as the verse says: "The candle of G-d is the soul of man" (Proverbs 20:27).
02
🙏 Recite Kaddish
Kaddish is recited at all three daily prayer services — not a prayer of mourning, but a declaration of G-d's greatness that elevates the soul in a way nothing else can.
03
📖 Learn Torah in Their Memory
Learn a chapter of Mishnah — Mishnah (משנה) and Neshamah (נשמה) share the same Hebrew letters — each word of Torah learned adds light to their eternal dwelling.
04
💰 Give Tzedakah
Charity given in memory of the departed carries extraordinary spiritual weight — the Talmud considers tzedakah equal in merit to all other mitzvot combined.
05
🪦 Visit the Grave
The gravesite is considered a holy place where prayers carry special power — and if visiting isn't possible, prayer from any location reaches the soul equally.
06
⬆️ Receive an Aliyah
Being called to the Torah on or near the Yartzeit — reciting blessings publicly in the soul's merit — creates an elevation that resonates through the spiritual worlds.

"Whoever recites Kaddish for a parent causes the parent's soul to be elevated and bound with the Divine light. It is as if the child has given new life to the parent in the World to Come."

— Zohar, Parshas Lech Lecha
Your Rabbi Is Here For You

Why Share Your
Yartzeit With Us?

A Yartzeit can be one of the loneliest days of the year. Your rabbi wants to be there for you — to reach out, say Kaddish with you, and make sure you're not alone on this sacred day.

When you share your Yartzeit dates with us, we send you a reminder two weeks before so you have time to arrange the candle, plan for Kaddish, and notify family. Your rabbi receives a personal reminder the day before.

This is completely free. It is simply one of the most meaningful things we can do together — making sure every departed soul is remembered, and every family feels supported.

Keeping the memory of your loved ones alive — forever.

Learn more at Chabad.org — Yartzeit