How to Light a Yahrzeit Candle

A Flame for Memory

Among all Jewish customs, few are as simple or as moving as the yahrzeit candle — a small flame lit on the anniversary of a loved one’s death, burning for twenty-four hours in quiet remembrance. No elaborate ceremony is required. No rabbi is needed. Just a candle, a match, and a moment of memory.

The word yahrzeit comes from Yiddish and means “year’s time” — the annual anniversary of a death. The practice of lighting a memorial candle on this date is observed by Jews of virtually every denomination and level of observance. It is one of those customs that transcends theological debates — you light it because your mother lit it, because her mother lit it, because memory demands a flame.

What You Need

A yahrzeit candle: These are small, squat candles in a glass or tin container, designed to burn for approximately 24-26 hours. They are widely available at supermarkets (usually in the kosher or ethnic foods section), Jewish bookstores, online retailers, and synagogue gift shops. They typically cost between one and five dollars.

Some families use a more substantial memorial candle, an oil-based lamp, or an electric memorial light. Any of these is acceptable. The key is that the light burns continuously for approximately 24 hours.

The Hebrew date of death: The yahrzeit is observed according to the Hebrew calendar, not the secular (Gregorian) calendar. Because the Hebrew calendar is lunar, the secular date of the yahrzeit shifts from year to year. To find the correct Hebrew date, use an online yahrzeit calculator (available on Chabad.org, Hebcal.com, and many other sites) or ask your synagogue.

When to Light

The candle is lit at sundown on the evening before the Hebrew date of death. (In the Hebrew calendar, days begin at sundown, not at midnight.) For example, if the yahrzeit falls on the 15th of Cheshvan, you light the candle at sundown on the evening of the 14th of Cheshvan.

The candle is allowed to burn for the full 24 hours until it extinguishes on its own. You do not blow it out.

Yahrzeit candles are also customarily lit on the following occasions:

• Yom Kippur eve — for all deceased relatives
• The last day of Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot (Shmini Atzeret/Simchat Torah) — when the Yizkor memorial prayer is recited in synagogue

How to Light

1. Place the candle on a stable, heat-resistant surface — a kitchen counter, a table, or a mantle. Ensure it is away from flammable materials and safe from pets or children.

2. Light the candle at sundown (or shortly before, if you will be away at sundown). Some people light it in the kitchen; others place it near a photograph of the deceased or in a central location in the home.

3. There is no required blessing. Unlike Shabbat or holiday candles, lighting a yahrzeit candle does not involve a formal bracha (blessing). The act of lighting is itself the memorial.

4. Take a moment. Many people use the lighting as an occasion for personal reflection — speaking silently to the deceased, sharing a memory aloud with family members, or reciting a psalm or prayer.

Prayers and Readings

While no prayer is required, many people find meaning in reciting one or more of the following:

• Psalm 23 (“The Lord is my shepherd”) — perhaps the most widely recited text at times of mourning and remembrance
• El Malei Rachamim (“God, full of compassion”) — the memorial prayer recited at funerals and memorial services
• A personal reflection — speaking to the deceased from the heart, sharing what is happening in your life, expressing gratitude or love

Some families develop their own yahrzeit traditions: looking at photographs, telling stories about the deceased, making the person’s favorite food, or giving tzedakah (charity) in their memory.

The Meaning of the Flame

The tradition of a memorial flame draws on the verse from Proverbs 20:27: “Ner Hashem nishmat adam” — “The soul of a person is the candle of God.” The flame represents the soul — small, fragile, but producing light and warmth. It is a visible reminder that something of the person endures beyond death.

The twenty-four-hour duration is significant. The flame burns through the full cycle of a day — morning and evening, light and darkness — just as the memory of the deceased accompanies the mourner through all the hours of life.

Beyond the Yahrzeit

The yahrzeit is part of a larger structure of Jewish mourning that includes shiva (seven days of intensive mourning), shloshim (thirty days of diminished mourning), and the first year (during which Kaddish is recited). The yahrzeit, observed every year indefinitely, is the longest-lasting obligation — a permanent appointment with memory.

Many communities maintain a yahrzeit board in the synagogue — a plaque with names of deceased congregants and small lights that are illuminated on the appropriate dates. This communal dimension ensures that even if a mourner is unable to light a candle at home, the memory is not forgotten.

A Simple, Powerful Act

The yahrzeit candle requires no expertise, no special training, no rabbinic supervision. It is one of Judaism’s most accessible and emotionally resonant practices — proof that the most meaningful rituals are often the simplest. A flame, a memory, and the quiet certainty that love does not end with death.