Light Of The Soul
Why do we burn candles to memorialize those we've lost?
ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM
AppleTree Editor
I n Hebrew, it is called the ner neshamah, or
"light of the soul."
When a Jew dies, a memorial candle is
lit and placed by his side until his burial.
Candles also are to burn during shivah, the
seven-days' mourning period, and, among some,
during the shloshim, the 30 days after a death.
One year later, and on every anniversary of the
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death, family members light another candle,
which burns uninterrupted for 24 hours.
Some communities also light a yahrtzeit candle
for all victims of the Holocaust, and some light a
memorial light erev (the evening of) Yom
Kippur. (Interestingly, the word yahrtzeit does
not mean memorial, but rather is Yiddish for
((year time" — literally, anniversary, as of a death.
It came into popular use in the 16th century)
How did this custom originate, and what do
candles have to do with death and memory?
Of course, we cannot give an exact date when
any custom began, though we do know that the
idea of remembering the anniversary of a death
was extant during talmudic times, while specifi-
cally lighting candles to mark this anniversary
started in Germany during the Middle Ages.
Long before the idea of lighting a yahrtzeit
candle became popular, Jews had established a
connection between a flame and the soul.
Proverbs 20:27 states, "the spirit of man is the
lamp of God," and it is believed that Rabbi
Judah HaNasi (late second to early-third century
rabbi, most famous as editor of the Mishnah) was
the first to ask that a candle be lit in his room
after his death.
Many believe that the soul is like a flame,
which reaches upward, to be with God. By light-
ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM
AppleThee Editor
n Judaism, we remember.
We remember our glorious history and our
painful one, as well.
And we remember not only with thought,
but with deeds. One way to memorialize family and
friends who have died is to make a charitable dona-
tion in their names. Another way to remember is to
educate ourselves about what was lost.
Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Memorial Day, is
observed this year on Tuesday, April 9. Author
Aharon Appelfeld said that no matter how eloquent
or gritty or impressive, words simply do not exist to
describe the Holocaust. Yet we must try, nonetheless,
however much we stumble along the way.
If you would like to read a book with your chil-
dren for Yom HaShoah, consider some of the follow-
ing.
(Note: Edward Sullivan, senior project librarian for
ing this yahrtzeit candle, they believe that one's
soul moves more quickly to be with Him.
Today, most individuals who light yahrtzeit
candles do so for immediate family members
(parents, siblings, children, spouse) only, though
it's appropriate, as well, to mark the yahrtzeit of
great individuals. These include Moses, on the
7th of Adar; Simeon bar Yochai (2nd-century
student of Rabbi Akiva, believed to be the
author of the Zohar), on Lag b'Omer; and
Gedaliah, which we mark with a fast on the 3rd
of Tishrei (this is not observed so much as a
yahrtzeit as for its implications: it was another
Jew who instigated the murder of Gedaliah).
Chasidim often remember the yahrtzeits of
their leaders, and some still mark the date of
death of modern Zionists like Theodor Herzl and
Ze'ev Jabotinsky.
In addition to lighting a candle, one who is
observing yahrtzeit is to lead weekly davening
and recite Kaddish, (the mourner's prayer). He
may be called to read from the Torah and may
visit the grave of his loved one, and a very few
fast.
Most often, a yahrtzeit candle is lit on the
night before the day marking the anniversary of
the death, because in Judaism, of course, a day
begins in the evening after sunset. And while
most observe the actual date on which a loved
one died, there is an exception.
Halachah (Jewish law) directs us to bury a
body quickly after death; if, however, the burial
took place three or more days later, then on the
first year only one is to light a candle on the date
of the burial. After that, he lights it on the date
of the death.
❑
the New York Public Library's Connecting Libraries
and School Project, has compiled a list of relevant texts
in his book The Holocaust in Literature for Youth, pub-
lished by the Scarecrow Press. The book is primarily a
guide for teachers, and parents must carefully consider
the listed texts beforehand, as many of the books cited
are not appropriate reading material for younger chil-
dren and pre-teens.)
RECOMMENDED FOR
(ages 6-12)
•
The Number on My Grandfather's Arm (1987) by
David A. Adler, photos by Rose Eichenbaum.
Published by the Union of American Hebrew
Congregations Press.
"Tender" and "gentle" may not be the first words
you think of when considering Holocaust literature.
Yet this treasure, inarguably one of the best Holocaust
books written for young children, is just that.
SS
4/5
2002
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