Moadim L’Simcha. I hope that everyone is having an enjoyable Sukkot holiday! It was wonderful to see so many of you in our Sukkah this past weekend!
On Thursday and Friday we will be celebrating the last of the holidays that fall during this time of year- Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah. For a brief explanation of these holidays, click here.
Shemini Atzeret is also one of those holidays throughout the year when we are invited to remember our loved ones who are no longer with us by reciting the yizkor (memorial) service in synagogue and by lighting a candle as the holiday begins on Wednesday night at sunset. Yizkor is traditionally recited four times a year on: Yom Kippur, Sh’mini Atzeret, the last day of Passover, and the second day of Shavuot. If you have a memorial plaque honoring a loved one in the synagogue, the light will be lit throughout the day as well. It is often believed that one is not to observe yizkor during the first year of death, however, most authorities actually encourage mourners to do so.
Many are familiar with the custom of lighting a candle in your home to commemorate a yahrtzeit, the anniversary of the death of a loved one. Yizkor is another time when these candles are traditionally lit. Candles can be purchased in your local grocery story and are usually located in the kosher section next to the Shabbat candles. If you are unable to use an actual candle, an electric memorial lamp may be used instead. Interestingly, unlike most of our rituals, there are actually no prescribed words when lighting the candle. In speaking with a number of you about this over the years, I know that this can sometimes seem strange. That is why I wanted to send you a few options of meditations that can be recited upon lighting a yahrtzeit candle. I hope that you will find them meaningful. Please click here to access these readings.
If you can make it to synagogue for yizkor on Thursday morning, I encourage you to do so. If you can only make it for a brief time, that is certainly encouraged. Yizkor should begin at approximately 11am. Lastly, giving tzedakah, doing good deeds, or studying Jewish texts are also an appropriate way to observe a yahrzeit. May the memories of your loved ones continue to live on as a blessing, serving as a daily inspiration in your lives.