Yahrzeit

/yahr"tsuyt, yawr"-/, n. Judaism.

the anniversary of the death of a parent, sibling, child, or spouse, observed by lighting a memorial lamp or candle the night before and reciting the Kaddish at the evening service of the day before and at the morning and afternoon services of the day itself.

Also, Jahrzeit.

[1850-55; < Yiddish yortsayt, equiv. to yor YEAR + tsayt time (see TIDE¹); cf. MHG jarzit anniversary]

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or jahrzeit

In Judaism, the anniversary of the death of a parent or close relative, commonly observed by burning a candle for an entire day.

On that day, the Kaddish is recited in the synagogue, and the Torah is read. Some mark the anniversary by studying portions of the Mishna, choosing those sections from the sixth division that begin with letters from the name of the deceased. Yahrzeit developed from an early Jewish custom of fasting on the anniversaries of deaths of certain leaders, and some Jews still fast on yahrzeit.

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▪ Judaism

Yiddish“year time”also spelled  yortzeit , or  jahrzeit 

      in Judaism, the anniversary of the death of a parent or close relative, most commonly observed by burning a candle for an entire day. On the anniversary, a male (or female, in Reform and Conservative congregations) usually recites the Qaddish (doxology) in the synagogue at all three services, and males may be called up (aliyah) for the public reading of the Torah. If the anniversary falls on a day on which the Torah is not read, the calling up takes place before the anniversary, as near as possible to the actual date of death. Sephardic (Spanish-rite) Jews attach great importance to the privilege of being called up on the sabbath that precedes the anniversary, for on that day they are allowed to recite the Hafṭarah (a passage from the prophets).

      More learned or more pious Jews may mark the anniversary by studying portions of the Mishna, choosing sections from the sixth division (laws of purity) that begin with letters from the name of the deceased. While some Jews observe a strict fast on yahrzeit, others will abstain only from meat and drink. Visiting the grave is no longer quite so common.

      Yahrzeit apparently developed from an early Jewish custom of fasting on the anniversaries of the deaths of certain important leaders. During the last centuries of the Second Temple period (c. 520 BC–AD 70), Jews are known to have made solemn vows never to partake of meat or wine on the anniversaries of their parents' deaths. As observed today, yahrzeit probably began in Germany about the 14th century and gradually spread to other regions.

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