Yizkor

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Yahrzeit candles are commonly lit on the days when Yizkor is recited.

Hazkarat Neshamot (Hebrew: הַזְכָּרַת נְשָׁמוֹת, lit. 'recalling of the souls'),[note 1] commonly known by its opening word Yizkor (Hebrew: יִזְכּוֹר, lit. 'may [God] remember'), is an Ashkenazi Jewish memorial prayer service for the dead. It is important occasion for many Jews, even those who do not attend synagogue regularly.[2] In most Ashkenazi communities, it is held after the Torah reading four times a year: on Yom Kippur, on the final day of Passover, on the second day of Shavuot, and on Shemini Atzeret.[3][note 2]

In

Sephardic custom there is no Yizkor prayer, but the hashkavot
serve a similar role in the service.

Origin

Yizkor prayer in a maḥzor from 1876.

The earliest source of Yizkor is the

Midrash Tanchuma, which mentions the custom of remembering the deceased and pledging charity on their behalf on Yom Kippur.[5] According to the Sifre, reciting Yizkor on Yom Kippur achieves atonement for those who have died.[6] The service was popularized amid the persecution of Jews during the Crusades.[7]

Customs

It is customary for those with both parents alive to leave the main sanctuary during the Yizkor service, out of respect or superstition.[8][6] It is usually not attended within the first year of mourning, until the first yahrzeit/meldado has passed. The Yizkor prayers are intended to be recited in a synagogue with a minyan; if one is unable to be with a minyan, one can recite it without one. Still, this practice is a custom and historically not regarded to be obligatory.[9]

In some congregations, Yizkor begins with responsive verses and may also include Psalm 91.[10] In addition to personal Yizkor prayers, there are also often collective prayers for

Holocaust, and an appeal for charity.[8][7] The service concludes with the prayer El male raḥamim.[11]

Yahrzeit candles are commonly lit on the days when Yizkor is recited.[12]

Notes

  1. ^ German: Seelenfeier, lit. 'soul celebration'[1]
  2. ^ Some Western Ashkenazi communities historically said Yizkor on the Shabbat before Shavuot and on the Shabbat before Tisha B'Av.[4]

References

  1. JSTOR 23507616
    .
  2. ISBN 978-0-7657-0990-5
    .
  3. ISBN 978-1-351-84493-2
    .
  4. ^ "Minhagim of the Ashkenazic Synagogue". Yerushaseinu (in Hebrew). Vol. 12. 2018–2019. p. 59.
  5. ISBN 978-0-89906-216-7
    .
  6. ^ a b Glatt, Ephraim (September 23, 2020). "Leaving Shul During Yizkor". Queens Jewish Link. Archived from the original on May 10, 2023.
  7. ^ a b Wolfson, Ron. "Yizkor: The Jewish Memorial Service". My Jewish Learning. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  8. ^ a b Abramowitz, Jack (24 April 2019). "Yizkor: The Memorial Prayer Service". Orthodox Union. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  9. ISBN 0-8246-0422-9
    .
  10. ^ "Jewish Prayers: Yizkor". Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  11. ISBN 978-0-02-866097-4
    .
  12. ISBN 978-0-87441-528-5
    .

External links
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yizkor&oldid=1185667331"
This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article: Yizkor. Articles is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license; additional terms may apply.Privacy Policy