yahrzeit candle

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Pronunciations

yahrzeit candle (YOR-tsyet candl) listen

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Definitions

  • n. A 24-hour candle that is lit in memory of someone who has died on the person's yahrzeit, on Yom Kippur, and on other remembrance days, such as Yom ha-Shoah.

Example Sentences

  • "The minimum thing for you to do is to light a yahrzeit candle (25 hour candle) at dusk on the evening of the yahrzeit and allow it to burn itself out by the next night." (source)

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Languages of Origin

  • Yiddish
  • English

Etymology

  • Y יאָרצײַט yortsayt 'lit. time of year; anniversary of a death' + E candle

      • Who Uses This

      • Religious: Jews who are engaged in religious observance and have some Jewish education
      • Ashkenazim: Jews with Ashkenazi heritage

      Regions

      • North America

      Dictionaries

      • The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).

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