Below you will find a guide for lighting the yahrzeit candle. We hope this guide will help you make this moment meaningful. If you need a yahrzeit candle, please contact the office, and we will provide one for you. May the memory of your loved one always be for a blessing.
Holding the memory of your loved one in your heart, say “In memory of (the name of your loved one),” and then light the candle.
Say the El Malei Rachamim prayer:
Exalted, compassionate God, grant perfect peace in Your sheltering presence, among the holy and pure, whose radiance is like the heavens, to the soul of (the name of your loved one) who has gone to their eternal home. Master of mercy, may they find eternal shelter beneath Your sheltering wings, and may their soul be bound up in the bond of eternal life. Adonai is their portion. May they rest in peace. Amen.
Take a moment to recall memories of your loved one, and recite the poem below:
We Remember Them by Sylvan Kamens & Rabbi Jack Riemer
At the rising sun and at its going down; We remember them.
At the blowing of the wind and in the chill of winter; We remember them.
At the opening of the buds and in the rebirth of spring; We remember them.
At the blueness of the skies and in the warmth of summer; We remember them.
At the rustling of the leaves and in the beauty of the autumn; We remember them.
At the beginning of the year and when it ends; We remember them.
As long as we live, they too will live, for they are now a part of us as We remember them.
When we are weary and in need of strength; We remember them.
When we are lost and sick at heart; We remember them.
When we have decisions that are difficult to make; We remember them.
When we have joy we crave to share; We remember them.
When we have achievements that are based on theirs; We remember them.
For as long as we live, they too will live, for they are now a part of us as, We remember them.