CCAR RESPONSA
Contemporary American Reform Responsa
126. Two Yahrzeit Candles
QUESTION:
Two individuals have died in an accident. Should they be honored by two commemorative
candles, which will burn for the shivah week and subsequently by two yahrzeit
candles, or will a single candle suffice? What does tradition recommend? (R. R., Pittsburgh,
PA)ANSWER: It is difficult to trace the origin of both customs. Baer, in Totzaot
Hayim, felt that the custom of lighting candles during the shivah was Talmudic. He
recalled that Judah Hanasi wanted a light to continue to burn in his home, and everything else in
his household to go on as before his death (Ket. 103a), yet that is hardly likely to be the origin of
this custom. Its source must still be discovered. As far as a yahrzeit candle is
concerned, this old custom may have spread from the lighting of a candle in the synagogue on
Yom Kippur (Isserles, Darkhei Mosheh to Tur Orah Hayim 610). In each
of these instances, the light commemorates a single individual. We should in this tragic case
utilize two lights, one for each of the individuals who is mourned, both during the shivah
period and in future years for their yahrzeit.December 1985
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