According to Jewish tradition, each year on the yarzheit, the soul is elevated to a higher level in the spiritual world. Elevation of the souls spiritual level may mean further testing and pain for the soul, especially for souls who never believed in GOD or spirit world whilst they were alive, so the family remaining on earth ask GOD in prayer for an "iloy neshama"- "עילוּי נשמה " - peaceful elevation of the soul.

This is achieved through lighting candles for the soul of the departed loved one, and saying prayers such as kaddish and psalms, learning mishnayos, and praying at the graveside, giving charity to poor people in memory of the persons soul, and thinking of the good deeds, achievements and accomplishments that the person did whilst alive.

The Jewish books teaches the importance of remembering yarzheits as a "TIKUN" - "a correction for our soul", as no one is "perfect" and we all need guidance to correct our ways, so that we may come closer to spiritual understanding and thereby come closer to GOD, our loving compassionate CREATOR.

The "Kabbala" teaches that all souls are connected whether they are living in this physical world or in Spirit world. For this reason when we improve ourselves in this world through acts of kindness to each other and performing our duties to GOD, behaving decently, honestly, compassionately and lovingly to each other, we improve the spiritual energy of this world and likewise change the energy in the Spirit world.

This is especially significant on a yarzheit, when we improve ourselves due to the spiritual thoughts and connection with, and with the help and influence of our loved one whom is in Spirit world, this special connection of our souls, helps the ascendance of their souls in the spiritual world.

Once we improve our ways by remembering the souls in spirit world, their soul is elevated, and in turn, as their souls are elevated in Spirit world, this has a good influence - השפעה מלמעלה to our soul in this life.

The famous sage Hillel emphasised the teaching, ואהבת לרעך כמוך "Love your neighbour like yourself", he said that is the whole message of the Torah, the rest of the Torah and its laws are just an explanation of that principle.

The explanation of Hillel is that on a spiritual level, "you are - your neighbour", we are all part of the same DIVINE spirit of GOD, we are all connected to each other, as we all contain the fundamental intrinsic DIVINE energy of GOD, the spark of GODLINESS that is contained in every living entity in this world and in the spirit world.

"Have you ever felt the closeness of a truly loving spiritual leader?", a truly special soul is able to connect with many people, as their true love of mankind transcends all levels. Hence, by their loving connection to us, when we have a problem, they are sensitive to feel the pain as if they themselves are suffering, and because of their elevated spiritual level of their soul, they are able to rescue us from the pain, since we are all connected through the DIVINE spirit of GOD within each of us. This is the importance of remembering the good spiritual teachers and Rebbes yarzheits, as connecting to good spirits we are certainly assured to be helped and guided to a good spiritual pathway.

The Rabbis tell us in the Talmud Gittin 54a, that the Spiritual Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed because people hated and argued with each other for no sensible reason, hatred is a form of death, and because of the needless hatred, they committed a "spiritual suicide", causing their own spiritual death and hence the temple was destroyed, as it had no "life energy of LOVE".

"LOVE" is the creative life energy of this world. Love and peace creates life, the more "LOVE" we generate in this life, the more creative "life energy" we feel, as we are emulating our compassionate and loving CREATOR - GOD.

GOD is the creator of this world, and all the creative energy of this world is LOVE. GOD is LOVE. Our LOVE of GOD, and our LOVE of all creations of GOD will rectify ("Tikun") for the destruction of the temple and bring the times of "Moshiach" closer, when the whole world will live in peace, harmony and love. Amen.

The Lighting of a Candle - is a "Spiritual" experience.

Lighting a candle is a spiritual tradition throughout the ages, and a symbol and energy of Spirit world in this world. From times of the burning bush which Moses saw in the wilderness when God first appeared to him, the "ner tamid"- נר תמיד - the "everlasting light" lit on the right hand side of the temple that never went out, and the custom in every synagogue today of having an "everlasting candlelight" is part of the same Kabbala - spiritual tradition of lighting candles.

A candle is symbolic of the soul, a material physical candle burns with a lovely peaceful glow and warm energy, turning itself into light and warmth, then the physical candle dissappears into the air, into the "ether". So too - the soul as it passes away from this world, no longer needs a physical body. This is the spiritual reason why CANDLES are used for remembering spirit souls, a hard physical candle turning itself into warmth and light as it burns away, with nothing physically remaining. In the same way a candle transforms and changes so too, a persons soul leaves this physical world and enters "Spirit world" with peace, love and light.

Jewish Traditions of Burial

The Jewish tradition is that the person is buried immediately, as soon as possible and within 24 hours of death.

Then starts a period of mourning for 7 days, known as "the shiva". Where the close relatives - the mourners (that is the brother, sister, father, mother, son, daughter, husband and wife) stay at home. During "the shiva" week people come and pay their respects to the family, by talking nicely about the person who has died, the family do not go to work in "the shiva" week, they light candles and say prayers at home, and traditionally eat hard boiled eggs, round gefilte fish balls and lentil soup (the reason is that "circular and round" foods remind a person of the cycle of life and death).

The 30 days after death are called "the sheloshim". Less intense than the shiva, but still a traditional mourning period. After the Sheloshim period is over, from then onwards - up to one year, the gravestone is then erected. Kaddish prayer is said up to 12 months, although some people have the custom to say it for just 11 months, (ask your local Rabbi for your tradition).

Thereafter every year on the day of death, the Yarzheit is observed. In the same way that every Jewish day begins at nightfall and ends at sunset, the "yarzheit" begins by lighting a candle at nightfall.

"Yizkor"

Yizkor, is the memorial prayer said 4 times a year in the synagogue . On Yom Kippur, the last day of Pesach, the last day of Shavous and on Shmini Atzeres . After the reading of the torah on these days , it is customary to mention and say a prayer for all those souls whom have passed to spirit world . On these days, it is also customary to light a Yizkor / Yarzheit candle .

It is also customary to visit the graves of loved ones and of righteous people in the week before Rosh Hashana - Jewish New Year, and there are some people who also light a Yizkor candle on Rosh Hashana in memory of the souls of loved ones in spirit world. The reason for visiting the graves before Rosh Hashana is in order to ask for extra special spiritual guidance, that we maybe able to transform our lives in the coming year to become better people.