Latest posts
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What to Say on a Yahrzeit: Prayers, Psalms, and Words at the Grave
From the El Malei Rachamim to a personal psalm at the graveside, the words traditionally spoken on a death anniversary.
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Kriah: The Torn Garment and the Black Ribbon of Mourning
Mourners tear a garment or wear a torn ribbon. What kriah means, when it is done, and why the tear is over the heart for a parent.
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The Unveiling: Setting the Stone and Marking the First Year
Around the first yahrzeit, the gravestone is unveiled. What the matzevah means, what is said, and why the stone is set at year’s end.
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How to Pronounce Yahrzeit, and What the Yiddish Word Carries
Say it YAHR-tsait. A short guide to pronouncing the word for a death anniversary and the Yiddish meaning folded inside it.
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Finding the Yahrzeit Date: Reading the Hebrew Calendar for a Death
The yahrzeit follows the Hebrew date of death, not the civil one. How to locate it and why the two calendars drift apart.
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The Seven Days of Shiva: What the Week Actually Covers
Shiva is seven days, but holidays, Shabbat, and the burial day all bend the count. How the week is measured in practice.
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When to Light the Yahrzeit Candle: Timing the Flame of Remembrance
You don’t want to light it on the wrong evening. Here is exactly when the yahrzeit candle is kindled and the meaning behind the timing.
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‘What to Say to Someone Who Is Sitting Shiva’
You want to comfort but fear saying the wrong thing. Here are the words, and the silences, that truly console a Jewish mourner.
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‘What You Actually Do During Shiva: A Mourner”s Guide’
No one explains the day-to-day of shiva. Here is what the mourner does, avoids, and receives across the seven days.
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‘What to Say to Someone on a Yahrzeit: Words for Grief’
Years later, the loss still aches. Here is what to say to a friend on their loved one’s yahrzeit so they feel remembered, not alone.