Question:
A photo gif (A photo that has a moving candle of the flames) has value for a leilui nishmat ?
Answer:
The idea of lighting candles after a person departs is because it says, “ner Hashem nishmat adam”, a person’s soul is compared to a flame. A flame rises up toward heaven, while everything else in the world is pulled down by gravity. So too our neshoma, which comes from Hashem, yearns for closeness to Hashem. Additionally, a flame can only exist in this world as long as it has oil to give it it’s energy. So too our soul, can only stay in this world while it is attached to a body. A flame gives us light, and our soul help direct us in the correct direction. While our body pulls us toward materialistic things, our neshoma pulls us toward spirituality, and perfection.
From this we see that the idea of a candle is much more than just the picture of it, but because there is an intrinsic connection between the two. Therefore, if at all possible, a candle should be lit instead of just having a photo of one.
Best wishes
