The significance of a yahrtzeit

Question:

It seems that there is a focus on acknowledging the day of a yahrtzeit. It is understandable on an emotional level, but is there a source for every yahrtzeit actually having particular significance and koach in the long run (in regards to every person who is niftar, not just with specific individuals in Jewish history such as the decision of Haman to cast his lots based on Moshe's yahrtzeit [which unfortunately for Haman was also Moshe's birthday of course])?

In a somewhat related question, does what happened at a point in time always hold a specific koach or significance for the long term? For example, I have heard things in the past along the lines of "this is the day that ______ happened in Jewish history/________died/etc., perhaps on this day we should therefore specifically be focusing on doing ________/improving ourselves in ________ area in which he excelled/etc." Would it be because the day actually holds an elevated koach to tap into those midos or mitzvos because of what happened on that day in the past, or is it simply another way to inspire and motivate ourselves to improve?

Answer:

1. It seems that there is a focus on acknowledging the day of a yahrtzeit. It is understandable on an emotional level, but is there a source for every yahrtzeit actually having particular significance and koach in the long run (in regards to every person who is niftar, not just with specific individuals in Jewish history such as the decision of Haman to cast his lots based on Moshe's yahrtzeit [which unfortunately for Haman was also Moshe's birthday of course])?
2. In a somewhat related question, does what happened at a point in time always hold a specific koach or significance for the long term? For example, I have heard things in the past along the lines of "this is the day that ______ happened in Jewish history/________died/etc., perhaps on this day we should therefore specifically be focusing on doing ________/improving ourselves in ________ area in which he excelled/etc." Would it be because the day actually holds an elevated koach to tap into those midos or mitzvos because of what happened on that day in the past, or is it simply another way to inspire and motivate ourselves to improve?

Answer:

Hello,

1.   What Orthodox Jews do on a Yahrtziet is not merely an emotional expression of love for the departed person. The idea of a yahrtziet, is based on kaballah, and the writings of the Arizal[1], that on the yearly day of a person’s passing, the soul is judged, in order to be given a higher place in Gan Eden, for any merits that can be added to his soul’s credit. Therefore, in order to give the person’s soul some more merits there are numerous things that the family and children in particular do. These include saying kaddish, learning mishnayos, saying Tehillim, and giving tzedakah for the merit of the departed person’s soul.

2.   Not everything that happens on a particular day has significance, however major events can have a significance for coming years. This is what we say in Al Hanissim , bayamim hohaim b’zman hazeh”. In those time, but particularly in this time. In fact regarding Chanukah, the Gemora, ( Shabbos 23) which talks about the instituting of Chanukah, says that they only instituted it the next year. The commentaries ask, why did they only wait until the next year to institute it? The answer that the Rabbis saw that there were special things that happened on the 25^th of Cheshvan, but they didn’t know if it a one-time thing, of if this now became like the spiritual nature of that day. Therefore, they waited until the next year, and when they saw that now there was something special about these days, then they instituted the festival.

Best wishes

Sources

[1] האריז"ל בשער הכוונות, וכ"כ בס' מנוחה וקדושה פ"ל שיום יארצייט הוקבע לבדוק שמא ימצא לו זכויות חדשות שעל ידם יובא בגע במדור גבוה מהראשון, ומוכרח להתכבס, כיבוס יותר טוב מעוונותיו, לכם מחויבים בניו להשתדל בתורה ומצות להטיב לאביהם ואמם" וע' ג"כ נטעי גבריאל (אבילות) פ"ע הערה א'.

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