Yahrzeit & Memorial Calculator

Yahrzeit (from German: 'time of the year'), azkara, and nahala are all names for the anniversary of a loved one's passing, according to the Hebrew date. Ashkenazim call it yahrzeit, Sfardim and Mizrahim call it azkara or nahala, and Ladino communities call it meldado. On this day it is customary to light a memorial candle, recite kaddish, study mishnayot, and visit the cemetery.

The yahrzeit is set by the date of passing, not the burial date, and this applies to the first year as well (Rema, Yoreh De'ah 402:12; Mishnah Berurah 568:44). When the burial was delayed by several days, some hold that in the first year only the yahrzeit is observed on the burial date (Shach, Yoreh De'ah 402:10). From the second year onwards, all agree that the date of passing is used. The calculator shows the date of passing, and adds the burial date next to the first year when the burial was two or more days after the passing.

In a leap year there are two months of Adar. If the deceased passed away in Adar of a regular year: according to the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 568:7), followed by Sephardim, the yahrzeit falls in Adar II. According to the Rema, followed by Ashkenazim, the yahrzeit falls in Adar I, and some observe both. If the passing was in a leap year, the yahrzeit in a leap year is in the same Adar in which the person passed away.

If the deceased passed away on the 30th of Cheshvan or the 30th of Kislev, and in the current year the month is short (only 29 days), it depends on the first year after the passing: if the month was short in that year too, the yahrzeit is on the 29th of the month; if it was full, the yahrzeit is on the 1st of the following month (Rosh Chodesh). This is the ruling of the Magen Avraham, which the Mishnah Berurah (568:42) records as the accepted practice. If the passing was on the 30th of Adar I, the yahrzeit in a regular year is on the 30th of Shvat. This calculator handles all these cases automatically.

Next to each row in the table there is a button to add to Google Calendar or download an ICS file (compatible with Apple Calendar, Outlook and more). You can also download all 20 yahrzeits as a single ICS file.

Yahrzeit is the Ashkenazi term (from Yiddish), and azkara or nahala are the Sfardi and Mizrahi terms. Ladino communities use the term meldado. All mark the anniversary of the passing according to the Hebrew calendar, though there are differences in the day's customs between communities.

The shloshim, the thirty days, are counted from the day of burial, with the burial day itself counted as the first, so the thirtieth day falls 29 days later. Customs for erecting and unveiling the tombstone differ between communities: in Israel it is widely done at the end of the shloshim, while in many communities abroad the unveiling is held toward the end of the first year, close to the first yahrzeit. Follow your family's and community's custom, and ask a rabbi on any practical question. This calculator shows the yahrzeit dates across the years, including the burial-date reckoning for the first year.