The Yahrtzeit Candle

 

.        Parshas Hashavua      בהעלתך את הנרות            נר ה' נשמת אדם משלי כ' כ"ז Lighting a candle on the day of a Yahrzeit is not mentioned anywhere in ש"ס, רמב"ם,טור,שו"ע*  The first to mention נר נשמה is probably the. כל בו הלכת יום כיפורים. The כל בו writes to light a נר for deceased parents, on ערב יו"כ so they will have a כפרה. The parents have a כפרה, because of ברא מזכה אבא, Mitzvohs a child does benefit the deceased parents. The טור writes (630) There is a special ענין to have many  candles in Shul on Yom Kippur. The need for lots of candles was because some people spend the whole night & day in Shul. Others spend there the whole day till the evening.  It is probable, that the חכמים tried to entice people to donate נר למאור, therefore, attached the special סגולה of כפרה on יו"כ for the מתים, and applied the פסוק of נר ה' נשמת אדם to the Yahrzeit candle. The Chasam Sofer (Shu"t #6:27) writes he is unaware of a so-called מצוה רבה (sarcastic) to light Yahrzeit candles at home or even at the קבר. According to the Chasam Sofer, there is no point in lighting Yahrzeit candles at home or at the Bais Hachaim. The sole purpose of a Yahrzeit candle is to do a Mitzvah with it to light up the Shul so that others will have light to Daven & learn. Today with electric lighting the light of the candle is useless. Perhaps, paying the electric bill would be more beneficial  for the עליית נשמה than Yahrzeit candles. *In ברכות נ"ג ע:א &  כתובות ק"ג ע"א is not referring to Yahzeit candles