Yahrzeits of Tzadikim in the Month of Elul and Their Segulot
Yahrzeits of Tzadikim in the Month of Elul and Their Segulot
1 Elul – Rabbi David HaGaon ben Avraham HaNagid Maimon (1300)
1 Elul – Rabbi Shmuel ben Avraham Abuav
1 Elul – Rabbi Shalom ben Yosef HaLevi Alsheich – Head of the Yemenite Beit Din
2 Elul – Rabbi Yitzchak bar Sheshet – Rivash (1408)
2 Elul – Rabbi Avraham Yaakov Friedman of Boyan-Lviv – "Nachalat Yaakov" – Al Kiddush Hashem
2 Elul – Rabbi Eliezer ben Yisrael Hager – Damasek Eliezer of Vizhnitz
3 Elul – Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook
3 Elul – Rabbi Yissachar ben Yitzchak of Nadvorna – grandson of Rabbi Meir the Great of Premishlan
4 Elul – Rabbi Meir Simcha HaKohen ben Shimshon of Dvinsk – "Or Sameach"
4 Elul – Rabbi Aryeh Leib Teomim – "Gur Aryeh"
5 Elul – Rabbi David Tzvi Shlomo ben Elazar Menachem Mendel Biderman of Lelov
5 Elul – Rabbi Moshe Aharon ben Chaim Pinto – Tzadik of Ashdod
6 Elul – Rabbi Shimshon Nachmani – "Zera Shimshon"
6 Elul – Rabbi Yom Tov Lipman Heller – "Tosafot Yom Tov"
6 Elul – Rabbi Yekutiel Yehuda ben Elazar Nisan Teitelbaum
6 Elul – Rabbi Yechezkel Sarna – Rosh Yeshivah of Hebron
7 Elul – Rabbi Eliyahu Chaim Darshan – father of the Ben Ish Chai
8 Elul – Rabbi Shlomo ben Yosef Karo – Rav of Sana'a, Yemen
8 Elul – Rebbetzin Malka of Belz – wife of Rabbi Shalom Rokeach
9 Elul – Rabbi Tzadok HaKohen ben Yaakov Rabinowitz of Lublin – "Pri Tzadik"
9 Elul – Dan ben Yaakov Avinu – one of the Twelve Tribes
10 Elul – Rabbi Pinchas ben Avraham Abba Shapiro of Koretz
Segula – studying the Zohar in the merit of the tzadik Rabbi Pinchas of Koretz to combat arrogance.
11 Elul – Rabbi Avraham Yaakov Friedman of Sadigura – son of Rabbi Yisrael of Ruzhin
12 Elul – Rabbi Shimon ben Asher of Toledo – son of the Rosh
12 Elul – Rabbi Simcha Bunim Bonhart of Peshischa
12 Elul – Rabbi Menachem Menashe of Turkey – "Ahavat Chaim"
13 Elul – Rabbi Yosef Chaim ben Eliyahu of Baghdad – Ben Ish Chai
13 Elul – Rabbi Avraham Yissachar Ber HaKohen Rabinowitz of Radomsk – "Chesed LeAvraham"
15 Elul – Rabbi Yaakov ben Nechemiah Feivel Koppel HaChassid – shaliach tzibbur of the Baal Shem Tov
16 Elul – Rabbi Yehye Schneur – disciple of Baba Sali
17 Elul – Rabbi Moshe ben Yaakov Toledano
17 Elul – Rabbi Yaakov Machluf – Rosh Yeshivah of "Moshav Zekenim" in Tripoli
18 Elul – Rabbi Yehuda Leib ben Betzalel – the Maharal of Prague
18 Elul – Rabbi Abdallah Ovadia Somech – teacher of the Ben Ish Chai
19 Elul – Rabbeinu Yaakov of Orléans – disciple of Rabbeinu Tam – "Al Kiddush Hashem" – was killed during the coronation of Richard the Lionheart
21 Elul – Rabbi Yonatan ben Natan Neta Eybeschutz
22 Elul – Rabbi Yaakov bar Moshe HaLevi Moelin – Maharil
22 Elul – Rabbi Aharon Abuhatzeira – son of the "Avir Yaakov"
23 Elul – Rabbi Uri bar Pinchas – Saraf (Fiery Angel)
23 Elul – Rabbi Yisrael ben Levi Yitzchak of Pikov – son of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev
24 Elul – Habakkuk the Prophet – son of the Shunamite woman
24 Elul – Rabbi Yisrael Meir HaKohen Kagan – Chafetz Chaim
24 Elul – Rabbi Ben-Zion Meir Chai ben Yosef Raphael Uziel
25 Elul – Tanna Rabbi Eliezer ben Shimon (son of Rashbi)
25 Elul – Rabbi Yechiel Michel of Zloczow – disciple of the Baal Shem Tov
26 Elul – Rabbi Chaim ben Shlomo Pinto the Great
27 Elul – Rabbi Natan HaKohen Adler
27 Elul – Rabbi Shalom ben Elazar Rokeach of Belz – Sar Shalom
28 Elul – King Saul and his three sons perished at Gilboa
28 Elul – Rabbi Chaim Yehuda Leib Auerbach – Rosh Yeshivah of "Sha'ar HaShamayim"
Why Is It So Important to Light a Ner Neshamah
"Ner Neshamah" in Hebrew means – soul candle, or memorial candle. In Hebrew, instead of "for the repose of the soul", the term "Le'ilui" is used, meaning – the elevation of the soul. Lighting a candle le'ilui nishmat the deceased is mentioned in several sources.
«It is known that the soul derives pleasure from the lighting of candles; it moves amid the splendor of Heaven, joy spreads from the source of light, and it (the soul) yearns for this light, even though the light of a candle's flame is material while the light of the soul is spiritual, pure, and simple».
(Rabbeinu Bachya, Terumah "Offerings
- "הרי לך שהנשמה יש לה הנאה מןהאור" - «There the souls delight in the light, and one should not be surprised that even the fragrance is beloved by the soul when it is in the body».
Ben Ish Chai teaches that the soul of a righteous person rejoices when a memorial candle is lit for him, and his soul ascends to Ha-Shem and intercedes on behalf of the person who lit the Ner Neshamah in his honor.
(Ben Ish Chai, Torah Lishmah, 520)
The origin of this custom is associated with Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, the compiler of the Mishnah, who instructed his family:
«נריהיה דלוק במקומו» - «Candles shall be lit in his place», - which expresses respect for the deceased.
"The Name of the Almighty is contained in the name of a righteous person. It is 'clothed' in him; from this we learn that when the name of a righteous person is publicized, the Name of the Blessed One is publicized. The greater the name of the righteous person, the greater the Name of the Almighty, because the Name of the Almighty is associated with the name of the righteous person." (Chazal)
To light a candle le Ilui Nishmat one uses a twenty-four-hour candle or an oil lamp. Before lighting the candle, money is set aside for the Kupat Tzedakah.
The candle is lit with the words: «Hareini madlik ner le'ilui nishmat Rabbi… Ribono shel Olam, bizchut tzadik Rabbi"... (personal requests)
(Sila Tehilim website)
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Tags: Yahrzeit, Yahrzeit of Tzadikim, Yahrzeit Dates of Tzadikim in Elul, Tzadikim’s Yahrzeits in Elul and Their Segulot, The Yahrzeits of Tzadikim and Their Segulot in the Month of Elul
