After the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, a custom developed to raise the memory of our lofty ancestors so that their merit should stand by us now and for our offspring in the future.

Everything that exists on a physical level corresponds to what exists on the spiritual level—physical is a reflection of the meta-physical. When two people are related on a physical plane it is because they share the same root in the source of souls in a supernal sphere.

Every holiday when the Torah portion speaks of offering tzedakah/charity, those who no longer have parents say Yizkor and resolve to offer tzedakah in the memory of their beloved ones.

Invoking the memory of our ancestors has a dual purpose: 1) that we can be sustained because of their noble memory, and 2) that through our positive actions, we inspire an elevation of their souls if such might be needed above.

Everything that exists on a physical level corresponds to what exists on the spiritual level—physical is a reflection of the meta-physical. When two people are related on a physical plane it is because they share the same root in the source of souls in a supernal sphere.

This means that although our actions can impact the entire world, those that are most affected by what we do are the souls most closely connected to our own soul. Thus, when children in this world give charity in honor and merit of their departed parents, this action can affect the ascension of the parents’ souls above.

In our world, there are choices; in the next world, there are only the effects. Free choice, the power to elect a new reality, to forge a new content/context, exists only in this manifestation. Since this is so, only in our world can people truly grow, expand and develop. There is always room for change and space to leap into new and unexplored realities. For this reason, any movement in the world of souls is dependent on the actions we take or actions we refrain from taking in this life. What level of integration our soul has with its source, or with what measure of intensity the personal light of our soul merges with the source of light, is contingent on what we do and refrain from doing in our present life.

This is so because the physical world below is founded on chesed (“loving-kindness”), and in the world of chesed, there are always second chances. This is not so in the spiritual world above, which is founded on gevurah/din (“strict justice”). There, everything is absolute and unconditional.

And yet, since our souls are closely rooted in the world above with our ancestors’ souls, our actions below can and do stir movement above. When we do something noble in the memory of our loved ones, not only are we ennobling ourselves, but we are essentially causing an elevation of their souls, an elevation that would otherwise not be available for them.

We fill their void, allowing for their soul’s ascent into the upper worlds, and by doing so fill the emptiness and void that their passing has left us. Yet, repeating the words of Yizkor alone is not sufficient. We need to be totally committed with strong resolve to do good, give to charity—in their name and for their benefit—and then certainly, the effects will be felt by them spiritually and by us spiritually, mentally and even physically.