What is a Yahrtzeit, Nahala?

Yahrtzeit, יאָרצײַט , means "Time (of) Year" in Yiddish. The word is also used by non-Yiddish-speaking Ashkenazi Jews, and refers to the annual anniversary of the day of death of a relative. Yahrtzeit literally means "time of [one] year".
The commemoration is known in Ladino as nahala. It is widely observed, and based on the Jewish tradition that mourners are required to commemorate the death of a relative.
Mourners required to fulfill this observance are the children, siblings, spouses and parents of the deceased. The custom is first discussed in detail in Sefer HaMinhagim (pub. 1566) by Rabbi Isaac Tyrnau.
The Yahrtzeit falls annually on the Hebrew date of the deceased relative's death according to the Hebrew calendar.
The main halakhic obligation is to recite the mourner's version of the Kaddish prayer three times (evening, morning, and afternoon), and many attend synagogue for the evening, morning, and afternoon services on this day. (During the morning prayer service the mourner's Kaddish is recited at least four times.) As a widely practiced custom, mourners also light a special candle that burns for 24 hours, called a "Yahrzeit candle".
Lighting a yahrtzeit candle in memory of a loved one is a minhag ("custom") that is deeply ingrained in Jewish life honoring the memory and souls of the deceased.
Jewish mourners are required to commemorate the death of a first-relative: mother, father, brother, or sister. The main halakhic obligation is to recite the mourner's version of the Kaddish prayer at least three times, Maariv at the evening services, Shacharit at morning services, and Mincha at the afternoon services.
Many synagogues will have lights on a special memorial plaque on one of the synagogue's walls, with names of synagogue members who have died. Each of these lights will be lit for individuals on their Yahrzeit, and all the lights will be lit for a Yizkor service. Some synagogues will also turn on all the lights for memorial days, such as Yom Ha'Shoah.
So, why am I telling you about this? It’s simple math. If every member observed the Yahrzeit of their loved ones, we would never have any trouble getting our daily Minyans both morning and evening. Often we will have a congregant needing to say Kaddish or observing the Yahrzeit of a loved one and they are unable to say the Mourners Kaddish because we do not have 10 adults present.
If nothing else we should start observing Yarzeits of our own loved ones, that’s Jewish tradition. If you have any questions about the Yahrzeits and how to observe them, contact the Synagogue office and let us help you start today.

B,Shalom,
Ricky Kodner