Shulchan Aruch

Chapter 609: Keeping food warm on Erev Yom Kippur (1 Paragraph)

Note: The REMA is in brackets []

1. It is permissible to keep dishes warm from Erev Yom Kippur to after Yom Kippur. [And some say that you don’t warm up dishes on Erev Yom Kippur and this is the custom in these areas.]

Chapter 610: Lighting candles on Yom Kippur (4 Paragraphs)

1. In an area where the custom is to light a candle on the night of Yom Kippur you should light it. In a place where the custom is to not light, then you should not light one. [And if you are lighting the candle in your home, you are obligated to light it in the bedroom in order that it should not lead to relations with your wife after you see her by the candle in your house.[1]] However, if Yom Kippur falls out on Shabbat, everyone is obligated to light candles.

2. There are those who say that you make the blessing “... on lighting the candle of Yom Kippur” (על הדלקת נר יה׳כ).

3. In all places, we light candles in the houses of prayer, houses of study, the dark alleys, and next to/by [2]החולים.

4. The custom everywhere is to put a lot of candles in the house of prayer and to wear nice garments to the synagauge. [The custom is for every adult male or child to make a candle for themselves. A candle is also made for the soul of a father or mother that died. Such is our custom and this is admirable[3]. Similarly, this is written by some great Rabbis. If these candles go out on Yom Kippur, you may not tell a non-Jew to relight them. If one’s candle is extinguised on Yom Kippur, one should relight it after Yom Kippur is over and it should not go out again but you should let it burn out completely. Similarly, you should take it upon yourself that no candle is ever extinguished after Yom Kippur, not yours and not someone else’s. This is also found in old customs. Some say that we set the tables on Yom Kippur like on Shabbat and such is our custom. There are those who have the custom to wear clean white garments on Yom Kippur similar to the ministering angels (מלאכי השׁרת) and similarly the custom is to wear white Kittel’s that are white and clean. These are the same garments that the dead wear and due to this a man’s heart will surrender and break.]

Translated by Jay Dinovitser www.shulchanarach.com

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[1] The Mishna Brura is lenient on this custom and the M.A. says that our custom is not like this.

[2] I am unsure of the meaning. By the beaches, on the castles ????.

[3] Lit. “propper”