Holiday Reflections: Candles, Leather, AI and Yom Kippur

Will or Won’t You Light a Candle?

Clear your mind. I am talking about the yahrzeit candle (lit to memorialize your deceased relatives), wearing leather shoes, and how AI can help you with Yom Kippur. The Yamim Tovim (Good days; festivals) are over. They were better than I expected. I hope the year goes that way.

As we know, we have many customs. On Yom Kippur, some of these are lighting a yahrzeit candle and refraining from wearing leather shoes, and, of course, the fast.

As far as lighting the candle, we light it in our home just before Kol Nidre (the start of Yom Kippur). Then we head to services. In many instances, not everyone goes to services. So, someone stays home to make sure the candle burns as it should and doesn’t burn down the house. Yes, chances are slim that it would. But it can happen. The candle says not to leave it burning unattended.

For the record, for years I lit it in the shul basement. It was busy 24/7. I didn’t worry about leaving a burning object alone. People were always watching the candles. This year, I happily went somewhere else and continued going there for the Yamim Tovim. I do many other things at that venue; I am no stranger there.

I, the Eagle Scout with Cooking and Camping Merit Badges (fire safety is a big part of those badges), knew I wasn’t going to leave the candle burning while I was away. I am too trained. What to do? I know you’re not supposed to light the candle once the observance starts. I could have — I admit I don’t strictly follow everything —but I felt bad about this one. I had a battery-operated one. The battery was dead. It used some weird battery. Not your standard AA or D cells. Even if I got one, I had no clue if it’d work. The bulb might be dead. I have not used this thing in many years.

Anyway, I didn’t have a candle. I bought one and debated. I told my mom the names of the people I want it lit for. She said she’d do it. I still debated. What did I do? I left it unlit on the counter and said the blessings.

As for leather, I am a clothes horse. I have too many pairs of footwear – Sneakers, dress shoes, Crocs, water shoes, and boots. I normally wear my Crocs. But it was raining. I sometimes wear my boots and change at services.

I looked at one of my pairs of Skechers and wondered if they were leather. I have had these sneakers for a while. I found the ISN number. I plugged it into Google’s AI, and a second later it told me they were not leather. But canvas and some synthetic stuff. I was happy. I remember when people used to brag about having leather shoes and coats. This time all I wanted was the opposite. I wore them to and from shul. They held strong during the fast.

The fast. I am exempt from fasting. I must drink regular amounts of water every day. Skipping it for a nearly 25-hourfast will not do me any good. It has also been suggested that I eat some fruit. I filled my water bottle and left it in the fridge.

The next morning, I woke up and grabbed it. Mistake: I forgot to pull the bulb out of the fridge (you are not supposed to turn lights on or off). I felt bad. But what’s done is done. I wasn’t gonna use a cup from the shul and get water from its bathroom. I do not have access to the kitchen. It dawned on me hours into prayer that I could have filled one of my water bottles that were sitting in a cabinet above my sink. Why didn’t I think of it earlier? I do not know. I placed an apple in my tallit bag. I ate it during the break-fast with my standard break-fast food, Twizzlers. I have been breaking the fast with Twizzlers since I was eight.

Truthfully, depending on whom you talk to, these things are either monumental or no big deal. I am in the middle. Anyway, the Yamim Tovim have been over for about three days. I hope we all have a good year.