917. Honoring Yom Kippur

131:13 The practice is not to insulate food before Yom Kippur to be ready for when Yom Kippur ends the way that we insulate food before Shabbos for use on Shabbos. This is because it looks like preparing on Yom Kippur for a week day. Another reason is that doing this may make us hungry.

131:14 The Book of Isaiah (58:13) tells us to "call...the holy day of the L-rd honorable. The Talmud (Shabbos 119a) tells us that this refers to Yom Kippur, when we do not eat or drink.  We honor the day with clean clothes and with lights, therefore beautiful covers are spread and many lamps are lit in shul. This is considered honor because Isaiah 24:15 tells us, "honor G-d in the east" (b'urim), which the Targum renders, "honor G-d with lights." Before twilight, we spread cloths on the table and light lamps at home, just as we do in anticipation of Shabbos. One should light a lamp in the room where his wife sleeps so that he will not come to have marital relations on Yom Kippur. One recites the bracha "to kindle the light of Yom Kippur" over the lights. If Yom Kippur falls on Shabbos, the bracha is "to kindle the light of Shabbos and of Yom Kippur."