Lighting a Candle for Married, Divorced, and Widowed Men
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Question
In Mateh Ephraim (תרג, ח), it is mentioned that every married man should light a candle on the eve of Yom Kippur. Does this specifically mean married as opposed to a bachelor, or does it exclude anyone who is not married, including divorced and widowed men?
Answer
Shalom and blessings,
Only someone who is actually married, which does not include widowed and divorced men, as well as bachelors.
The reason is that the Torah was given on Yom Kippur, and only a man is considered a son of the Torah, not a woman, and in our times, it is customary that only a married man, because one who is without a wife is without Torah.
Gmar Chatima Tova
Source
Magen Avraham (Siman 605, Seif Katan 3); Mishnah Berurah (Siman 605, Seif Katan 11).