“There is an urban legend in the Jewish community where if you don’t fast on Yom Kippur, God won’t write you into the book of life for the following year. It means you need to be observant of the holiday in the proper way. My parents told my siblings and me this as a reason why we needed to go to temple. The significance of this is to keep you, and particularly children, loyal to their religion. It is also a way for families to come together. Personally I think it is typical conformist religious bullshit, but maybe I might do it with my kids one day. I’m not sure. I’m not sure how religious I will be for them.”

This tradition that you must fast to receive good graces from God is not new, but it is interesting that David sees this religious tradition as a way to keep children in line, rather than as a way to repent. David claims that he fasts every year on Yom Kippur, but does not necessarily know why he does so. Even though he is not that religious, it was his parent’s lesson that he had to fast to be written into the book of life, that he does it.