Below is audio (MP3) and text (PDF) for a Shiur on Halachot of Erev Yom Kippur. The Shiur ends with a new Hashkafic perspective related to Rambam’s statement that one should say Viduy before his last meal lest he choke and die. A meaningful fast to you all.
One important note: During the Shiur I said that if one lights candles early before Yom Kippur, that lighting does not constitute an acceptance of the fast and one can still eat or drink from that point until a more formal declaration is made. I should clarify that even in that case, at the very least, a verbal declaration should be made. Whether this declaration is even enough is also not 100% certain to me anymore, as I have since been informed that the Halacha might not be that way. It is best to air on the side of caution and assume that lighting does constitute an acceptance of the fast, even if one declares his intention to be otherwise. It should be noted that when lighting, as on every Erev Shabbat, one may light “al tanai” (on condition) that she (or he) does not yet take on the strictures of Shabbat, thus allowing her to drive to Shul or do other Melachot. The matter under discussion here relates not to Melacha, for which one may certainly make such a tanai (condition), but fasting, concerning which the Halacha is less clear.
Classroom Declassified 