On this day and the week preceding, it is customary to repent to those one has wronged. We apologize to friends and acquaintances in case we caused them any offense over the past year, even unintentionally. Yom Kippur itself is the day on which we confess our sins before God and seek His divine forgiveness. One of the things for which we seek forgiveness is all the lies we have told. But what about the lies we told to Waze, the popular navigation system? Are falsehoods offered to a machine also sinful, and are they covered by our prayers?

While it might sound silly, this question was asked in all seriousness by a reader of a local Jewish magazine to the chief rabbi of the city of Safed, Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu. The reader’s inquiry read: “Must I also tell Waze the truth when it asks if I’m currently driving? Is it a lie to hit the ‘I’m not driving’ button?”