{"id":58506,"date":"2020-12-18T16:54:41","date_gmt":"2020-12-18T22:54:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/?p=58506"},"modified":"2020-12-18T16:54:41","modified_gmt":"2020-12-18T22:54:41","slug":"off-the-pulpit-why-gandhi-couldnt-be-jewish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/off-the-pulpit-why-gandhi-couldnt-be-jewish\/","title":{"rendered":"Off the Pulpit: Why Gandhi couldn’t be Jewish"},"content":{"rendered":"

By RABBI DAVID WOLPE<\/p>\n

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Shiva is not to extend past seven days; as there is mandated mourning, there is a mandated end to mourning.<\/p>\n

The Jewish emphasis on the sanctity and beauty of life is not only seen in difficult times. Gandhi could not have been an observant Jew — because he went on fasts that lasted for many weeks.<\/p>\n

In the Jewish tradition it is a mitzvah \u2013 a commandment \u2013 to eat three meals on the Sabbath. A Jew is not permitted to fast on the Sabbath day, with the sole exception of a Sabbath that falls on Yom Kippur. Excessive mourning and strict self-deprivation go against the ethos of appreciating and enjoying the life God has given. Each day is a blessing, and even after a loss we affirm \u2013 L\u2019chaim! To life. <\/p>\n

(Rabbi David Wolpe is the senior rabbi of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles.)<\/em><\/p>\n

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