Is the Experience of the Divine Enjoyable?
Enduring God through food is a multi-sensory experience that brings near what is sensed from afar. Specifically, eating, in a religious context, involves internalizing God, a being whose home is heaven, an entity that surrounds us and extends into the universe. When speaking of this class, it may be easy to wrongly associate good tasting food with good, positive experiences. While there is a sort of network association between eating something delicious and feeling good, there could also be positive effects of bitter flavors. There could be some sweets, like the cuban, "pastelito de guayaba y queso," that are not appealing to all people. The desire or aversion to the flavor is unique to each individual-- as is each person's positive and negative life experiences. Sometimes life is bitter and other times life is sweet. "Hillel's Sandwich," served each Passover Seder, sends us a simple religious message: approach all hardships in life with positi