065 Tanya Shvat 24 ~ m074 Adar I, 5
Questions for today:
Do I judge myself against the flavors that I imagine I prefer, or the flavors that have me constantly coming back for more?
What is people's, and G-d’s, favorite flavor? A lot of people would intuitively answer that Candyland is dreamland: the best food would be a sweet candy.
However, if you think about it, half of the confection sold is chocolate. The raw ingredient before you sweeten it is extremely bitter. Peppermint, sour pickles, spicy fries, spicy wings; we're surrounded by flavors that start off repulsive, but we work with them to make them palatable.
In fact, if a person faints, you bring their life back with a sharp smell, not a sweet one.
If we would get that flavor question wrong on a trivia quiz, imagine how confusing it is in real life.
We beat ourselves up for having the hint of a sour, sharp, or inappropriate flavor in our character. Is that really what G-d wants?
Or, does G-d love people like you and me? - Sinus-clearing Siracha that's mitigated and balanced to be prepared in a way that's healthy, savory and invigorating.
Tanya book 1, ch27 pt 2
Our spicy, sometimes even sour, self is not a negative. On the contrary, when we keep it under control, it is a flavor that G-d not only loves, but finds invigorating.
Study today’s Tanya in full:
https://www.chabadmed.com/dailystudy/tanya.asp?tdate=2/6/2022
See today’s video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVcRtCQYmD0&list=PLFZQPK6u-zSBls9Hwx3P5vKIBRnjBvHe&index=66