Why Did Hashem Make Sugar Taste So Good If It's Not Too Healthy?

Hi, this is Dov Olansky with our question and answer series. We're in a short period of time we try to give a short answer to very long and complicated questions. We know I should have created everything for us. Why then did he make sugar taste so good if it's not too healthy? I heard this uh question by Matty Berger when I was teaching in Discovery. And he said, "God put us in this world to make choices because the ultimate purpose of being in this world is to choose to have a relationship with the Kodesh Baruch Hu. Cuz you only can have a meaningful relationship that you choose." And so I've asked audiences for years, "Who loves who more? Do parents love children more or do children love parents more?" And every audience has told me the same thing, "Children love parents more." Why? Because children are at a disadvantage in that relationship because they didn't choose it. Or in the vernacular, "I didn't ask to be born." So "I didn't choose this relationship. You chose to have a kid. Turned out being me. But I didn't choose this relationship." So you could see sometimes when parents get older the relationship starts to change because the power dynamic the children are positioned to give more and that changes that that balance that takes place. But um until then, you know, therefore the example I used to give to the girls when I was teaching in seminary is I said, "One day there's a knock on the door and there's a young man there and he says, 'Hi.' And she goes, 'Hello.' 'It's me. Uh your bashert.' She goes, 'What?' 'Bashert. Take a look. I'm what you were looking for, right? Here's my resume. I basically everything on your list. So where should I put my stuff?' Uh wait a second. I don't know who you are. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm your bashert. You can see everything's there. >> [laughter] >> Ask me whatever you want. You uh it's not going to work cuz you have to choose this relationship. You have to decide that I want to do it or not. And uh and therefore if I didn't make [clears throat] that choice I'm going to be at a disadvantage in this relationship. So Kodesh Baruch Hu wants to have a relationship with me but as the way Matty always used to put it is, "A relationship is defined by the person who wants it the least, not the most." So if I'm madly in love with you and I want to marry you and spend the rest of my life with you and you can't stand me and never want to see me again, we're not going to compromise as good friends. It's always going to be defined by the person who wants it the least, not the most. And so Kodesh Baruch Hu wants a relationship but he wants you to choose it. So he puts you in a world where there are so many things to pull you away from him so you could choose a Kodesh Baruch Hu or choose not to have a relationship with the Kodesh Baruch Hu. And therefore every decision comes down to is this good or not? And so his example was that's the reason chocolate tastes good and bran doesn't. Because you're going to decide do I want to eat healthy or do I want something that tastes good but isn't good for me? Cuz you're going to have to make choices and that if everything that was good for you tasted good, so then there's no choice to eat healthy. You you it takes mas serous nefesh to eat unhealthy. And so you have to make a decision what's more important to me. Life is always going to be filled with these decisions. Or as Seinfeld said, "I want to buy an antihistamine. You know, this one's fast acting but this one's long lasting. Now when do I want to feel better, now or later?" >> [laughter] >> There's always going to be decisions that you have to make in life. And so the thing that is most enjoyable is not necessarily the best thing for you. And do you remember Listerine, the original Listerine? It uh tasted like I don't know, like a cross mixture of like alcohol and urine. It was just disgusting. And the commercial was, "I hate it but I use it twice a day." >> [laughter] >> Now it's all flavored. It's not the same thing. But back then it was really astringent and a person who used it was using it because I know intellectually it's a good thing to do. This is Dov Olansky with our question and answer series.