Rabbi Jonathan Sacks observes, “The heart of all Jewish festivals can be summed up like this: They tried to kill us. We survived. Let’s eat.”
Eating as affirmation: Affirmation of God’s goodness, affirmation of life, affirmation of life’s goodness.
Small wonder, then, that festivals and eating are so much a part of religious celebrations and small wonder that heaven is portrayed as a banquet.
Invite your friends and family into your home, cook a meal, share your table. There is no need to worry about your culinary skills. More than one great religious festival in the Jewish tradition was eaten on the run without a lot of time for preparation.
What is important is the affirmation at the heart of it all.