3536. 'And his mother made savoury food such as his father loved' means things that are delightful, yet not desirable. This is clear from the representation of Rebekah, to whom 'mother' refers here, as the Divine Rational as regards truth, and from the meaning of 'savoury food' as the forms of pleasantness that belong to truth, dealt with above in 3502. The reason why here they are delightful but not desirable is that they were not the product of 'Esau's venison', that is, of truth acquired from genuine good, 3501, but the product of 'the kids of the she-goats of the flock', that is, of truth that is born from homeborn good, 3518, 3519. What is implied in all this becomes clear from what has been stated above in 3502, 3512, 3518, 3519.

3502. 'And make me savoury food such as I love' means the forms of pleasantness received from that truth, because it is acquired from good. This is clear from the meaning of 'savoury food' as forms of pleasantness; and because that food was received from Esau who represents the good of the natural, that which is acquired from good is therefore meant. In the original language 'savoury food' refers to the forms of delight and pleasantness of taste, and means in the internal sense the delights which go with good and the forms of pleasantness which go with truth, the reason being that taste, as with all the other physical senses, corresponds to celestial and spiritual things - which correspondence will in the Lord's Divine mercy be dealt with later on. The situation in these matters does not become clear unless one knows how the natural is made new or receives life from the rational, that is, from the Lord by way of the rational.

[2] The natural is not renewed, it does not receive a corresponding life from the rational - that is, it is not regenerated - except by means of matters of doctrine or cognitions of good and truth, the celestial man being regenerated by means primarily of cognitions of good, the spiritual man by means primarily of cognitions of truth. Matters of doctrine or cognitions of good and truth cannot be conveyed to the natural man, nor thus be joined to it and made its own, except through all delight and pleasantness that are appropriate for it, for they are instilled by the external way or that of the senses. Anything that does not enter in by way of some delight or pleasantness does not attach itself there and so does not remain. These are the factors meant by truth acquired from good, and the forms of pleasantness received from this truth. And it is these that are the subject in what follows.