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Aspaqlaria

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Nine Qavim at the Buffet
 
Posted: 27 Mar 2008 05:41 PM CDT
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Aspaqlaria/~3/259273266/nine-qavim-at-the-buffet.shtml

 

אמר רב כהנא, אדם רוצה בקב שלו מתשעה קבים של חבירו.

Rav Kahanah would say, A person desires one qav [a unit of volume; roughly 60 fl.oz.] of his own than nine qavim of his friends.
-Bava Metziah 38a


Rav Kahanahs truism is an aspect of human nature that reflects our being in the image of G-d. The Ramchal explains (Derekh Hashem 1:2:1) that we exist in order to receive the ultimate good. However, since the Ultimate Good is the Creator Himself, receiving the ultimate good requires sharing in the task of creating it  in that way, being like Him. (The idea appears in other sources, dating at least as far back as Rav Saadia Gaons Emunos veDeios, but Derekh Hashem is more available and has the more elaborate presentation.) This, the Ramchal explains, is why Hashem created two worlds for us: this world in which we emulate Him and create our reward, and the next world in which we can receive it without the distractions and filters that are a necessary part of this world.
 
Thus, humanity, made in the Creators image, enjoys one qav of self-made riches to nine qavim of handout.
The context of Rav Kahanahs remark is to explain why someone who found someone elses perishable grain would use his own and allow the other persons to rot. The mitzvah of returning a lost item isnt relevant if the item wont survive long enough to  be returned.
However, when we get to a smörgåsbord or qiddush, somehow this isnt the evidenced behavior. People crowd the table, eat more than they ever would at home  perhaps eating a second helping of chulent while all the while criticizing its quality. Why? Shouldnt the chulent at home, mishelo, be far more tempting than the chulent at the qiddush  shel chaveiro? Is there an exception to the rule when it comes to free food? But Rav Kahanahs context was one of grain!

A co worker suggested that perhaps it is because of peoples need to horde food. The food at the qiddush is here now, and gone later. Thus, because mishelo is more desired, he is more loathe to spend it when there is an opportunity to eat mishel chaveiro instead.

But I am wondering if something more fundamental, and more damaging, may not be involved. This greater desire for qav mishelo requires the perspective of someone in the image of the Creator. It is uniquely human.

Perhaps the problem is that a smörg or a qiddush triggers the animal we (the soul) inhabits. That is why it doesnt involve a creative beings love of his own product. The is insane love of free food is simply the animal run amok.
 


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