First, a lesson in modern physics. There are many measurables that we use to characterize a physical object and its motion through space-time. Among these are mass, position, velocity, energy, charge, etc... etc... etc. Among these are groupings known as canonically conjugate variables: location/momentum (mass times velocity), time interval/energy transition, and more. The cool thing that was discovered with the age of modern physics in early 1900s was that the more precisely you measure one member of the pair, the more uncertainty you create in measuring the other member. Suppose, for example, you measure very precisely the position of a proton at one moment. You won't be able to predict where it is the next moment because you created an inherent uncertainty in its momentum (and therefore velocity). The universe just puts hard limits on what it will allow us to know about it.
"They" (you know who they are... the same ones who call it dope) say something like that about all sorts of things; among them: truth vs beauty, time vs money, quality vs quantity. You get, so they say, one at the expense of the other. I beg to differ. (Shocking; I know.) Let's take "time vs money", for example. While still in graduate school, my research adviser revealed to me an important truth -- as valuable anything else I learned from him: the fastest way to do anything is slowly and carefully. Tried and True.
What about quality vs quantity? We've seen two examples where the highest quality comes, in fact, specifically with greater quantity: Shabbos/Chanuka candles, halacha following Beis Hillel. However, I know of two examples that seems to contradict that. First, the Mishna Brura says that fewer סליחות/penitential prayers with כוונה/intent is better than more סליחות without כוונה. Is that a contraindication to our conjecture? I think not. סליחות does not mean sounding out Hebrew letters. סליחות without כוונה are not low quality/high volume penitential prayers; it's just low quality noise. As further proof, the Mishna Brura goes on to say that, of course, more סליחות with כוונה is even better.
But there is another case: hilchos brachos. After specificity (more specific comes first), the next consideration is שלימות/wholeness/perfection, and only then comes size. If you were planning to eat one whole pea and one huge slice of watermelon, then you would make the bracha on the pea, because it is שָׁלֵם/whole; whereas the huge slice of watermelon is not שָׁלֵם. Is that a deviation? I don't think so; I think it a more precise fit to the bracha. The bracha for "the fruit of the ground", not "for pieces of fruit that come from the ground." In fact, if you have an almond and an apple, the bracha should be made on the apple -- because it is bigger, and even though you like almonds better.
What about truth vs beauty? This is an ancient canard. Shlomo HaMelech tells us that a beautiful women without sense is a gold ring in a sow's nose (Mishlei 11:20); and that grace is beauty is a deceitful vapor (Mishlei 31:30). Beauty is never anything but an adornment. Truth needs no adornment; it is beautiful. Beauty on anything else is a horrible lie.
So it is not time vs money, but most value comes from spending most time; not quality vs quantity, but quality because of quantity; not truth vs beauty, but beautiful because it is true. More is, ultimately, Deeper/Sharper/Beautifuler.
Two caveats: (1) There is a Torah way to spend your time, increase quantity, and search for Truth; Torah underlies everything. (2) Sorry... it really is location vs. momentum and time interval vs. energy transition; reality is, after all, reality.
"They" (you know who they are... the same ones who call it dope) say something like that about all sorts of things; among them: truth vs beauty, time vs money, quality vs quantity. You get, so they say, one at the expense of the other. I beg to differ. (Shocking; I know.) Let's take "time vs money", for example. While still in graduate school, my research adviser revealed to me an important truth -- as valuable anything else I learned from him: the fastest way to do anything is slowly and carefully. Tried and True.
What about quality vs quantity? We've seen two examples where the highest quality comes, in fact, specifically with greater quantity: Shabbos/Chanuka candles, halacha following Beis Hillel. However, I know of two examples that seems to contradict that. First, the Mishna Brura says that fewer סליחות/penitential prayers with כוונה/intent is better than more סליחות without כוונה. Is that a contraindication to our conjecture? I think not. סליחות does not mean sounding out Hebrew letters. סליחות without כוונה are not low quality/high volume penitential prayers; it's just low quality noise. As further proof, the Mishna Brura goes on to say that, of course, more סליחות with כוונה is even better.
But there is another case: hilchos brachos. After specificity (more specific comes first), the next consideration is שלימות/wholeness/perfection, and only then comes size. If you were planning to eat one whole pea and one huge slice of watermelon, then you would make the bracha on the pea, because it is שָׁלֵם/whole; whereas the huge slice of watermelon is not שָׁלֵם. Is that a deviation? I don't think so; I think it a more precise fit to the bracha. The bracha for "the fruit of the ground", not "for pieces of fruit that come from the ground." In fact, if you have an almond and an apple, the bracha should be made on the apple -- because it is bigger, and even though you like almonds better.
What about truth vs beauty? This is an ancient canard. Shlomo HaMelech tells us that a beautiful women without sense is a gold ring in a sow's nose (Mishlei 11:20); and that grace is beauty is a deceitful vapor (Mishlei 31:30). Beauty is never anything but an adornment. Truth needs no adornment; it is beautiful. Beauty on anything else is a horrible lie.
So it is not time vs money, but most value comes from spending most time; not quality vs quantity, but quality because of quantity; not truth vs beauty, but beautiful because it is true. More is, ultimately, Deeper/Sharper/Beautifuler.
Two caveats: (1) There is a Torah way to spend your time, increase quantity, and search for Truth; Torah underlies everything. (2) Sorry... it really is location vs. momentum and time interval vs. energy transition; reality is, after all, reality.
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