This is a fable I used to hear from my mother and grandmother. Last year my rabbi started telling it to me before I cut her off since I knew it backwards and forwards, so I suspect it’s got a “Jewish” history, but I can’t find it online (too many vague terms to search for), so I’ll retell it (and I’m sure bastardize it a bit).
The winemakers of a community, known for producing quality product decided to produce a blended wine of all of their best vintages. Each would contribute a from the stock of their finest wine and the final product would (in theory) be fantastic. [Editor’s (me) Note: I don’t think this would necessarily hold up, but it makes the story work so go along with it all you type-a wine-o’s].
One of those chosen to contribute couldn’t decide which wine from his stock to contribute, so rather than bring out an inferior wine and ruin the final product he instead contributed water, the logic being his small percentage of water wouldn’t be felt among the other fine wines and he couldn’t be blamed if the final product was lousy.
The big day comes, all the winemakers pour in their selected wines and everyone’s happy — there’s a large celebration as the flavors blend and they await a sample of the final product.
The time arrives, the spigot opened, and into a crystal glass emerges … water.
Each of the winemakers had the same concern as our character. The final result being of course nothing of value was created.
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