Thursday, August 27, 2009

Thursday's Torah Tidbits - Parshas Ki Seitzei

The following is a brief summary of a thought said over by R' Frand in his shiur this evening. I have attempted to reproduce this vort to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.

On Friday night we sing the Aishes Chayil poem which contains the phrase "Yadeha Shilcha Bakishur" which means "Her hands she stretches out to the distaff" (translation courtesy of Art Scroll). The Yalku Shimoni on Sefer Shoftim explains that this sentence in the Aishes Chayil is referring to Yael, the wife of Chever HaKeini who killed Sisra with a tent peg.

As described in Sefer Shoftim, when Sisra was leaving the battle field, he came to the tent of Yael. Yael recognized Sisra and gave him milk and cheese and he became tired. Once he fell asleep, Yael killed Sisra by pounding a tent peg into Sisra's head.

The Yalkut Shimoni then asks - why did Yael use a tent peg? Sisra came from the battlefield with his sword and battle accoutrement. Why did Yael not kill him with the sword? It would have been much safer for her to do it swiftly with the sword. What would have happened to her if Sisra woke up while she was pounding on the tent peg?

The Yalku Shimoni answers that Yael was observing the rule that a woman should not wear men's clothing (found in Ki Seitzei 22:5) which includes men's weapons. Rather than transgressing this commandment (although she certainly could have in order to save countless lives) Yael took the tent peg and for this she is praised in the Aishes Chayil.

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Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Tuesday's Thoughts on the Daf - Bava Basra 4

Bava Basra 4 continues the aggadic discussion of the conversations between Bava Ben Buta and King Herod. Since I cannot resist a good addita story, I will briefly summarize the gemara in this post.

The gemara taught on Bava Basra 3b that Herod was a slave who had his eye on the young daughter of the Maccabean dynasty. Knowing that he could not marry her, he killed all the members of the household so that only she remained. The girl (whose name is never given) then went up on the roof and jumped off so that Herod could not claim that he was a blood member of the household.

Later, Herod killed all (or according to Tosafos most) of the Rabbis of Israel. He allowed Bava to live, but put a crown of thorns on his head which blinded Bava. The gemara on Bava Basra 4a picks up the story where Herod tries to convince Bava to say something negative about Herod as Bava cannot see that he is talking to Herod. Herod tries numerous times and does not succeed as Bava keeps offering excuses as to why he should not say anything negative about the King. Herod then responds that if knew the Rabbis were like this he would not have killed them.

Herod then asks how he can obtain forgiveness. Bava suggests that Herod rebuild the Beis Hamikdash. Herod responds that he needs to clear it with Rome and Bava instructs him as to how he should make his approach. Rome sends back a message that Herod should not rebuild the Beis Hamikdash, but it is too late. Within the message, it is said to Herod that he should not become haughty over his position as they know that he descends from slaves and is not of noble birth.

Rabbeinu Gershom explains that the Romans had a book which contained the true yichus of Herod. Hurkinus had been in battle against Rome and saw a woman who he desired. Following the rules of aishes yifas to'ar, Hurkinus took the woman and she bore a child - Herod.

The gemara then discusses the splendor of Herod's creation and that he had laid the bricks of the Beis Hamikdash in alternating fashion with the mortar behind it, so that they gave the appearance of the waves of the sea. Herod actually sought to plate the walls with gold, but the Rabbis convinced him not to, as the rising and falling was pleasant to the eye.

The discussion made me think of a limud that I heard from my Rebbi, R' Goldwicht many years ago. I do not recall the source, but he mentioned that the blue of the techeles in the tzizis is to remind us of the sea which reminds us of the sky (also blue) and so we remember the kisei HaKavod (Hashem's heavenly throne). I wonder whether the pattern of the brickwork was meant to invoke the same thoughts.

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Monday, August 24, 2009

Monday Musings on Sports - Michael, Michael and Lifnim Mishuras Hadin

As regular readers of this blog are aware, the Monday post was usually devoted to sports with highlights and analysis of the Max Kellerman show which formerly aired on 1050 ESPN Radio. As Max has resigned from 1050 and has not yet resurfaced on the NY area radio waves, I have decided to continue the tradition of linking sports to Torah which I believe was an undercurrent of the Max Kellerman show.

In Torah thought there is an expression M'Moshe L'Moshe Lo Kam K'mo Moshe - from Moshe (Rabbeinu) to Moshe (the Rambam) there was never one like Moshe. L'havdil, one can say the same thing about Michael Vick and Michael Jordan.

I recall back years ago to the heyday of number 45 (OK fine, his heyday was when he wore 23, but I need to make fun of those Bulls fans somehow). Stories began to percolate that he was involved with gambling. Later, those stories devolved into tales of six figure golf games and other extravagant gambling methods. The problem for MJ (I can call you MJ, right Michael?) was that he was so renown, such a public figure, that everything that he did was magnified and reproduced for all the world to see.

This came to mind when the story broke that Michael Vick was seen in an airport drinking Grey Goose and pineapple juice. The media made the predictable circus - Vick was drinking alcohol! Immediately there were reports that he was breaking the terms of his early release, but those were quickly shut down as it did not mandate that he refrain from alcohol. Questions about why he was not drinking something more manly (I could have recommended quite a few kosher beers) were not as easily dispensed with.

The problem for Michael (Vick that is) is that everywhere he goes, he is the focus of media attention. I suspect that if his parking meter were to expire there might also be calls for him to remanded back to prison. Whether this attention and his overall vilification is well earned is another question. What is certain is that wherever he goes, his every act will be under a microscope.

This brings us back to Torah thought. There is a concept of acting lifnim mishuras Hadin - acting in a way above all possible reproach, so as to avoid the possibility of being suspected improperly. The gemara in Bava Metzia 30b recites numerous examples of rabbis who acted in this fashion, including R' Yishmael Bar R' Yosi who was mafkir all of his property so as to act lifnim mishurash hadin.

Another example is the story of the Abudraham which I have written about before, but I would like to repeat as it bears on the principle of lifnim mishuras hadin.

The Abudraham, besides being a talmudic scholar and writing perushim, also was a meat merchant. In those times, meat was sold by weight which in his location was measured in drahms. When a person came to buy meat in the Abudraham's shop, the Abudraham would weight out meat into single draham portions. As such, when a person would ask for three drahams of meat, the Abudraham would not use a three draham weight on the scale, but would instead weight out three individual draham portions.

One day, a non-Jewish man came into the shop and ordered seven drahams of meat. The Abudraham utilized his one draham weight and portioned out seven individual drahams and gave them to the customer. Not long after the man left the shop he heard someone running after him and asking him to stop. It was the Abudraham holding another package of meat. The Abudraham (acting within the doctrine of lifnim mishuras hadin) explained that he was concerned that when he was weighing each draham of meat that he might have had some which were lighter than one draham. The customer indicated to the contrary as he had watched the Abudraham and saw that each of the seven individual drahams were slightly heavier than one draham in weight. Still, the Abudraham would not leave the man with just the one package he had taken from the shop.

The customer was so impressed with the Abudraham and his honesty that the man decided to convert to Judaism. Thus the Abudraham earned his name Abu Draham (father of the draham).

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Sunday, August 23, 2009

Sunday Night Suds - Shiner Bohemian Black Lager


This week, Sunday Night Suds looks at Shiner Bohemian Black Lager.

Now that camp has ended and the family has returned, Sunday Night Suds can take its rightful place on Sunday Nights (at least until Yom Tov comes). I apologize to any who were inconvenienced by this minor adjustment over the summer and will endeavor whenever possible to start your week off with a new Kosher beer review.

This week's review looks at another of the brews out of the Spoetzel Brewery of Shiner, Texas - the Bohemian Black Lager.

Regular readers of this column will recall reviews of other dark lagers such as the Waterloo Dark Lager (http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2008/09/sunday-night-suds-waterloo-dark-lager.html ) which was more like a standard lager with some specialyt malts which added the dark color and a little more body to the flavor. Additionally, last winter the column reviewed the Samuel Adams Black Lager which had heavy overtones of chocolate malts and seemed more in the stout family than a "black lager."

This brings us to the Shiner Bohemian Black Lager. The experts at Beer Advocate define the Shiner Bohemian Black Lager as Schwarzbier which is explained by BA as:

German for black beer. It doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily heavy or light in body, although they tend to lean towards light. Unlike other dark beers, like porters or stouts, they are not overly bitter with burnt and roasted malt characteristics that the others tend to depend on. Instead, hops are used for a good portion of the bitterness. Very refreshing and soul lifting beers, they also make a great alternative for the Winter. Especially when you are looking for a lighter beer, but one with depth of colour and taste.

The Shiner Bohemian Black Lager (no word on what makes it Bohemian) is not extremely bitter and is quite drinkable by itself or with a meal. I enjoyed mine tonight with steak and bison ribs (barbeque style, of course), but the brew will easily stand up to any grilled meat or poultry.

Shiner Bohemian Black Lager is under the Kosher Supervision of the Va'ad of Detroit, although the brew does not bear the Va'ad symbol on its label. If you would like me to e-mail you the Va'ad LOC for Shiner Bohemian Black Lager, send me an e-mail and I will gladly oblige.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about Shiner Bohemian Black Lager, please follow this link http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/143/32575.

As always, please remember to drink responsibly and to never waste good beer unless there is no designated driver.If you've tried this beer or any others which have been reviewed on the kosher beers site, please feel free to post your comments (anonymous comments are acceptable).

If you have seen this post being carried on another site such as JBlog, please feel free to click here to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Shoftim

The following is a brief summary of a thought said over by R' Frand in his shiur this evening. I have attempted to reproduce this vort to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.

In Devarim 16:20 the Torah states "Tzedek tzedek tirdof lima'an tichyeh viyarashata es ha'aretz asher Hashem Elokecha nosain lach." This is generally translated as "Righteousness righteousness you shall pursue, so that you will live and take possession of the land that Hashem your G-d gives you."

Rashi explains the first part of the pasuk (tzedek, tzedek tirdof) as - you should choose a high quality beis din. Rashi explains the second half of the pasuk as "The merit of appointing decent judges is worthy to explain (Kidai hu) to keep Israel alive and to settle upon their land."

The Maharal explains that a beis din is a segula to the continuation of the Jewish people because truth is perpetual, while lies disappear. However, the Shev Shmaitsa had a problem understanding Rashi's use of the term "kidai hu."

Rabbi Frand explained Rashi's choice of verbiage by making reference to a Yismach Yehuda and an Akeida. The Yismach Yehuda notes that there are two similar stories in Tanaach which had completely different endings. When the angels came to Lot in Sodom, the townspeople demanded that Lot send out his guests for immoral purposes. This was the town ordinance which mandated that guests be abused (and the root of the current term sodomy). Lot refused and instead sent out his daughters. The town was soon after destroyed.

In contrast, in sefer Shoftim, a man came to the town of Giva'h in the land of Binyamin. The townspeople wanted him sent out for immoral purposes. The host refused, but sent out the guest's pilegesh who was abused and died on the doorstep of the inn. The people of Binyamin were severely punished and nearly excommunicated for generations, but the tribe was not destroyed.

The Akeidah explains that the difference between the two stories was that in Sodom, the law of the land was to be inhospitable to guests whereas in Giva'h there were laws and courts, but the townspeople followed their base instincts and ignored the legal system. In the zichus of having a set of laws and courts, even though they were not followed, the people of Giva'h were allowed to survive, in contrast to the people of Sodom.

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Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Tuesday's Thoughts on the Daf - Bava Metzia 115

Bava Metzia 115 contains numerous tips on learning pesukim including whether one should be doresh the meaning of a verse in drawing a rule (ta'am dikra) and whether lashes are given as a punishment for violating a general rule which comes along with specific issuri (aka Lav Shebicllalos).

Within the discussion on whether we are doresh the taa'm of the pasuk, the gemara brings a machlokes which struck a chord with me. The gemara had been discussing over the previous pages whether and how a person can take the security of a person who had defaulted a loan. Then on Bava Metzia 115, the mishna said that when one loans money to an almana (widow) who then defaults on the loan, one should not take her security.

The gemara then brought a machlokes between R' Yehuda and R' Shimon as to whether the law applies universally to both poor and wealthy widows. R' Yehuda learns that regardless of the financial status of the widow, one should not take the security.

Although R' Yehuda's position is learned from a pasuk (Lo Sachbol Beged Almana) it is contrary to the general rule which teaches that one can take the security interest of a poor debtor, provided that the creditor returns the object when it is needed. By way of example, the creditor takes the night clothes of the debtor in the morning and returns them in the evening when they are needed.

In contrast to R' Yehuda, R' Shimon states that a poor widow's objects are not taken while a wealthy widow's items can be taken. He explains that if the creditor shows up at the widow's door morning and evening, the people will assume he is there for illicit purposes. Therefore to prevent causing her to have an evil (false) name with her neighbors, the creditor is barred from seizing her security. This would not apply to a wealthy widow since the creditor would seize the object once and is not required to return it until the debt is paid back.

In this capacity we see that the law which is already compassionate to the poor since their objects can only be seized when they are not needed, is even more conscious of the widow by removing the creditor's leverage to take items even when they are not needed.

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Monday, August 17, 2009

Monday Musings on Sports - Second Chances for Vick and the Jews

As regular readers of this blog are aware, the Monday post was usually devoted to sports with highlights and analysis of the Max Kellerman show which formerly aired on 1050 ESPN Radio. As Max has resigned from 1050 and has not yet resurfaced on the NY area radio waves, I have decided to continue the tradition of linking sports to Torah which I believe was an undercurrent of the Max Kellerman show.

Over the last few days the Michael Vick story has begun to percolate. Not long after Tony Dungy intimated that Vick's return was imminent, the news broke that he had been signed by the Philadelphia Eagles. While driving home from camp on Sunday Night, I heard an interview with an Eagles reporter where the question was broached as to the extent of the protest over the Vick signing. The reporter responded that the first day there were protests, but that soon after there were only a handful of people, many of whom just wanted the publicity. He then stated that Vick has been accepted by his teammates and appears to be just a member of the team. As a result, very few Eagles fans were expected to stay away (according to the reporter) since the fans will continue to root for their team.

The interview called to mind an expression I attribute to Michael Kay as well as a concept in Torah thought. When discussing player changes in the era of free agency, Kay often remarks that "you root for the laundry" (i.e. the uniform) "not the player."

In Torah thought we value the concept of being part of the group as this increases the chance of having one's prayers being accepted by Hashem. Leaving aside the obvious negative consequences of being poresh (separating) from the community, the Torah specifically values prayer said in group form (i.e. with a minyan) as we are promised that tefillah b'tzibur will be accepted.

Recently, I heard Rabbi Rosner explaining the value of tefillah b'tzibur to some younger boys. He made reference to the "story" about the college student who was taking an exam being proctored by an outside individual. The proctor instructed that the students were required to finish writing by a certain time and then turn in their papers. When the time arrived, one student continued to write, although he was specifically instructed to stop.

When the student completed writing, he approached the proctor with his test booklet, but was rebuffed by the proctor who said that it was too late. The student then asked "do you know who I am?" The proctor said, "No." The student then asked again, "do you know who I am?" The proctor responded, "I don't know who you are and I don't care who you are."

The student said "great" and then jammed his exam booklet into the middle of the pile of tests.

We have a similar concept -even if we are not individually worthy of having our prayer heard, if we throw our prayer in with a minyan, we are guaranteed that it will be heard by Hashem.

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Sunday Night Suds - Samuel Adams Blackberry Witbier



This week's (belated) Sunday Night Suds review looks at the Samuel Adams Blackberry Witbier.

[Programming Note - This will be IYH the last belated Sunday Night Suds post. I hope to return to the regular format next week].

Over the winter, the proprietor in my favorite beer store, who knows my like for Samuel Adams mentioned to me that he had just gotten in the Samuel Adams Blackberry Witbier. I was tempted to purchase it, but was unable to find it on the Star-K list. I then sent the Star-K an email about it, but never heard received a response from them.

This week I was looking to get rid of some bottles from a prior Samuel Adams mix box which I had been holding onto while I waited for an answer from the Star-K as to whether they were kosher. Since the bottles were nearing their expiration date and the Star-K had not responded to multiple e-mails about them, I decided to check the latest LOC. While the two I had been holding were still not on the list (and are now in the trash), I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Blackberry Witbier was now approved. Two days later I was in a gas station on my way up to camp when I saw it sitting in a fridge - a six pack of Blackberry Witbier! I knew that I had to try it.

I drove up to camp and put two in the fridge to have with my daf after supper. By the time I returned they were truly ice cold and ... bitter. I was a little disappointed, but I was not ready to give up. Instead, I put the cup down and continued my learning. I picked it up again about ten minutes later and it was remarkably sweeter. While certainly not room temperature, the lack of an ice chill had drastically improved the flavor.

So what does it taste like when its "a little cold?" Not very much like a witbier. It actually taste like an American Wheat more than a witbier, with a little bit of a berry bite. I tried one again two days later with burgers and I was surprised that the flavors actually worked as the lack of chill mellowed out the fruit notes.

I will continue experimenting with this brew and b'n report back in later posts...

Samuel Adams Blackberry Witbier is under the Kosher Supervision of the Star-K. However, this is yet another Samuel Adams brew which does not have the certification mark on the label. If you would like to verify that the Blackberry Witbier is on the LOC issued by the Star-K, please click here http://www.star-k.org/loc/kosher_letter_6635_bostonbeercompany.pdf.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about the Blackberry Witbier, please follow this link - http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/35/47364 . As always, please remember to drink responsibly and to never waste good beer unless there is no designated driver.

Finally, if you've tried this beer or any others which have been reviewed on the kosher beers site, please feel free to post your comments (anonymous comments are acceptable).

If you have seen this post being carried on another site such as JBlog, please feel free to click here to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Tuesday's Thoughts on the Daf - Bava Metzia 108

Bava Metzia 108 contains numerous examples of the application of the rule of Bar Mitzra. Not to be confused with Bar Mitzva, the din of Bar Mitzra involves giving an adjacent property owner the option to purchase land next to his before it is sold to another buyer. This rule derives from the pasuk in Va'eschana - "V'asisa HaYashar V'Hatov B'einei Hashem" - you should do the straight and the good in the eyes of Hashem.

The first foray into the rule of Bar Mitzra begins with the question as to whether a potential purchaser of the land needs to acquire the adjacent owner's right not to exercise his option, or whether it is enough for the property owner to merely verbally give his assent. Rashi explains that if the right is not actually acquired, the potential purchaser runs the risk of having the adjacent property come to him later and say, I only told you I was not interested in buying because I knew the seller would charge me more because the land is dear to me. Still, you acted as my agent in buying the land and now sell it to me. The gemara concludes that there is an obligation to actually acquire the Bar Mitzra right.

Other examples of Bar Mitrza involve a person who buys property in the middle of the seller's property (i.e. land which is completely surrounded by other land belonging to the seller). We view this deal skeptically as there is a potential for abuse, since the buyer would now have Bar Mitzra rights to the seller's land between the buyer's new property and the next lot over from the seller's land.

The halacha of Bar Mitzra is not absolute, as the gemara on 108b contains numerous examples of exceptions to the Bar Mitzra rule. If a seller sells all his property to one buyer, the neighbor cannot block the deal as to the portion of the property which abuts his land. Rashi explains that the Bar Mitzra rule does not apply to do injustice to the seller. Another example of this is if the seller wants to sell land far away from where he lives and use that money to immediately buy property next door to him. We do not allow the neighbor near the property being sold to block the deal if it will cost the seller the opportunity to quickly sell that property and use the money to buy property which is better for him.

If you have seen this post being carried on another site such as JBlog, please feel free to click here to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Monday, August 10, 2009

Monday Musings on Sports - What Comes After the Comma?

As regular readers of this blog are aware, the Monday post was usually devoted to sports with highlights and analysis of the Max Kellerman show which formerly aired on 1050 ESPN Radio. As Max has resigned from 1050 and has not yet resurfaced on the NY area radio waves, I have decided to continue the tradition of linking sports to Torah which I believe was an undercurrent of the Max Kellerman show.

While driving back from the mountains, I heard a very interesting discussion on the Mike and Mike program in which they asked what comes after the comma? The question arose within the context of David Ortiz. Mike Greenberg asked his guest co host - how would you finish the sentence - David Ortiz comma who won the World Series in 2004 and 2007, OR David Ortiz comma who was identified as one of the 103 players who tested positive in 2003.

Throughout the program, the question was posed by the hosts as well as to some of their guests who called in as to how they would either describe themselves or other notable sports celebrities.

This discussion is hardly unique to sports and of course can be linked to Torah thought. My Rebbi (Rav Meir Goldwicht) has developed this within the context of the tannaim and amoraim who are identified in the haggada. By way of example, R' Yehuda was known as one who always gave his answers in the shortest possible manner. As such in the haggada he is the one who ascribed acronyms to the makkos. Another example is R' Eliezer who was always the first to the beis medrash every day. As such, he is the first tanna mentioned in the haggada.

Simply stated - what came after these great rabbis' commas was what they were remembered for in the haggada.

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Sunday Night Suds - Saranac Summer Ale

This week's (belated) Sunday Night Suds column looks at Saranac's Summer Ale.

[I would like to apologize to the loyal kosher beers fanatics for my inability to post the Sunday Night Suds column in its regular slot. Although there are weeks where I will miss a post or two, I have been endeavoring to always post a weekly Sunday Night Suds column so as to broaden the kosher market's understanding and appreciation of good beer. Unfortunately, due to some travel and technology restrictions, I am unable to post the SNS column on Sunday. Rather than skipping the post for the duration of the summer, I will be posting it on Mondays instead. I hope to return to the regular format of Sunday posting by late August].

Not to be confused with this year's horrible Saranac Summer Brew (reviewed here http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2009/06/sunday-night-suds-saranac-summer-brew.html ) the Saranac Summer Ale is a more long term staple of the Matt Brewery, as it was first introduced in Summer 2005.

The beer itself is characteristic of many a summer brew as it has a bit of lemon zest flavor, much like the Samuel Adams Summer Ale (reviewed here http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2008/07/sunday-night-suds-sam-adams-summer-ale.html ). Indeed, the flavors of the brews are strikingly similar to me and are nothing like their unflavored cousins Redhook Sunrye Summer Ale (reviewed here http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2008/09/sunday-night-suds-redhook-sunrye-ale.html ) and Brooklyn Summer Ale (reviewed here http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2008/05/sunday-night-suds-brooklyn-summer-ale.html ).

The Saranac Summer Ale is refreshingly crisp and despite the warning that it is "brewed with natural flavors) the additives do not overwhelm the flavor. I would suggest fish or dairy fare with this Ale, or perhaps enjoy it on its own after a long day in the sun.

Saranac Summer Ale is under the Kosher Supervision of the Va'ad of Detroit as is every other beer produced at the Matt Brewery plant in Utica, NY. To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about the Summer Ale, please follow this link - http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/99/23155.

As always, please remember to drink responsibly and to never waste good beer unless there is no designated driver.If you've tried this beer or any others which have been reviewed on the kosher beers site, please feel free to post your comments (anonymous comments are acceptable).

If you have seen this post being carried on another site such as JBlog, please feel free to click here to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Tuesday's Thoughts on the Daf - Bava Metzia 101

Bava Metzia 101 contains a number of interesting issues and could easily be a tikun leil shavuous gemara. Having said that, I would like to briefly touch on a few things which I found interesting.

Within a discussion about trees which were washed away by a river, the gemara digresses to discuss an ancestral field in Israel which was stolen by a gentile, who then wanted to rent it to the family of the original owner. The proposed arrangement allowed the farmer to keep half of the produce from the field. The gemara relates that the farmer was given a fine in that when he pays the gentile, he must pay him a full half of the produce and cannot pass off half the ma'aser obligation on the gentile. After discussing whether a gentile's acquisition of land in Israel can nullify the obligation to give ma'aser, the gemara then quotes R' Yochanan who says that the fine exists to make the field "firm" in his hands.

Rashi explains that because the family member must pay the extra ma'aser obligation, he will eventually get fed up and buy the field back from the gentile. Thus the fine acts to encourage him to reacquire the land.

Tosafos (d'h "Kidei") quotes Rabbeinu Chananel who says that the fine works in the opposite direction. The farmer will not want to pay the fine and no one will work the land. As such, the gentile will have an impetus to sell it back to the family at a reduced rate.

Another interesting discussion can be found on Bava Metzia 101b which contains the halachic rules of the landlord/tenant relationship. Included in this discussion is the amount of notice a landlord must give the tenant before he chooses to not renew the tenant's lease. Additionally, the gemara discusses when a landlord may raise the rent at the expiration of the lease. Furthermore, the gemara discusses the landlord's obligation in relation to the upkeep of the premises, including maintaining the doors, windows, lock and supports for the roof and walls. Meanwhile, the tenant is obligated to perform all maintenance which does not require a skilled laborer. Examples of these tasks included thatching a leaking roof and fixing a gutter/leader which broke away from the building.

If you have seen this post being carried on another site such as JBlog, please feel free to click here to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Monday, August 3, 2009

Monday Musings on Sports - Munson, Memories and Memorials

As regular readers of this blog are aware, the Monday post was usually devoted to sports with highlights and analysis of the Max Kellerman show which formerly aired on 1050 ESPN Radio. As Max has resigned from 1050 and has not yet resurfaced on the NY area radio waves, I have decided to continue the tradition of linking sports to Torah which I believe was an undercurrent of the Max Kellerman show.

While driving in this morning, I heard an interesting discussion on the Mike and Mike in the morning program about how certain dates evoke memories. Examples of this are your birthday. When I see my birthday as the date that a decision was published or as the date of an event in a case I am working on, it evokes positive thoughts. Contrast that with September 11th, which always gives me chills when I see it as a deadline or a court appearance date. I actually still get strange feelings when I hear the newsman say the time is 9:11.

During the program, Mike Greenberg discussed how the date August 2nd will always stand out in his memory because that was the date that Thurman Munson died in a plane crash. I believe that he said that he stopped talking to a friend of his when he learned that her birthday was August 2nd.

The concept of dates having meaning beyond the actual calendar date also has its roots in Torah thought. The gemara discusses how Hashem told the Jewish people that since they cried for no reason on the 9th of Av (following the Meraglim's report on the Land of Israel), they would cry for generations on that date. The gemara then mentions multiple bad things which happened on the 9th of Av including the destruction of the First and Second Beis Hamikdash.

Of course, I would be remiss if I did not mention that August 2, 1979 (the date of the Munson crash) happened to be Tisha B'Av on the Jewish calendar that year. Yet another connection between sports and Torah.

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Sunday Night Suds - Saranac Rye Pilsner

This week's (belated) Sunday Night Suds column looks at Saranac's Rye Pilsner.

[I would like to apologize to the loyal kosher beers fanatics for my inability to post the Sunday Night Suds column in its regular slot. Although there are weeks where I will miss a post or two, I have been endeavoring to always post a weekly Sunday Night Suds column so as to broaden the kosher market's understanding and appreciation of good beer. Unfortunately, due to some travel and technology restrictions, I am unable to post the SNS column on Sunday. Rather than skipping the post for the duration of the summer, I will be posting it on Mondays instead. I hope to return to the regular format of Sunday posting by late August].

Another of the Saranac new offerings in their beers of summer box is the Rye Pilsner. This take on the traditional Pilsner style may offend beer purists, but it adds some spice to what can be a rather bland beer style.

As noted by the experts at BA:

The Pilsner beer was first brewed in Bohemia, a German-speaking province in the old Austrian Empire. Pilsner is one of the most popular styles of lager beers in Germany, and in many other countries. It’s often spelled as "Pilsener", and often times abbreviated, or spoken in slang, as "Pils." Classic German Pilsners are very light straw to golden in color. Head should be dense and rich. They are also well-hopped, brewed using Noble hops such has Saaz, Hallertauer, Hallertauer Mittelfrüh, Tettnanger, Styrian Goldings, Spalt, Perle, and Hersbrucker. These varieties exhibit a spicy herbal or floral aroma and flavor, often times a bit coarse on the palate, and distribute a flash of citrus-like zest--hop bitterness can be high.

The Saranac Rye Pilsner adds a little kick to the classic Pilsner style by brewing it with rye for a little kick in the flavor department. Having said that, the beer does retain the floral flavor, but it also lacks the hop bitterness of a Pilsner.

I enjoyed my Rye Pilsner on its own and would recommend it as an accompaniment to a sefer after a long day at work.

Saranac Rye Pislner is under the kashruth supervision of the Va'ad of Detroit, as are all other beer produced by Saranac. For the experts' take on Saranac Rye Pilsner, please click here http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/99/48542.

As always, please remember to drink responsibly and to never waste good beer unless there is no designated driver.

If you've tried this beer or any others which have been reviewed on the kosher beers site, please feel free to post your comments (anonymous comments are acceptable).

Finally, I would like to take a moment to thank a couple of email and snail mailers for some correspondence over the last few weeks. As you can see from the picture above, I have received a Laker hat (as well as a Brick shirt featuring the hog from the Waterloo Dark Lager logo) from my cousin Doron in Canada. Thankfully, the hat does not play the jingle (click here http://laker.abuckabeer.ca/ if you need another reminder).

Also, both my father and father in law forwarded me news reports about President Obama's meeting with the parties to the Gates arrest and the speculation as to which beers they would be drinking during their meeting. I wonder who the VP was trying to emulate by drinking non-alcoholic beer? Or perhaps it is indicative of the fact that it is a poor copy of normal brews...

And for those of you who remember your party days in College, there is news that a University in the UK has elected to make life easier on its students by installing a brewery on campus - http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090724091341.htm (thank you Mordy for the link).

If you have seen this post being carried on another site such as JBlog, please feel free to click here to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!