Tuesday's Thoughts on the Daf - Shavuos 2

In the two plus years that I have been writing this blog, I don't recall ever having the opportunity to post a Tuesday Thoughts on the Daf which opened a mesechta, so to this I say shechiyanu!

Meseches Shavuous discusses the laws related to oaths. In Judaism there are four basic categories of oaths - a Shevuas Bittui which is an oath uttered that something will or will not be done or has or has not been done; Shevuas Shav which is a false oath; Shevuas Edus which is testimony given in Beis Din related to a case and Shevuas Pikadon which is testimony regarding an object which had been deposited with the declarant which has been lost or stolen.

Although the mishna begins by discussing the types of oaths which can fall in the Bittui category, it quickly digresses to discuss other non-oath related laws which also start as two categories and branch into four. Tosafos (d'h Shavuos) is bothered by the way that the mesechta commences (as opposed to discussing the actual language of the oath) but concludes that the mishna begins in this fashion because it is continuing a similar theme which was found in the mishna in the last perek of Makkos.

Towards the bottom of 2a, the gemara begins a discussion about the purpose of the seirim which were brought on Rosh Chodesh, Yom Kippur and the Shalosh Regalim. R' Shimon Ben Yehuda stated in the name of R' Shimon Ben Yochai that the seirim provide cumulative atonement - the seir for Rosh Chodesh atones for a person who forgot he was tamei and ate kodesh while tamei, the seir for the Regalim atones for the identical problem as well as for a person who a person who unknowingly ate kodesh while tamei and never learned that he had been tamei and the seir for Yom Kippur atones for the above two scenarios as well as person who did not know he was tamei, ate kodesh and later learned that he had been tamei while eating kodesh.

The question I heard asked was - why do we bring multiple seirim on holidays? If the one seir is michaper, that should be enough.

The answer that I heard to the question does not do the question justice, as my friend (quoting a sefer I do not recall) indicates that the second seir is brought because of gezeras hakasuv.

If you are aware of a different answer to the question, please email me.

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Sunday Night Suds - Coors Light

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks (by special request) at the Silver Bullet - Coors Light.

A staple at many a shalom zachor or backyard barbecue and the subject of what seems like one out of every four commericals during an NFL game, the Silver Bullet has established itself in Americana. This review will briefly examine whether Coors Light truly is a pale imitation of a beer, or something actually worth drinking.

Before looking at any beer, the first question that needs to be asked is - what kind of beer is this supposed to be? Starting with the ultimate beer resource, I turn to Beer Advocate which classifies Coors Light as a light lager, which BA defines as:

a lighter version of a breweries premium lager, some are lower in alcohol but all are lower in calories and carbohydrates compared to other beers. Typically a high amount of cereal adjuncts like rice or corn are used to help lighten the beer as much as possible. Very low in malt flavor with a light and dry body. The hop character is low and should only balance with no signs of flavor or aroma. European versions are about half the alcohol (2.5-3.5% abv) as their regular beer yet show more flavor (some use 100% malt) then the American counterparts. For the most part this style has the least amount of flavor than any other style of beer.

So with that introduction in mind, lets look at Coors Light and ask whether it has earned its reputation. It certainly is low in hops and flavor. It's alcohol content (4.2% abv) is close to the regular Golden Banquet beer. Seems like it fits the category well. So why do people hate it?

The simple answer to the above question is that people hate the Silver Bullet because they want a beer with flavor when they drink. The inverse is true as well. If you give a sold stout to a casual beer drinker, he will probably not finish it. Why, because he has a certain flavor profile for beer in his head and the stout goes too far over the top for his liking.

Which brings us back to Coors Light. Simply stated, if you want a beverage which is light on beer taste and calories, you have found what you are looking for. Just don't drink it if you are looking for a beer.

Coors Light is certified kosher by the Orthodox Union, as is every other beer produced by Coors.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about Coors Light, please follow this link - http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/306/837. 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, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Balak

The following is a brief summary of a series of vorts said over by R' Frand in his shiur this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts 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.

The first quick vort said over by Rabbi Frand related to the conversation between Hashem and Bilaam in Bamidbar 22:12. In this pasuk, Hashem tells Bilaam not to go with Balak, using the following verbiage "Don't go with them, don't curse the nation, for it is blessed." Rashi on this pasuk fills in the gaps in the sentence and explains that there was an ongoing conversation:

Hashem: Don't go with them to curse the Jews.
Bilaam: OK, then I will curse them where I am now.
Hashem: Don't curse the Jews.
Bilaam: OK, then I will bless them.
Hashem: They are already blessed.

After repeating the back and forth between Hashem and Bilaam, Rabbi Frand asked the famous question - why did Bilaam want to bless the Jews? Rabbi Frand answered that Bilaam knew that there were two possible ways to destroy the Jews. The first path to destruction is the obvious one - that a nation would come and wipe them out. However, Bilaam was also aware of another possible derech - if the Jews had it too good they could decide that their wealth was of their own doing and that there was no need to thank or recognize Hashem for his role. Thus his potential blessing could also be a manner of curse.

The next vort said over by Rabbi Frand this evening related to Bilaam's conversation with Balak's henchmen in the next pasuk. In Bamidbar 22:13 Bilaam tells Balak's henchmen that they should go to their land because Hashem does not want Bilaam to go with them.

Rabbi Frand asked on the pasuk - why did Bilaam only tell half of his nevuah from Hashem to Balak's men? Why did he not tell them that Hashem also told him not to curse the Jews? Rabbi Frand quoted R' Chayim Shmulevitz who explained that Bilaam did not intentionally omit the second half of the command. Rather, Bilaam (like most people) only heard what he wanted to hear. When Hashem told Bilaam not to go with them, Bilaam assumed that meant that he was not to accompany them because they were low level help and he should have been escorted by the king himself. In so doing, Bilaam conveniently ignored the rest of the command (which is seen later in the parsha when he does attempt to go and curse the Jews).

The third vort that Rabbi Frand said related to the conversation between Bilaam and the donkey. The parsha repeats their conversation wherein the donkey says to Bilaam why are you hitting me and Bilaam responds because you embarrassed me.

Rabbi Frand asked on this strange scene - why did Bilaam not fall off the donkey in amazement and ask why and how are you speaking to me? Indeed, this was the first time in creation that an animal spoke to a person, yet Bilaam did not act surprised at all! Rabbi Frand analogized this to a person who tries to get his car to start and is unsuccessful. The man then tries to tinker under the hood and when the car still will not start, the man kicks the car. If the car then says to the man - why did you kick me, would the man first answer the car back - because you did not start? Of course not.

Rabbi Frand answered the question by quoting R' Luban who said that this shows how a person can fail to win an argument. When a person has a dispute with another and wants to convince the other person he is right, the last thing a person should do is tell the other person he is "dead wrong." Instead, he should say to the person, I see your point, however... and then destroy the other person's argument. Bilaam was insulted and tied up with feeling embarrassed over the donkey's actions. As such, he could not think clearly when the donkey was talking to him and his gut reaction was to lash out at the donkey.

Rabbi Frand's final vort related to the language that the donkey used in complaining to Bilaam that he was struck three times. In Bamidbar 22:28, the donkey does not say to Billam you struck me three pa'amim. Instead, the donkey uses the language regalim. Rashi explains that the donkey was saying to Bilaam - you think you can curse the nation which observes the shalosh regalim?

The obvious question is, why mention the shalosh regalim? What is the symbolism. To answer this question, Rabbi Frand quoted the Imrei Baruch who cites the gemara in Chagiga which teaches that the tanner and the metal smith were exempt from the mitzva of being oleh regel. The gemara explains that these people smelled foul because of the work they did and other people would not want to stand near them. The purpose of being oleh regel was to join as a nation and not to alienate others due to a foul stench.

Rabbi Frand then mentioned the Brisker Rav who notes that the mi shebeyrach on yom tov is "veyizke l'alos haregel im cul echav" a person should be zoche to go up with all his brothers.

This was the message the donkey was trying to give to Bilaam - you can't attack a nation which is together as one.

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Monday's Musings on Sports - Do you vuvu? I sure hope not.

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. Although Max resigned from 1050 more than a year ago, I have tried to continue the tradition of linking sports to Torah which I believe was an undercurrent of the Max Kellerman show.

Last Friday I was sitting at my desk in the office when I turned on the radio so that I could listen to the US v. Slovenia game. I am not a big soccer fan, but the World Cup is a major international event and I have some national pride, so I figured - why not have the game on in the background?

After a few minutes of the game I had to turn the radio off. The infernal buzzing of the vuvuzelas was driving me nuts. As anyone who has heard them must know, the "instrument" sounds like a swarm of bees. Rather than listening to the game, I turned the radio on periodically just to hear the score and then turned it off rather quickly to get away from the bees.

I have since done a little research on the "instrument" and quite frankly, the more I know, the less I understand. The horn is incapable of being used to play a tune as the sound is a monotone. The sound produced is nearly 120 decibels and can cause hearing loss to those exposed to it for sustained periods of time.

I have also read that the players in the soccer games have problems communicating with their teammates because of the sound of the horns.

With all this, I can't understand why the World Cup organizers allow these "instruments" to be brought into the arenas. If the sounds emanating from the horn are dangerous to the ear, disruptive to the game and are a turn off to the casual fan, why on earth are they allowed into the arena?

I honestly can't say that I know the answer to the above question. But the use of the horn reminds of the story of Dovid Hamelech's death as told in Gemara Shabbos 30. King David knew that he was destined to die on Shabbos, but also knew that so long as he was learning Torah, his soul could not be taken. For this reason, Dovid would sit and learn all Shabbos long so that he would continue to live. When the true date that Dovid was destined to die arrived, the Malach Hamaves was unable to take Dovid's life until he made a noise which distracted Dovid and caused him to stop learning. At that very instant, Dovid passed away. The power of distraction wins again! Now if only there was a way to kill off the vuvuzelas...

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

Sunday Night Suds - Saranac Black & Tan

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Saranac Black & Tan.

Originally I had another beer which I was going to review this evening, but when my cousin and her husband had the good sense to bring cold Saranac to our Father's Day BBQ, I quickly shelved the other brew and broke out the Saranac Black & Tan.

Ok, in fairness Black & Tan is not one beer, even if it comes "pre-mixed" in a bottle. It is my understanding from my personal beer guru Charlie H that Black & Tan began in the UK with a mixture of Guinness and Bass Ale. As instructed by Charlie, one begins the mixture by filling a glass halfway with an ale. The next step is to pour the stout over an inverted spoon so that it does not splash and the layers don't mix. If mixed properly, the finished product allows for a taste of both beers in the same swallow.

I have tried on many a Purim to fashion my own black and tan, either with Guinness and Bass or Guiness and Smithwicks (pronounced "Smiddicks") and more recently with Saranac Irish Red and Irish Stout. Unfortunately, I cannot get it just right.

The Saranac Black & Tan is not the first domestic Black & Tan in a bottle that I have tried, as in my early beer days I used to buy sixers of Yuenging Black & Tan. While I find the Saranac superior to the Yuengling, I just can't shake the feeling that this is not what a Black & Tan is supposed to taste like.

So what does the Saranac Black & Tan taste like? Since it mixes lager with a stout, the beer picks up the coffee-like flavor of the stout but also has some dryness to it. My aishes chayil Mrs KB was really liking the flavor, its a shame that the Adirondack Trail Mix pack only has one of these in the pack.

Saranac Black & Tan is under the Kosher Supervision of the Va'ad of Detroit, as is every other brew produced by Saranac. To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about Saranac Black & Tan, please follow this link http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/99/906.

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, if you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click http://www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com/ to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Chukas

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 Parshas Chukas the Torah teaches the principle of Tumas Ohel, which in simplified manner can be explained as - if a Jewish person enters a room in which there is the dead body of another Jew, the living person contracts Tumas Ohel, even though he has not touched the dead body.

The gemara learns this out from the pasuk in our parsha (Bamidbar 19:14) "This is the Torah, a man (Adam) who dies in a tent (Ohel)..." The gemara then teaches that "atem nikrayim adam" - Jews are called Adam, therefore being in the ohel with the dead Jewish body (as opposed to that of a non-Jew) can cause tumah to be transferred.

Rabbi Frand offered an explanation for why Tumah can be contracted from the dead body of a Jew. He stated that just as nature abhors a vacuum, the body does as well. When a Jewish person is alive, he is imbued with holiness by virtue of his neshoma. When he dies, the holiness departs and the spiritual vacuum is filled by Tumah.

Rabbi Frand then gave many examples of similar situations to the Ohel/vacuum scenario. The first example (said over by the Shem M'Shmuel in the name of the Kotzer Rav) dealt with Tumas Leyda. We learn in Parshas Tazria that a woman who gives birth (even without seeing blood) contracts Tumas Leyda which varies in duration based on the gender of the baby. Why is there Tumah if it is such a positive thing to deliver the child? The Kotzker Rav explains (citing to the Gemara in Ta'anis) that Hashem does not allow any angel to possess the key to giving birth and that He alone is involved with the process of pregnancy and childbirth. Since the key is uniquely in Hashem's hands, He is a partner in the creation and birth of the child. Once the child is born, the Schechina departs - thus creating the vacuum which is filled by Tumas Leyda.

Rabbi Frand brought another proof from R' Ruderman in (sefer Sichas Levi) about the punishments for eating neveila or creating piggul or nosar (which are also the topic of today's daf yomi!). If a person eats neveila he gets makkos for transgressing a lav, while one who creates piggul or nosar gets kares. Why? Because the animal which was made holy as it was being brought as a karban has now lost its holiness because of the action or inaction of the makriv. This void of holiness is filled by spiritual Tumah.

Rabbi Frand next brought a proof from the Haftorah of Devarim where it states in Isaiah 1:21 that Jerusalem was formally a city where justice dwelled, but now it is occupied by murderers. Again, the location of the holiness (in this case justice), once left empty, was filled with the other extreme (murderers).

If you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click http://www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Tuesday's Thoughts on the Daf - Makkos 11

Makkos 11 is one of those dapim with something for everyone. While I can't possibly touch on all the points I would like to write about tonight, I would like to briefly address two portions of the daf that I found particularly interesting.

Towards the bottom of Makkos 11a, the gemara mentions the statement of R' Yehuda in the name of Rav who states that the curse of a chacham will always be effective. The gemara brings a proof from a story involving David Hamelech. When David was digging the foundation of the Beis Hamikdash he found a pottery shard. Rashi (quoting the Yerushalmi in Sanhedrin) explains that the shard told David not to pick it up because it had been placed there at the time that the Torah was given to prevent the waters of the deep from rising up and flooding the world.

The gemara then gives the rest of the story of David's work in excavating the area. David ignored the shard and the water began bubbling up. He then asked his court - what can I do, can I write Hashem's name on a new shard and toss it down there? No one answered. He then swore - whomever knows the answer and does not tell me should be strangled. Achitofel made a mental calculation (a kal v'chomer) that since Hashem allows his name to be written and then erased to make peace in the home (i.e. the Sotah test) then certainly it would be allowable to write Hashem's name on a pottery shard and throw it back down and thus prevent the water from bubbling up. David took Achitofel's advice and the water did not come up.

On Makkos 11b, the gemara discusses how a niddui (excommunication) which is done conditionally still requires a formal declaration that it is void, even if the conditional event which would have triggered the niddui never happens. The gemara uses the example of Yehuda and his deal with Ya'akov wherein he guarantees Binyomin's safety. The gemara explains that although Binyomin was reunited with Ya'akov, Yehuda was still forced to endure a punishment. The gemara writes that while the Jews were traveling in the desert after leaving Egypt, they carried the coffin of each of the sons of Ya'akov who died in Egypt. While all of the bodies rested comfortably, Yehuda's bones were rolling around until Moshe prayed to Hashem and Hashem allowed the bones to reset in place.

I heard a vort from R' Mansour which demonstrates Yehuda's fear of niddui for not keeping his promise to Ya'akov. The first pasuk in Vayigash reads "Vayigash eilav Yehuda, Vayomer Bi Adonee..." The trup on those words are kadma v'azla rive'ee zarka munach segol. As explained by R' Mansour, the trup demonstrates Yehuda's fear as it reads - The fourth (i.e. Yehuda the fourth son) got up and went because he was afraid that he would not rest with am segula.

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Monday's Musings on Sports - Izzo Better Off at Home?

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. Although Max resigned from 1050 more than a year ago, I have tried to continue the tradition of linking sports to Torah which I believe was an undercurrent of the Max Kellerman show.

This morning I listened to a lively debate between the Mikes of the Mike (Greenberg) and Mike (Golic) in the Morning program about whether Tom Izzo should leave Michigan State University for the vacant head coach position with the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers.

For those unfamiliar with college basketball, I provide the following brief synopsis of Izzo's career. Tom Izzo became the head coach at Michigan State in 1995. That first year the Spartans finished .500 and made it to the second round of the NIT. That year was also the only year that an Izzo coached team finished less than five games over .500. Over the course of his coaching career at Michigan State, the Spartans have: been selected to the NCAA Tournament thirteen years in a row; made the Final Four six times and have won one national championship.

As you can imagine, things are very comfortable at Michigan State as he does not appear to have Pete Carroll disease (read: spectre of NCAA sanctions) pushing him out the door.

With Izzo's coaching record, it should not be surprising that he is being pursued by various NBA teams to fill coaching vacancies. One of the teams which is reportedly vying for Izzo's services is the Cleveland Cavaliers. At the same time that the Cavaliers are chasing Izzo, they are also desperately trying to make sure that their all world player - Lebron James (affectionately known in the media as "King James" or "LBJ") does not depart via free agency in July.

During this morning's program, the Mikes debated whether it makes sense for Izzo to take the Cleveland coaching job. Mike Golic argued that the NBA is "the show" and that since Izzo has accomplished all that he could on the lower level, he should step up and make a name at the highest level of competitive basketball.

In contrast to Golic's argument, Mike Greenberg argued that Izzo should stay in Michigan. He argued that the NBA is not a better or more competitive environment and attempted to prove his point by offering to compare John Wooden's ten collegiate championships to Phil Jackson's ten NBA titles.

[Of course the argument is moot if LBJ does not return to Cleveland as the Cavaliers would be a mediocre team at best without King James].

As part of the conversation, the Mikes brought in various basketball personalities and asked what their advice would be to Tom Izzo. One of the guests (I cannot recall who) offered this advice - if Izzo is happy in Michigan State and well compensated, there is no reason to go to the NBA, even if he might make more money.

Mike Greenberg then jumped on the point and made the observation that if a person is making $40,000 per year and is offered $3 million to go to his competition, then of course he should change jobs. On the other hand, if the person is making $3 million at one job and is happy, then he should not jump to another job which pays $4 million if there is a real chance of failure and that the person will be unhappy.

The discussion reminded me of the mishna in Pirkei Avos (4:1) about who is wealthy. The mishna quotes Ben Zoma as stating - who is the wealthy one - the one who is happy with his portion. Obviously, it would be a challenge to state that someone who was unable to support his family could be happy with his lot. On the other hand, one who is beloved in his position and can comfortably support his family and seems to be "happy" should think long and hard as to whether he is wealthy and should be happy with his lot.

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

Sunday Night Suds - Lake Placid Honey Rye

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Lake Placid Honey Rye.

I first heard about the newest seasonal offering from Lake Placid when I had the good fortune to visit the FX Matt Brewery last month. As one of my client's had a matter which was venued in Utica, I took a quick trip down the road after finishing up at the Courthouse and visited with the good folks at the Matt Brewery. (For more about that trip click here http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2010/05/sunday-night-suds-utica-club-pilsner.html). During my visit I learned that the Honey Rye would soon be bottled and I made it my mission to try to score some on Long Island.

A few weeks later, I noticed that a new beer store was opening in West Hempstead (West Hempstead Beer & Soda - located on the corner of Hempstead Tpke and Walnut Street in West Hempstead). Since they advertised that they had a large selection of craft beer, I stopped in and asked if they carried the Honey Rye. Although I was told they did not carry it at the moment, their local Manhattan Beer rep was in the store and he said that he would have it for them the next week. So this past Friday I stopped in again on my way home from work and sure enough - Honey Rye! Needless to say, I will come back and visit again.

So what does the Honey Rye taste like? For those of you expecting a sweet beer like the Blue Moon Honey Moon, you might be a little disappointed. However, if you are looking for a beer with a little sweetness melded with some spice and kick, this is the beer for you.

When I first brought the glass to my face I was struck by the honey smell. But upon drinking the brew I was hit by Rye and hops - a good combination. Is there honey in the aftertaste? Absolutely. But there is a lot more to the beer.

Lake Placid Honey Rye is under the kashruth supervision of the Va'ad of Detroit, as it is bottled at the FX Matt plant in Utica. For the experts' take on Lake Placid Honey Rye, please click here http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1888/58710.

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 http://www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com/ to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Korach

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 the first aliyah of Parshas Korach, Moshe confronts Korach's rabble and their desire to become kohanim. During this confrontation, Moshe tells them in Bamidbar 16:6 - "Zos Asu, Kichu Lachem Machtos, Korach V'chul Adaso" - this you should do, take for yourself fire pans, Korach and his entire group.

Rashi comments that Moshe was telling them this as a message about unity - there are many forms of idol worship and many false priests for the worship of idols. On the other hand, we have only one Hashem, one Torah, one Ark, one Altar and one Kohain Gadol.

The question can be asked - but in the mishkan there was a set of multiples as there were two keruvim (cherubs) which stood facing each other in front of the ark!

Rabbi Frand answered by citing the Gerre Rebbe who explains that the keruvim were two parts of the whole - they faced each other and were linked by their connection to the Torah which was contained in the ark which they stood in front of.

Rabbi Frand then observed that although there is far too much dissension in the Jewish world, there are three things that unify Jews. The first topic identified by Rabbi Frand was business. Jews of extreme diverse backgrounds can work together in one business towards the goal of making the business successful - even people as diverse as chassidim and Ivy League educated serugies can be seen joining together to make a successful business endeavor.

The second topic identified by Rabbi Frand as unifying is hospital emergency rooms. He explained that when Jews are together in the waiting room, hoping to hear about their loved ones who are being treated, they tend to rally and support each other - davening for and wishing well to each other's relative and offering moral support and consolation when things look difficult.

The third topic mentioned by Rabbi Frand is the simcha of learning Torah. Rabbi Frand mentioned (and I have had the zchus to observe first hand on two occasions) how very diverse groups of Orthodox Jews will celebrate and dance together at the Siyum Hashas because they have completed learning the mesechtos. I have also seen this among those who learn the daf yomi. It is incredible to see how many people are learning the daf from varying backgrounds and how they can come together at a shiur to learn the daf. I have seen people start conversations with complete strangers because they see them holding an Artscroll gemara for the mesechta being learned at the time by the daf yomi. This is the power of the Torah as a unifying factor.

Rabbi Frand then closed the vort by commenting that l'havdil, this can be seen among other people in relation to sports. Two people can sit side by side at a ball game - one with grease under his finger nails and a beer gut and the other wearing a $$$ suit and using a BlackBerry. But if the team scores they will be high fiving each other and giving their views on the team's prospects.

The lesson of the keruvim is that the Torah can be this kind of unifying factor and that those who learn and share it can bring together disparate elements of the Jewish people.

If you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click http://www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Monday Musings on Sports - The Umpire is a Hit, or Why the Unperfect Game was Perfect

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. Although Max resigned from 1050 more than a year ago, I have tried to continue the tradition of linking sports to Torah which I believe was an undercurrent of the Max Kellerman show.

During the past week it has been nearly impossible to avoid hearing, reading or watching footage of the one hitter pitched by Armando Galarraga of the Detroit Tigers. For those of you who were just released from solitary confinement, on June 3rd, Galarraga had retired 26 batters in a row and was facing Cleveland Indians hitter Jason Donald with a chance at immortality - pitching what would have been the 21st perfect game in baseball history.

OK, even those in solitary confinement must know that Galarraga won a foot race to first base and stepped on the bag before Donald reached it. However, the bang bang, split second play was missed by first base umpire Jim Joyce, who called Donald safe, thus ending the perfect game.

After the game finished, the media circus began. Players were interviewed, league officials were interviewed and a groundswell of support began for Bud Selig (MLB President) to review the video footage and declare that Donald was out. (He chose not to reverse the call, thus leaving the game as a one hitter).

But despite all the media coverage (for a fantastic article by Shawn Windsor of the Detroit Free Press, please click here http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20100606%2FSPORTS02%2F6060457%2F1318%2FHow-ump-went-from-Ohio-to-bigs-to-national-scrutiny&template=fullarticle) there were no blown gaskets. When Galarraga was interviewed after the game, he took the high road and spoke about how he would one day show his son the DVD that he had pitched a perfect game. To his credit, Joyce freely admitted that he blew the call and that he had accidentally stolen the perfect game and Galarraga's place in history.

And what about the manager? Aren't managers supposed to be fiery advocates for their players? In this case, Detroit manager Jim Leyland spoke openly after the game about how great an umpire Jim Joyce is. The following day, Leyland had Galarraga carry the lineup card out to Joyce (who was assigned to be the home plate umpire for the game) just to show that there were no hard feelings.

The fact that the Galarraga unperfect game occurred during the week of Parshas Shlach is quite ironic. The parsha ends with a description of the mikoshesh eitzim - the person who gathered wood on shabbos and was given skila (stoning) as a punishment. Rabbi Akiva teaches in gemara Sanhedrin that the mikoshesh etzim was Tzlofchad. Thus while Tzlofchad was put to death for his crime, his daughters helped Moshe teach an important principle in Parshas Pinchas as to how land should pass to the heirs of an estate when there are no sons. Additionally, the gemara in Shabbos teaches that Tzlofchad acted lishem shamayim - for Heavenly purpose so that everyone would know that this is the punishment for violating shabbos.

While Tzelofchad's death was a tragedy, many valuable lessons were learned as a result of his actions. Similarly, while at the time it seemed unfair that Galarraga was deprived of his perfect game, the lessons which have been taught by all those who were associated with the tragic events are so much more valuable. Indeed, his unperfect game may ultimately be better remembered than the two true perfect games which were pitched this season.

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Sunday Night Suds - Kirkland Signature Hefeweizen

This week's beer review looks at Kirkland Signature Hefeweizen.

It occurred to me this evening while I was drinking the Kirkland Signature Hefeweizen that although I have reviewed a few Hefeweizen on these pages such as those produced by Shiner (http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2008/11/sunday-night-suds-shiner-hefeweizen.html) and Saranac (http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2008/08/sunday-night-suds-saranac-hefeweizen.html) I had never actually taken the time to define Hefeweizen.

As I usually go to the experts at BA for beer classification, I have produced their definition of Hefeweizen below:

A south German style of wheat beer (weissbier) made with a typical ratio of 50:50, or even higher, wheat. A yeast that produces a unique phenolic flavors of banana and cloves with an often dry and tart edge, some spiciness, bubblegum or notes of apples. Little hop bitterness, and a moderate level of alcohol. The "Hefe" prefix means "with yeast", hence the beers unfiltered and cloudy appearance...

Often served with a lemon wedge (popularized by Americans), to either cut the wheat or yeast edge, which many either find to be a flavorful snap ... or an insult and something that damages the beer's taste and head retention.

Now that I have reaffirmed my understanding of the Hefeweizen, I turn to the Kirkland Signature Hefeweizen which while quite drinkable is anything but a Hefeweizen. The beer is perfectly clear and without the slightest bit of "floaters" which are the hallmark of the normally unfilted style of beer. There is a slight taste of cloves, but it does not hit you over the head like most other hefeweizens I have tried.

Bottom line - the Kirkland Signature Hefeweizen is a good tasting beer, its just not a hefeweizen.

Kirkland Signature Hefeweizen is under the Kosher Supervision of the Va'ad of Detroit and bears the Va'ad logo on the bottom right corner of the front label. To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about Kirkland Signature Hefeweizen, please follow this link http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/21516/48519.

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).

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Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Shelach

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 describing the punishment of the Jews for the cheyt hamiraglim (the sin of the spies) the Torah writes in Bamidbar 14:34 that it was "yom lashana" - a day for every year.

R' Asher Weiss asks - how long did it take for the spies to relay their lashon hara about the land of Israel? At most their report took one day. If so, why were the Jews condemned to wander in the desert for forty years?

Rabbi Weiss answers that the sin of lashon hara (speaking evil about another) is not only when the words are uttered, as there is a component of lashon hara which involves viewing events with a jaundiced eye - seeing and making negative observations which are then relayed orally by the speaker.

By way of example, the Medrash writes that the spies saw numerous funerals when they toured the land. They could have drawn the conclusion that Hashem was protecting them by eliminating their enemies. Instead, the spies concluded that the land was incapable of supporting life and they reported back that the land consumed its inhabitants.

Rabbi Frand gave another example which related to the animal kingdom. A certain German philosopher upon viewing animals in Africa concluded that the law of the fittest applied. He noted that the fast animals escape the predators, while the slow or ill animals are caught and consumed. Similarly, the small fish is eaten by the big fish which in turn is eaten by a larger fish.

However, the gemara in Eruvin has an entirely different way of viewing animals. R' Yochanan notes that if the Torah had never been given, we could have learned middos from animals such as the cat, dove and ant. The cat teaches derech eretz by burying its waste. The dove teaches fidelity as it mates for life and does not take up with another bird even after the death of its mate. The ant will not take food or material from another ant and instead forages outside the anthill until it finds what it is looking for.

Rabbi Frand concluded by noting that lashon hara is sometimes called eiyna bisha - that the speaker of lashon hara views things with a negative outlook. With this in mind we understand why the punishment was yom lashana. The spies embarked on their tour of Israel with negative thoughts which immediately colored their perspective. As such, their entire trip was preparation for the lashon hara they told the Jews on that fateful date in Av.

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Tuesday's Thoughts on the Daf - Sanhedrin 109

Sanhedrin 109 is dominated by aggadita about why the people of Sodom did not merit olam haba, what they did to guests, how they judged legal cases and what they did to each other. Having said all that, I would like to briefly discuss another topic - the contrast in women which are found on Sanhedrin 109b and 110a.

On the bottom of Sanhedrin 109b, the gemara discusses On ben Peles - a person who is mentioned in the first pasuk of Korach, but is never heard from again. The gemara relates that On's wife talked On out of participating in Korach's plot to challenge Moshe. On's wife tells On - why are you getting involved with Korach? It should not make a difference to you as to whether Moshe or Korach is right as you will wind up a follower under either of them. On then tells his wife - what can I do, I already promised them that I would join! On's wife takes care of the problem as she gets him drunk puts him to sleep, before sitting with her hair uncovered outside of their tent. When Korach's band of men come to look for On to join them, they are embarrassed upon seeing that her hair is uncovered, so they leave without On.

In contrast, on Sanhedrin 110a, the gemara discusses the plot of Korach's wife. The gemara explains that Korach's wife fired him up by saying to him - look at Moshe, he is King and has made his brother Aharon kohain gadol and Aharon's kids assistant kohanim. If produce is reaped Aharon and his kids get terumah and then you must give them terumas ma'aser from your share. Furthermore, Moshe makes you all get haircuts for service, but he himself does not get one so that you can be uglier than him.

Following this discussion, the gemara quotes a pasuk from Mishlei (14:1) which can be broken in half to show the good wife (of On) and the bad wife (of Korach). The first part of the pasuk praises women as having intelligence to build the house (referring to On's wife) and the second part of the pasuk hammers a woman for destroying her husband (referring to Mrs. Korach).

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