Tuesday's Thoughts on the Daf - Avodah Zarah 17

Towards the top of Avodah Zarah 17, the gemara counsels that one should avoid the "rishus" (the Roman government which ruled when the gemara was compiled). Rashi explains that the rulers might become aware of a Jew's financial dealings and try to kill him and seize his assets. This concept is also seen in Pirkei Avos 1:10 wherein Shmaya teaches that a person should not come close to the rishus. Kehati offers two explanations there, including one which is based on the concern that the ruler will try to take the person's assets.

The discussion about avoiding rishus reminded me of a point that Rabbi Frand made in a shiur a few weeks ago. Within the context of a shiur discussing whether a man can dress as a woman on Purim, Rabbi Frand quoted the Sefer Nitai Gavriel which discusses the root of dressing up on Purim. The sefer explained that Jews were occasionally targeted by pogroms which sought to dispossess them of their wealth. Once wealthy Jews would become poor overnight and would need funds from tzedakah. However, these Jews were proud and did not want to reveal their identities. It was for this reason that they would dress up on Purim, the day when no Jew can turn down another when he asks for charity. The now disguised man would come to the door and ask for money so that he could afford the necessities for Pesach, the holiday which starts a mere thirty days after Purim.

The sefer explained that the Jews who saw these men in costume would recognize that these were formerly wealthy people who had suffered because of the pogrom and as a result the donors would give generously.

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Monday's Musings on Sports - Manny being Manny and Fresh Starts

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.

Over the weekend, news broke that Manny Ramirez (aka ManRam) had been claimed by the Chicago White Sox after he was waived by the Los Angeles Dodgers. For those unfamiliar with the process of waiver, here is a quick primer. A team can put a player on recallable waivers, a process by which any other team can put in a claim for him. If no team claims the player, the original team can trade him to whomever it wishes to. If a team does claim the player, the original team can do one of three things: (1) allow the player to be claimed and lose the player; (2) recall the player from waivers, or (3) work out a trade with the team that claimed the player.

Towards the end of last week, the Dodgers put ManRam on waivers in large part due to the fact that the team is in financial crisis occasioned by the owner's nasty divorce case and ManRam had a heavy contract and was not coming back next year. The only question was, would a team take a chance on Manny, given his questionable work ethic and caustic personality?

During the weekend, it was revealed that the White Sox had decided that Manny's talents were needed, despite his obvious flaws. It was only a matter of time until a deal would be reached between the Dodgers and Sox.

With the pending transaction hanging over his head, Manny began his final game with the Dodgers. He did not start the game, but was inserted as a pinch hitter. However, being Manny, he did not finish the appearance as he was thrown out of the game by the umpire. Following the game, many sportswriters opined that Manny did this on purpose. This evoked memories of the end of his tenure with Boston when he invented injuries to avoid playing and did not run out ground balls.

Manny's soap opera performance and the fact that the White Sox still wanted him, despite his flaws is quite ironic to me in this month of Elul. We stand a week before Rosh Hashanah, when the world will be judged. We are given the month of Elul to repent and return from our bad habits. The gemara teaches that Hashem is ready to accept us if we are ready to return as the letters Elul are an acronym for Ani L'Dodi V'Dodi Li - I am for my beloved and He is for me. Another acronym I have heard is Ish L'reyeihu U' Matanos L'Evyonim (a man acting kindly towards his fellow man and presents for poor people). As explained by R' Mansour, Elul is an opportunity to good for others and in so doing, to give Hashem a reason to grant us another year of life. It is up to us to decide to seize the opportunity and take advantage of the fresh start.

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Sunday Night Suds - Cobra Lager

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Cobra Lager, a very different kind of beer.

On Friday afternoon, while looking for beer to bring to the Northern branch of the family, I perused the diverse shelves at the LCBO in the Promenade Mall in Thornhill, ON. While I really had my heart set on some hard to find Canadian brews, I came across the Cobra lager, a beer which I had read about, but never saw available for retail anywhere.

One of the unique characteristics of Cobra lager is that it is an Indian beer which is brewed in London and certified kosher by the London Beis Din (there is a little KLBD on the back of the top label of the bottle).

Besides its pedigree, the Cobra lager is also different both in its packaging and what is inside the bottle. The bottle has a series of designs blown into the glass including a snake charmer, boat, palace with palm trees and a pair of elephants. The bottle itself only holds 330ml of beer and it is quite narrow in profile.

The beer itself is unique in that the brew master adds corn (which I have seen in cereal cookers before) as well as rice to the beer. The result is a smooth lager which has a little bit of a different kick to it. Its worth picking up a bottle if you can find it around.

As mentioned above, Cobra lager is certified kosher by the London Beis Din. In fact, the beers manufacturer by Cobra are the only brews which are certified kosher by the LBD.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about Cobra Lager, please follow this link http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/10174/31888 .

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, 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 - Avodah Zarah 10

Recently, a friend remarked to me that he wished daf yomi was all aggadita. I have noticed over the last few cycles that this is a commom sentiment as people transition from the dry mesechtos of Makkos and Shevuous to Avodah Zarah.

Avodah Zarah 10 while nominally discussing the pagan holidays cited to in the mishna, devotes most of its space to aggadita. I would like to briefly discuss two of the stories raised on the daf.

On Avodah Zarah 10a the gemara discusses the yom genusia and analyzes what this holiday was. As part of the discussion, the gemara remarks about Greece that it has no language and no alphabet. Tosafos (d'h She'ain)cites to a Rashi that is not found on the daf which states that the gemara means that Greece took its language and alphabet from another culture. This poses a problem for Tosafos which notes that all the nations which followed dor haflaga had to have taken their language from another as well. Tosafos citing Bereishis Rabah offers an answer that during the destruction of migdal bavel, the sea spat many families from the 70 nations around and that they all caused languages to be inherited in their areas.

Towards the bottom of Avodah Zarah 10b, the gemara tells the story of Ketiah Bar Shalom, a gentile who argued with a Caesar and demonstrated that the Caesar could not wipe out all of the Jewish people. The Caesar acknowledged that Ketiah was correct, but since he had bested the Caesar in an intellectual exercise he must be killed. While Ketiah was being taken out to be killed, a woman told him that he could not be admitted to Olam Haba since he did not have a bris. Ketiah circumcised himself and then remarked that he had paid his tax and could be admitted to the next world. (He also donated all his possessions to R' Akiva and his friends). A heavenly voice issued that Ketiah had earned a place in Olah Haba. Upon hearing this, Rebbi cried and said - some earn a place in the world to come with years of effort and others in one hour ("Yesh koneh olamo b'sha'ah achas").

When giving this daf in shul, I could not resist retelling the story told by R' Frand at the 2005 siyum hashas. R' Frand told a story about a young man who had gone away to yeshiva to learn. When he returned home, the boy used to sit at the dining room table and learn, while his dad (a former boxer) watched the fights on TV in the other room.

One night, the father approached his son and asked what he was learning. The boy replied that he was learning gemara (talmud). The father asked if he could learn with the son and the son obliged. Over the course of the next series of months the father and son learned together until they had finished a page of gemara.

When the two had completed their study, the father told his son that he felt a great deal of accomplishment and wanted to make a party. The son was skeptical as one normally celebrates finishing a tractate of gemara, not one page. Nonetheless, the dutiful son asked R. Moshe Feinstein, zt'l whether the party could be made. R' Moshe answered in the affirmative and asked for permission to attend the party.

Not long after the father passed away. When he was informed of the loss, R' Moshe asked whether he could speak at the funeral. Upon being given an opportunity to speak, R' Moshe commented that it is widely known that a person can obtain a place in the world to come in one hour ("Yesh koneh olamo b'sha'ah achas"). R' Moshe then remarked that the boxer had secured a place in the afterlife with the one page that he had learned ("Yesh koneh olamo b'daf achas").

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Sunday Night Suds - Stockyard Oatmeal Stout

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Stockyard Oatmeal Stout.

Yes, before you rub your eyes or doubt the words on the screen, there is a style of beer called an Oatmeal Stout. As defined by the gurus at Beer Advocate, Oatmeal Stouts:

[A]re generally medium to full bodied stouts that have an unreal smoothness to them from the addition of oats to the mash. The oats not only add a lot of smoothness to the mouth feel but give a touch of sweetness that is unlike any other type of stout. Both levels of roasted flavor and hop character will vary.

I first tried this beer a number of weeks ago after work and was struck by the smoothness, since while the beer was somewhat bitter it was not overwhelming like some other stouts I have tried. On the stout scale I would label this mild, far removed from Dark Chocolate Stouts or even Guinness Extra Stout.

Truth be told, two of these would be a meal replacement, as the beer was quite filling. Maybe I will try that one night instead of dinner...

Stockyard Oatmeal Stout is a contract brewed beer for Trader Joe's Joseph's Brau line of beer. The Oatmeal Stout has just started to hit the shelves in New York over the last month and bears a Va'ad of Detroit hashgacha on the reverse label.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about Stockyard Oatmeal Stout, please follow this link http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1146/5688

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 Ki Seitzei

The following is a brief summary of two thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha. I have attempted to reproduce the 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.

This week's parsha contains a discussion of the Ben Sorer U'Moreh - loosely translated as the rebellious son. The gemara in Sanhedrin teaches that the Ben Sorer U'Moreh is judged based on the end result - he is put to death before he sins against other because his pattern of activity teaches us that he will come to harm others.

R' Eliyahu Mizrachi asks, how is it that the Ben Sorer U'Moreh is judged and executed based on his predicted "end" when Yishmael was spared. In so doing, he makes reference to the medrash that when Yishmael was in the desert after being thrown out of Avraham's house, the angels begged Hashem to kill Yishmael before he grew up and began killing others. Hashem asked the angels - did he kill yet? The angels answered in the negative and as a result Yishmael was allowed to live.

So why is it that the Ben Sorer U'Moreh who has not yet sinned is not entitled to the same leniency?

Rabbi Frand answered by quoting the Sefer Bei Chiya who discusses a gemara in Rosh Hashanah. The gemara asks - how is that two people who have the identical illness, one will live and the other will not. Why is that two people who have been convicted and sentenced to death, one will be saved and not the other? The gemara answers that the one who lived prayed and was answered, while the one who did not make it prayed, but his prayers were not answered.

The Bei Chiya then asks - how does the gemara know this is the reason one lived while the other did not? Maybe the one that lived had more mitzvos and the one who died had more sins?

The Bei Chiya answers that we learn from the gemara that the power of tefillah has the ability to reverse the natural course. Despite the merits or demerits a person has, the power of tefillah can overcome the aveiros and the person will live. Similarly, a person may have mitzvos, but if he does not pray properly, he may not be saved.

This is the lesson of Yishmael vs the Ben Sorer U'Moreh. Yishmael should have been judged based on his end result. However, the power of Yishmael's prayers in Bereishis 21:17 (Vayishma ... B'kol) gave him merit to overcome his end result and caused him to be saved.

The other vort R' Frand said over related to the mitzva of Shiluach Hakein - the mitzva to send away a mother bird before taking the eggs.

The Netziv explains that a bird's natural inclination is to flee from people. However, the mother bird has compassionate instincts and wants to protect the eggs or chicks. If a person were to take the mother bird with the chicks, the person would be taking advantage of the mother's natural instincts and the Torah does not want a person to capitalize on the bird's rachmanos.

Rabbi Frand then quoted an Avnei Nezer who explained the mitzva by connecting it with the difference between man's eating habits before and after the flood. Prior to the time of the flood, man was not permitted to eat meat. After the flood, Hashem states that man is created b'tselem Elokim - man is on the highest level and animals now are on the lower level. As a result of this reshaped pyramid, man may partake of animal flesh.

Rabbi Frand then quoted the Abarbanel who explains that tzelem comes from the word tzel, meaning shadow. When a person moves, the shadow moves. Similarly, we were created b'tzelem Elokim which allows us to mimic Hashem. In the way that He is compassionate, we need to be compassionate. In the way that He is righteous, we need to be righteous. In the way that He buries the dead, we must bury the dead.

The Avnei Nezer writes - when the bird is acting as a mother, it no longer is acting as a bird. It is on a higher level and is trying to mimic Hashem. At that juncture, when the bird is acting with compassion, it becomes elevated and it would not be appropriate for it to be consumed by man.

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Sunday Night Suds - Saranac Adirondack Lager

This week's (belated) Sunday Night Suds looks at Saranac's Adirondack Lager.

For those confused by the term Adirondack Lager, let me end the suspense. There is no beer style called Adirondack Lager. This beer is merely Saranac's take on a classic German Amber Lager and because they are based in upstate New York, they have termed the brew an Adirondack Lager.

Before getting to the beer itself, I need to take issue with the experts at BA who I usually rely on for classifying the beers that I review. The BA site terms the Saranac Adirondack Lager a German Pilsner, but the Saranac website (http://www.saranac.com/page/adirondack-lager ) calls this a German Amber Lager and the beer itself does not taste or look like a Pilsner.

The beer poured a rich apricot color with a small amount of froth. The brew has some floral notes and a little hop bite, certainly a lot more full bodied than the average American take on Pilsner.

This beer would go well with pizza, lasagna or other cheesy type dishes. While I prefer meat meals to dairy, this brew would be a nice shavuous meal accompaniment (yes I know we are closing in on Rosh Hashana, but the beer is more in tune with dairy meals, maybe you can save it for that one milchig meal that gets served over this year's three day yom tov).

Saranac Adirondack Lager 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 Adirondack Lager, please follow this link http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/99/903.

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 Shoftim

The following is a brief summary of a thought said over by R' Frand on the parsha. I have attempted to reproduce the 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 17:10-11, the Torah instructs that a person should follow the dictates of the Rabbinical judges and should not sway from their words to the right or to the left.

In illustrating the above concept, Rabbi Frand made reference to a Mishna in Terumos (8:4) which states that there are three kinds of liquids - milk, water and wine, which if left uncovered overnight, should not be consumed the following morning. The reason for this prohibition was the concern that snakes might have drunk from the liquid overnight and in so doing could have secreted poison into the beverage.

Rabbi Frand then noted that although the Shulchan Aruch writes that in our generation the concern is no longer there because these types of snakes no longer are around, the Vilna Gaon was careful to never drink from uncovered liquids. He explained that the Vilna Gaon felt that even when the Rabbis gave us a specific reason for a particular prohibition, there was also a hidden rationale as well for the gezeira. Even if the revealed reason for the prohibition was no longer extant, the Vilna Gaon reasoned that the hidden purpose still dictated that the gezeira be observed.

Rabbi Frand then quoted the sefer Bei Chiya which discussed the gemara in Eruvin which states that we follow Rebbe Meir in relation to his gezeiros, even though in terms of halachic debates we did not follow him. The reason that R' Meir is not followed for halacha (as explained by Bei Chiya) is that we have a principle that we follow the plurality opinion in a rabbinical dispute and the masses always argued with R' Meir because they failed to understand his reasoning. However, in relation to gezeiros, the other scholars did not oppose him and therefore we follow him.

Rabbi Frand concluded that there are times that gezeiros exist for which we do not know the reason (fish-meat comes to my mind). It is for us to follow those gezeiros without turning to the right or left and as a result, no harm will befall us.

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Monday's Musings on Sports - There is no I in Team, but there is one in Revis

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.

One of the major stories in football this year has been the Darrelle Revis holdout from Jets camp. I write that this has been a major story not only because I am unabashed Jet fan, but because the Revis watch is at the top of every NFL news site, be it on line or on satellite radio.

To those who do not know the genesis of the controversy, here is a thumbnail sketch. Revis is a cornerback, a position which essentially shadows the receiver on the other team so that the quarterback wont be able to throw him the ball. Last year, Revis was consistently matched up against the top receiver on the teams that the Jets were playing and performed so well that he finished second in the voting for defensive player of the year.

As last season progressed, Revis' star took off as he was praised by his coach, the national media and even opposing players for the job that he did in shutting down the other teams' top weapons.

It has been reported that following the Jets' AFC Championship loss to the Colts, Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum told Revis that the Jets would rework his contract to make him the highest paid player at his position. This unprovoked offer would prove to be highly damaging to the Jets 2010 training camp. Revis is currently under contract for another three years (including 2010-2011), so the Jets were not under any obligation to negotiate with him.

Seven months later, the Jets and Revis have not come to an agreement and Revis has not reported to training camp. Since Revis is under contract, he is being fined about $16,000 a day for missing camp and has forfeited some money which was guaranteed under the contract.

More importantly, to the rest of the team the Revis situation has been an incredible distraction. Every player is asked his opinion as to whether the deal will get done before the season starts. Every day the coach is asked whether the deal will get done. And mysteriously, there are 'leaks' from each camp on a daily basis.

The ironic part is that football, perhaps unlike any other of the major professional sports, is the most "team oriented." In baseball, a pitcher can have a dominant day and it will not matter if his team scores runs for him. Similarly, a hitter can have a productive day and drive in many RBIs and it will not matter if his pitcher did not pitch perfectly. In hockey a goalie can shut down the other team or an offensive player can score many goals. Of course in basketball, one player can dominate a game and hit many shots.

In football there can be dominant players, but no one player can control the game. A quarterback relies on his receivers to catch the ball and his offensive line to block for him. The running back can hit the holes, but he needs the line to block and open lanes for him to run. On the defensive side a defensive end can rush the QB, but if he is double or triple teamed he will be neutralized. Even the great Revis can be marginalized if the other team decides to run the ball most of the time and their offensive line is able to dominate the line of scrimmage.

It is no wonder that the most inspirational sports speeches and motivators were football coaches. In order for a team to succeed, they need the players to play as a team, one cohesive unit.

The concept of the group is a central theme in Judaism is well known as well. An individual who prays to Hashem for help is judged on his own merits and his prayers may not make it to shamayim. However, a person who prays with a minyan (a quorum of ten men) is guaranteed that his prayers will be heard above. Indeed, the concept of Tzibur is readily apparent from the very letters of the word which are rashei teivos (an acronynm) for Tzadikim, Beinonim and Risha'im. The three classes of people come together in the prayer group and their prayers are heard.

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Sunday Night Suds - Redhook 8-4-1 Expedition

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Redhook's 8-4-1 Expedition.

Yes, 8-4-1 Expedition sounds more like a football play then a beer, but don't let the name fool you. This a complex, robust beer which if it was not so expensive would be worth trying more than once.

Since I started with the price, lets get it out of the way first. I picked it up at Beverage World in Peekskill for the low, low, price of $8.99 which is about the same price as a six pack of standard Redhook. Expensive for beer? Absolutely. But it is 22oz and you would pay that amount for a .375 bottle of wine that you liked.

So where does the name Expedition 8-4-1 come from? The Redhook website explains that eight Redhook brewers were divided up into four teams of two to create the beer. To my mind they should have called it 4-2-1, but it tastes so good that I can't quibble on the name.

The BA gurus have labeled the Expedition 8-4-1 an American Strong Ale, but while the brew has a high alcohol content (9.5% abv) that hardly tells the story.

The beer poured a rich brown with a little bit of foam. The first taste gave me a little flavor of the honey which was infused into the brew, but the beer was not overly sweet. Subsequent sips gave me a little of the wood aged flavor they were looking for, but again it was not overwhelming. Mrs KB who is not usually one for the darker ales liked the beer, although she found it a little sweet (that might just be her personality, then again, they do add honey, brown sugar and candy sugar to the brew).

Redhook Expedition 8-4-1 is under the kashruth supervision of the Orthodox Union. For the experts' take on the Expedition, please click here http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/18134/55982.

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 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 Re'eh

Since there are no Rabbi Frand shiurim until Elul, I have been substituting vorts from other Rabbanim each week, rather than leaving the blog without a vort for shabbos. This week, I am again attempting to repeat a vort heard from R' Eli Mansour as recorded on http://www.learntorah.com/. Same rules as usual apply - I have attempted to reproduce the 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 the maggid shiur.

Parshas Re'eh begins with Moshe telling the Jews "Re'eh" - See that today I am giving before you today a blessing and a curse. In so doing, Moshe mixes the singular and plural forms as the direction see is said in the singular and the you is stated in the plural form. Of course this prompts the question - why mix the singular and plural forms in the same sentence?

Rabbi Mansour answered by making reference to the sociological concept of peer pressure. When a person is with a group, it is difficult to buck the trend and separate from the masses. By using the term Re'eh in the singular form, the Torah is telling us that while we think that we are acting individually, the impact of the action is on the masses. A person may feel that he is acting on his own and is not being watched or observed, but his actions are always seen.

By way of example, a woman may go out dressed tziniusly, not for show but just because that is the way she is. Without realizing it, the woman can have a positive impact on another who looks at her and admires her sense of tzinius.

Rabbi Mansour told a story about how he was once on a plane and he was learning from his gemara. When the plane landed, a person came over and said, "Rabbi you have given me tremendous mussar. I saw you sitting there learning from your sefer the entire flight while I was doing other things." Rabbi Mansour then told the audience that he had been learning and looking into the sefer the entire time because he was afraid, but the observer was obviously unaware of this. Instead, the man was moved by the fact that he saw the Rabbi learning the entire time.

Rabbi Mansour's story reminded me of another airline story involving my aishes chayil. One Pesach we flew back from Chicago on Chol Hamo'ed. This is no easy task as the kids can't eat any of the airline food and we must pack enough matza and Pesach snacks to satisfy our kids for the four hour door to door trip. After we landed at Islip, a man came over and approached my wife and told her that his mother would have been proud to see how Sarah kept giving the kids Pesach food during the flight. Obviously, we did not pack the food to try to be mikarev others, but there was certainly a positive influence on others, even though it was purely unintentional.

Unfortunately, there can be a similar unintended negative influence if one does something wrong which is observed by others.

Rabbi Mansour then broadened the vort by making reference to the concept of yarhteit. On the anniversary of a person's death, their family does things to commemorate the individual's passing, be it learning Torah, getting an aliyah or in some circles, fasting. The reason why these customs are observed on the anniversary is because the soul of the departed is being judged again on the day of death. The question of course is - since the person is long dead and was judged for his earthly actions years before, what is the purpose of the new judgment?

Rabbi Mansour answered by making reference to the ripple effect. When a person throws a stone into a pond, the rock impacts on the water and sinks to the bottom, but the waves from where the stone hit the surface begin to branch out into all directions. Similarly, when a man does an act in this world he is immediately credited (or debited) for the act. However, the act itself can impact far beyond the moment that the person did the deed. A person's children might have learned the value of certain mitzvos from the way the deceased lived his life. Or the person might have been mikarev another and that person is now frum and continuing to do mitzvos which also count towards the credit of the deceased.

The opposite can be true if the person did negative things which are observed and mimicked well beyond his lifetime and he will continue to be judged to the negative year after year as a result of his negative teaching.

Rabbi Mansour also made reference to Miriam and Yocheved who acted as midwives and saved the Jewish children. The Torah writes in Shemos 1:20 that Hashem rewarded the midwives and the Jewish people increased and became very strong. Rabbi Mansour asked - how is this a reward for Yocheved and Miriam? They did not receive any tangible benefit from the increased population! Rabbi Mansour answered that the reward was that every mitzva that the children did was also partially credited to Yocheved and Miriam. These children who were supposed to be killed were saved through Yocheved and Miriam and as a result, each act that the children and their children and their children's children did will all be applied to Yocheved and Miriam's account.

Another proof (albeit relating to the negative impact) can be seen from Sefer Bereishis. After Kayin kills Hevel, Hashem says to Kayin at Bereishis 4:10 - "all the bloods of your brother are calling out to me." Why does the Torah use the plural form of bloods? To show that Kayin did not only kill Hevel, he also cut off all future generations which would have come from him. This is a negative act with a long ranging effect.

A final example can be seen in relation to donated seforim and siddurim. Why do people donate seforim in memory of others? While part of the reason may be so that the deceased is not forgotten, this is hardly the main reason. The person who has passed away does not care whether he is remembered. But the learning or davening which is done from these donated seforim will continue to be a reward for the deceased.

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 - New Belgium 1554 Black Ale

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at New Belgium's 1554 Enlightened Black Ale.

I picked up this brew at the well regarded Bellport Beer & Soda. The store itself does not stand out from the road and it appears from the outside to be a run of the mill beverage center in a rural area of Suffolk County. But looks certainly can be deceiving as the store is anything but average. The selection may be one of the best on Long Island and the people who work there (especially Dave, the owner) really know their stuff.

But enough about the store, lets talk about the brew. The 1554 Black Ale touts itself as an "enlightened" Black Ale. By this the beer does not mean that it is a light beer or that it is low in calories, flavor or alcohol content. The beer pours a dark brownish black and the first sip brings a flavor reminiscent of Guinness, but that is where the resemblance to a stout ends. This beer lets you know that it is an ale, but one unlike any I have ever sampled before.

After sharing the brew with Mrs Kosher Beers last night (sorry that I am unable to post these on Sundays during the summer again, I hope to be back on schedule IYH within a few weeks) I went perusing BA, looking for information about this hybrid beer. I found that it has been labeled a Belgian Dark Ale, a style of beer I was completely unfamiliar with. The folks at BA explain that:

Belgian Darks offer a massive range of characters. Colors play within the amber to light brown to deep garnet hues, with thick, rocky heads of great retention. Aromas can be anywhere from traces of yeast, spiced, malty, floral and even slightly intoxicating. Flavors from dry and spiced, to sweet and malty. Most have a low level of bitterness.

I wish that I could find more of this locally, but its just not sold in my area. Well, there is always the annual sukkos trip to Chicago...

New Belgium Two Degrees Below is under the Kosher Supervision of the Scroll-K of Colorado. Although the beer does not bear the kosher symbol on the label, it can be found on the bottom of the six pack carrier. Additionally, if you would like me to e-mail you the LOC for New Belgium Two Degrees Below, send me an e-mail and I will gladly oblige.

Please note that not every brew produced by New Belgium is under kosher supervision. Please check my latest Kosher Beer List (http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2010/02/sunday-night-suds-samuel-adams-noble_21.html ) for a complete listing of those New Belgium brews which are certified kosher.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about New Belgium 1554 Black Ale Below, please follow this link http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/192/1914 . 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!