Monday's Mini Vort on Rosh Hashanah

As regular readers of this blog are aware, the Monday post is usually devoted to sports with a link to a Torah moral or value. With Rosh Hashanah around the corner, I have skipped the sports thought (no, it is NOT because the Jets lost to the Raiders yesterday) in favor of a mini vort which I heard from R' Mansour recently.

R' Mansour asked the following question which seems logical, but I never heard or thought to ask - why is it that there is no mitzva to go up to Yerushalayim for Rosh Hashanah? There is a mitzva of aliyah l'regel for Sukkos, why not just come up two weeks early for Rosh Hashanah as well?

R' Mansour answered the question by quoting the Sfas Emes. The Sfas Emes quotes a gemara in Rosh Hashanah which asks - how do we get a favorable judgment on Rosh Hashanah - by saying pesukim which form the malchios and zichronos and shofros and with the shofar. However, the shofar cannot come from a cow as it would be a reminder of the golden calf, and the shofar cannot be a prosecutor and defense attorney at the same time.

The gemara in Rosh Hashanah then asked what about the clothing of the kohen gadol? The kohen gadol does not wear golden clothes in the avodah in the Beis Hamikdash as it is a reminder of the golden calf. However, for some of the avodah he does wear golden clothes, albeit outside of the inner chamber of the Beis Hamikdash - how can this be? The gemara answers that the gold clothes are only removed when outside of the kodesh kodashim so that there is no reminder of the golden calf.

The gemara then asks - but what about the shofar? It is also not blown in the kodesh kodashim, so why can't we use the cow's horn? The gemara answers that when the shofar is blown it is as if the one listening is in the holy of holies. Regardless of where a person is, at the moment of tekiyas shofar a person is transported before Hashem.

The Sfas Emes explains that this is the reason why a person does not need to be oleh regel on Rosh Hashana. On Pesach a person needs to go to Yerushalayim to be oleh regel, but on Rosh Hashana we are transported by merely hearing the shofar.

R' Mansour stated that this underscores the value of listening to the shofar. The kohen gadol had to prepare for seven days before doing the avodah. We must be prepared to hear the shofar and to be transported to the Beis Hamikdash.

R' Mansour brought a gematria to support his point - the gematria of Beis Hamikdash is 861. The gematria of Rosh Hashanah is also 861. The two are equal and this is the secret of Rosh Hashanah.

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Sunday Night Suds - Sprecher IPA2

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Sprecher's Ipa2 (aka IPA sqaured or Double IPA).

Another beer that was brought in from the Midwest for me at a family simcha in MD (thanks again Jake!). This was not a beer that I knew was available on the market and did not see on the Binny's website. However, after I phoned in an order to have ready for pick up, I got a call back from Binny's about this brand new beer which they had just gotten in.

As regular readers of this column are aware, I am a big fan of IPAs as I love the hoppiness and crisp flavor of an American IPA. When Binny's told me that Sprecher had made a double IPA, I jumped at the opportunity and had it added to my tab. Little did I know that this was a seder beer. What is a seder beer? Its a beer that is different than all other beers, sometimes for good and sometimes for the drain.

By way of explanation, I had tried quite a few Sprecher beers before putting in an order for the Double IPA and I had found that they ranged from slightly above average to outstanding. Additionally, while Sprecher only sells their beer in 4 packs - the bottles are usually true pint bottles (16 oz). However the Double IPA was a four pack of traditional 12 oz bottles.

By now you can probably see where this is going ... the Sprecher IPA2 was not a typical IPA. The beer itself was exceedingly bitter, but not in a traditional IPA manner. I had started with a little floral flavor but by the end it was just a dry, slightly flat beer. It almost seemed like they were trying to create a barleywine type flavor, but even if I had tried the beer with the expectation that it was a barleywine, I still would not have thought that it was true to style. I may try one more of the four pack, but if I don't like it I will probably try to give away the other two.

Sprecher IPA2 is certified kosher by Wisconsin Kosher and their is a kosher symbol on the four pack holder, although not on the individual bottles. For the experts' take on the Sprecher IPA2 please click here http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/144/37308.

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!

Motzei Shabbos Pre Selichos Special - The Shofar That Would Not Blow

The following is a brief summary of a thought said over by R' Frand this past Thursday night on Rosh Hashanah. I had actually heard a slightly different version of the vort earlier in the day as I had downloaded it from the www.yadyechiel.org site earlier in the day. As I was listening to it in my car, I was thinking about trying to transcribe it on Motzei Shabbos. When I heard R' Frand say the vort again (and in my opinion more powerfully) at the close of the Thursday night shiur, I knew that it would be worth sharing on the blog. As always, 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.

R' Frand quoted the Magen Avraham in Shulchan Aruch 585 who writes about a story that occurred once when the shofar could not blow. After the ba'al tokeiah tried and tried, he whispered the pasuk V'yihee Noam Hashem Elokeinu Aleinu into the wide end of the shofar and then the shofar was able to blow.

R' Frand quoted the Tollner Rebbi who asked three questions on the Magen Avraham:
(1) Why is the Magen Avraham telling us stories about the shofar? The Magen Avraham was generally terse and did not waste words.
(2) Why did the person say the pasuk V'yihee Noam? It would have been understandable if it was Tiku Bachodesh Shofar or some other pasuk related to Rosh Hashanah and Tekiyas Shofar, but why this pasuk?
(3) Why was the pasuk whispered into the wide end of the shofar? The Livush explains that we blow from the narrow side because Min Hameitzar Karasi Ka. If we want the shofar to sound, it needs to come from the narrow side.

R' Frand quoted the Tollner Rebbi who answered the three questions. He explained that the Magen Avraham was not telling us a story - he was telling us the foundation of Rosh Hashanah, the foundation of teshuva and the foundation of life.

The pasuk of V'yihee Noam was first said by Moshe after the completion of the mishkan. Once the Jews completed the construction, Moshe said these words of bracha. The reason Moshe said this after completion of the building of the mishkan was because the Jews came out of Egypt with no knowledge of construction or artistry and they still were able to build the mishkan anyway. The message to the Jews by being asked to build the mishkan was - it does not matter what your background is, you have to try. Thus the end of the pasuk of Y'yihee Noam - may Hashem establish our handiwork for us.

Indeed, the question can be asked - if Hashem wanted a mishkan, why did He not build it Himself like the third Bais Hamikdash which will come down from shamayim. The answer is - Hashem wanted them to try. This is the message of the Magen Avraham - the Ba'al Tokeiah was unable to blow the shofar, so he said to Hashem I tried - now You help up please.

This is also why he said the pasuk into the wide side. The Ba'al Tokeiah said the pasuk into the wide side because he had already done his part of trying from the narrow side. In effect he was saying min hameitzar karasi - I called out from the narrow end, now, annani bamerchav - answer me please from the wide end - Your end.

R' Frand explained that this is the avodah of Rosh Hashanah - we blow shofar to ask Hashem to leave the kisei hadin and sit on the kisei rachamim. Why can't He do this on his own? Because we have to act and give Him a reason to do it.

This is how we should approach Rosh Hashanah and teshuva - we need to put our effort in and then He will help us. Of course this applies to all efforts in life (R' Frand stressed that this includes raising children) - we need to act and Hashem will help us.

R' Frand then quoted a Medrash in Shir Hashirim which tells of how R' Chanina was jealous that others were going up to Yerushalayim. R' Chanina was upset because he had nothing to bring up. He went into the forest and saw a beautiful stone. R' Chanina polished the stone and shaped it and wanted to bring it up, but it was too heavy. R' Chanina went looking for workers to help him bring the stone up, but they wanted 100 gold pieces for their troubles. R' Chanina was despondent and turned away, but then five angels who were disguised as people approached and offered to help. They said that they would bring it up for only 5 sela'im - a small amount of money. But there was one catch, R' Chanina had to help carry the stone.

R' Chanina agreed to the requests of the "workers" and together they carried the stone up to the Beis Hamikdash. When they reached the Beis Hamikdash and the stone was placed in the heichal, R' Chanina turned to pay them and they had vanished.

The message of this Medrash is not that if you have a flat tire, five angels will appear and offer to change it for a nickel. Instead, the message is that we have to try and then Hashem will help us. This is the message of the Magen Avraham and the words of V'yihee Noam.

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Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshios Nitzavim & Vayelech

The following is a brief summary of a thought said over by R' Frand on the parsha 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.

R' Frand quoted the Maharal who noted that while the Tochacha in Parshas Bechukosai has words of nechama (comfort) after the Tochacha,the Tochacha in Parshas Ki Savo does not have words of nechama at the end.

R' Frand quoted R' Yosher Ber Soloveitchik who explains that the Tochacha in Bechukosai is aligned with the destruction of the first Beis Hamikdash and galus bavel. Since the first galus was very brief, the divrei nechama come soon after the Tochacha. However, the Tochacha in Ki Savo is aligned with the destruction of the second Beis Hamikdash and galus Edom. Although this is a long drawn out galus which we are still experiencing, there is a light at the end of the tunnel and nechama at the end of the galus. R' Yosher Ber explains that the divrei nechama comes in Parshas Nitzavim at Devarim 30:1-2, where the Torah writes "V'haya ki yavou alecha ..." that it will be when these things come on you, the blessings and the curse, that the Jews will return to Hashem.

The Rambam in Hilchos Teshuva writes that the Nevi'im promised us that the Jews will do teshuva at the end of galus and they will be immediately redeemed. R' Yosher Ber explains that this is the nechama, knowing that there will be teshuva and the galus will end.

R' Frand mentioned that he was always bothered by this Rambam. There are so many people who are not keeping the Torah and do not even know that they are sinning because they lack the basic knowledge of the Torah laws. How will these people do teshuva?

R' Frand said that he heard a vort from the Shem Mishmuel which answered the question. The Shem Mishmuel quoted Devarim 30:3 which states that Hashem will bring back "shevuscha" - translated as your people in captivity. However, the Targum Yonasan Ben Uziel translates shevuscha as your teshuvos - Hashem will gather in all the teshuvos from all the generations and use them to redeem the Jews.

The Shem Mishmuel referenced the line from the Rosh Hashanah davening - Ma'avir Rishon Rishon - the Gemara in Rosh Hashana 17 states that this means that if a person is equally weighted with sins and mitzvos, Hashem will take away one aveirah so that the scale tips to life. However, the sin is not erased completely. If later a person piles on the sins, Hashem will add this sin back to the pile.

The Shem Mishmuel states that if Hashem will store away an aveirah to be added in at the appropriate time, than He certainly is saving the less than perfect thoughts or acts of teshuva that were done for centuries so that they can be added togther at the appropriate time and bring the geulah. The Shem Mishmuel states that this explains how a person can do teshuva at the end of his life and it will be accepted. The teshuva certainly cannot be an acceptance to change for the future since the person will die in short order. The Shem Mishmuel explains that this person had many thoughts or acts of teshuva over his lifetime which did not come to fruition. However, at the end of his life when he has a genuine desire to teshuva, Hashem brings back all these thoughts and deeds and togther they cause the person to become a true ba'al teshuva.

The Shem Mishmuel further states that this collection of imperfect teshuvas applies not only to individuals, but also to groups. Hashem has collected our improper teshuvos over thousands of years and geula can happen in our days by adding just a little bit to the scale to put us over the top. This is the answer to the question that bothers people - if we did not merit geulah when we had greater leaders, how can we possibly merit the Moshiach today? The answer is that all those teshuvas have been building up and if we on our lower level can somehow add the final piece through our teshuva, we can bring the geulah and be the nechama.

[Ed note - Rabbi Frand actually said a second vort on Rosh Hashanah after completing this vort. I will b'n attempt to post the Rosh Hashanah vort on Saturday Night].

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Monday's Musings on Sports - Fantasy, Realty and Football

Over the course of the last dozen or so years, the TV world and the United States in particular has become fascinated with the concept of reality TV. From the early days of Survivor to American Idol (or is it Idle) to the recent uptick in cooking shows such as Hell's Kitchen and Chopped, viewers can't seem to get enough of watching every day people competing with one and another.

[Personally, I believe that the rise in popularity of reality TV is a manifestation of the every man's fantasy to be famous, be it competing in an office setting or trying to perform superhuman feats of survival, but I digress].

By virtue of succeeding in these shows, the winning contestant is supposed to reap a reward which changes his life. In some shows it might be a dream job, while in others it may be a relationship or a cash prize. One of the more interesting rewards was on a cable TV show called Fourth and Long. The show challenged former college athletes to compete for a chance to be invited to the Dallas Cowboys training camp and possibly make the team. The reward was viewed largely as symbolic, since NFL training camps involve players who are: returning to their team; were drafted by their team or are free agents who were signed off another team's roster. Besides these marquee players, the teams will bring in twenty to thirty undrafted players, one or two of which will be lucky enough to make the practice squad (cue the Rudy music).

The winner of the Fourth and Long program in 2009 was Jesse Holley, who at the time was working as a security guard and selling cell phones on the side. Although Holley participated in training camp in 2009, he was cut by the Cowboys and signed to their practice squad where he remained for the season. In 2010, Holley again was one of the final cuts, but he was later signed to the active roster and was on the team for twelve games in 2010. Although Holley did not catch a pass that year, he did return one punt.

Two Sundays ago, star Cowboy received Dez Bryant was injured in a game against the NY Jets. After Bryant was declared out against the 49ers, the Cowboys added Holley to the active roster and he repaid the favor by making a 77 yard reception in overtime which set up the Cowboys' game winning score.

The fascination with "reality TV" and the way that people view and root for the common man to do something which they deep down wish they could do reminded me of a vort that I once heard about the questions which will be asked when a person finishes his time on this earth. I can't remember specifically who the Rav was who posed the question, but the vort goes something like this. When a person gets up to shamayim (heaven) he will be asked a series of questions including did you make regular time to learn Torah, were you honest in business and did you anxiously await the Moshiach. One of the questions that will not be asked is why were you not Moshe Rabbeinu. The reason is simple, we cannot be Moshe as he was a very special man who lived in a different time. But the question that we will be asked is why were you not (fill in your own name). Every person has the ability to be something special and improve the world. If we can accomplish the tasks that we are capable of doing, we will have no problem answering the question.

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Sunday Night Suds - Uinta Wyld

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Uinta's Wyld, an organic Extra Pale Ale.

As discussed in a post earlier this summer, Utah based Uinta Brewing Company is the most recent brewery to obtain kosher certification. Uinta brews a number of beers under its Uinta label, but it also has a creative/quirky division called the "Four+ Beers." The Uinta website explains that "four" refers to the four primary ingredients: hops, water, yeast, and barley, whereas the plus is "[t]he magical combination of elements to create an exceptional beer requires the alchemy of the brewer's art: skills, palate, and creativity. This is a key component of the "plus", but not all of it. There's always an element that defies definition."

All of the Four+ beers have interesting names and descriptions such as Monkshine - Belgian Style Pale Ale, Rype - Orange Tinged Wheat Beer, Hyve - Honey Stung Ale, Sum'r Organic Summer Ale, Punk'n - Harvest Pumpkin Ale and the Wyld Organic Pale Ale.

The interesting thing about the Wyld Organic Pale Ale is the incredible citrus flavor. Unlike the Shiner Ruby Redbird which is flavored with grapefruit, the Wyld is not a flavored beer, but I could swear there is some citrus juice in the brew. I received this beer as part of a Chicago care package that Binny's packed up for my BiL to deliver to me at a family simcha last weekend (thanks Jake!). I enjoyed this beer on its own and was able to appreciate it without blending it with food. Since I only have a few more to work with I will cautiously experiment with some APA friendly foods.

Uinta Wyld is certified kosher by the Orthodox Union and bears an OU on the label. For the experts' take on the Uinta Wyld please click here http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1416/48873.

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 Savo

The following is a brief summary of a thought said over by R' Frand on the parsha 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 discussing the bringing of the bikkurim (first fruits) to the Beis Hamikdash, the Torah specifies in Devarim 26:4 that the Kohen took the basket (Hateneh) from the hands of the farmer and placed it on the mizbayach. R' Frand quoted a Malbim who noted that there were many receptacles that were used to capture and carry things in the Beis Hamikdash, but rarely does the Torah talk about the vessel. Yet here the Torah discusses the basket for bikkurim, when it could have just written that the Kohen took the bikkurim from the hands of the farmer.

The Malbim quotes the Sifri who explains that this is the source for the concept that different baskets were used for bringing the bikkurim. The Sifri discusses how the wealthy farmers brought their bikkurim on silver platters while the indigent farmers would use reed baskets. While the silver baskets were returned to the wealthy farmers, the Kohen would keep the reed baskets which were used by the less wealthy farmers.

The Malbim explains that Sifri knows this based on the fact that the basket is not mentioned in Ki Sissa or Mishpatim. In Ki Savo the Torah discusses the poor farmer and references the basket. This shows that the Kohen accepted the fruit with the basket, whereas the silver platter was returned to the farmer. The Malbim explains that the reason that the Kohen kept the basket and returned the silver platter, because the basket is important to the poor farmer. The poor farmer toiled to make the basket and it is thus infused with the same importance as the bikkurim. While the wealthy person paid a lot of money for the silver platter, it is not as important to him as the basket is to poor farmer.

R' Frand then told a story about when he was in kollel soon after getting married. As they were struggling to get by, they were unable to buy a fancy present for his mother in law's birthday. Instead, R' Frand's wife knitted a present for her mother and the mother was very appreciative, because it was the best they could do and it came from her own hands.

R' Frand then returned to the basket. A person can go to the silver store and buy any number of silver platters. On the other hand, this basket was created by the poor farmer because he needed it. Thus the basket takes on added importance and becomes a part of the offering.

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Monday Musings on Sports - MLB, Uniformity and When They Just Don't Get It

As everyone is well aware, yesterday was the anniversary of one of the most tragic days in American History. 9/11, a day which will forever burn in our nation's collective consciousness. The day that American innocence was lost and we came to understand that 1/5th of the world hates the United States for being a free society.

In the days following September 11, 2001, I can recall feeling overwhelmed by the sense of loss, even though I did not lose anyone close to me. The morning of September 12, 2001, I lay in bed with Mrs KB listening to the radio, without the desire to do anything other than to hear about the tragic events and to hope that good news about survivors would be forthcoming. However, the longer that I listened to the radio, the more depressed I became until I finally forced myself to get out of bed and to go to minyan.

Over the next few days, the news was constantly about the events of 9/11 and at times I was forced to turn the radio off, just so that I could escape from the depressing stories. And then things began to change and the world started to emerge from the ash gray dust of ground zero. For me, this emergence began with baseball and then the NFL starting to play games again.

However, the sporting events were not played in a vacuum. The players showed their respect and admiration for the first responders and those who were going off to fight the Taliban. Most poignant to me were the players who wore the hats of those who had been to ground zero and suffered losses - the NYPD, FDNY and PAPD.

So now, on the ten year anniversary of that tragic day, sports was again attempting to salve the nation's collective spirit. Countless professional and collegiate sporting events featured tributes to those who had fallen and patriotic displays for those who went off to war. Wanting to do their part, the NY Mets asked Major League Baseball for permission to wear NYPD, FDNY and PAPD hats rather than their league issued hats. However, the league (acting through Joe Torre) refused to grant the Mets permission. It was ironic, as the Mets had worn those hats (albeit against the MLB rules) back in 2001 as a sign of respect and now they were prevented from paying tribute. It could hardly be argued that MLB was unaware of the meaning of the game being played in NY on September 11, 2011, since MLB had moved the game to 8 PM so that it could compete with Sunday Night Football (which also featured a NY team playing in New York).

MLB's refusal to allow the technical violation of its uniform rules can hardly be defended and the articles that have run about the decision have been largely critical of MLB. Indeed, at least one story has suggested that MLB is upset that the Mets even asked for permission to wear the hats.

The decision not to allow the Mets to wear the non-conforming hats makes me think about the Torah's concept of hora'as sha'ah - dictates of the time. Occasionally, the law may state that something is forbidden, but the particular circumstance may be outweighed by some communal or humanitarian concern. The ability to act against the general legal rule is not to be taken lightly, however a proper Rabbinic authority will look at the scenario and rule that a particular course of action is permissible. I can recall hearing about a particular Rav who was visited by a sick young girl who was looking for a bracha. Although halacha does not generally allow a male to touch a female non-relative, the Rabbi reached out to touch her shoulder to reassure her that she would recover. Was this technically improper under halacha? Yes. But the reassuring physical contact was more important to this young lady.

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!

Sunday Night Suds - Samuel Adams Latitude 48 Deconstructed - Vol III

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at another of the Samuel Adams Latitude 48 varieties - the East Kent Goldings version.

As mentioned in my July 31, 2011 post which reviewed Samuel Adams Latitude 48 - Hallertau Mitterfreuh (found here - http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2011/07/sunday-night-suds-samuel-adams-latitude.html) and the August 14, 2011 post which reviewed Samuel Adams Latitude 48 - Simcoe (found here - http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2011/08/sunday-night-suds-samuel-adams-latitude.html), one of the best new IPAs introduced during the last few years is the Samuel Adams Latitude 48. The name of the beer draws from the five types of hops used in the brew process which all grow along the 48th latitude within the "hop belt" of the Northern Hemisphere. Earlier this year, Samuel Adams introduced its limited edition Deconstructed Box which features beers brewed with just one of the five hop varieties used in the Latitude 48.

For this week's post I sampled the East Kent Goldings version of the Latitude 48. The back of the bottle indicates that The East Kent Goldings hops grow in East Kent in the United Kingdom. The label further provides that the East Kent Goldings hops were first used in brewing in the 1700s in East Kent, England and "contribute a mellow bitterness to this brew, along with earthy, floral and apricot notes, balanced by a slight sweetness and full body from the five different malts."

The Latitude 48 East Kent Goldings variety was definitely the most mellow of the deconstructed versions that I have tried. I tasted some of the hops and citrusy flavor, but wished there was a little more bite in the brew. I completely missed the apricot notes, but that might be due to my being spoiled by my friend Daniel R's homebrew version of a certain Magic Hat variety which was heavy on the apricots.

The Latitude 48 East Kent Goldings was a good accompaniment to Friday night roasted chicken, but it might have gone ever better with a honey barbecue chicken. Of course, I did not know this until I tasted the two together on Friday night and it was too late to ask Mrs KB to make a different kind of chicken...

The Samuel Adams Latitude 48 East Kent Goldings is under the Kosher Supervision of the Star-K. Like many other Samuel Adams brews, this bottle does not have the Star-K certification mark on the label.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about this version of Latitude 48, please follow this link - http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/35/68397.

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 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 a thought said over by R' Frand on the parsha 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 26:6-7, the parsha discusses the mitzva of shiluach haken - the commandment to send away the mother bird before taking the eggs or hatchlings from the nest. The Torah states that one who keeps this mitzva is rewarded with a lengthened life.

R' Frand noted that there is one other mitzva which we know the reward is a lengthened life - the mitzva to honor one's parents. R' Frand quoted a Yerushalmi in Pe'ah which states that Hashem presented the reward for both mitzvos so that both can be properly kept. The Yerushalmi further states that the two mitzvos are both the easiest and the hardest mitzvos in the Torah. While shiluach haken can be viewed as easy since there is no cost and it is done without effort, the mitzva of kibbud av v'aim can be difficult.

Why are these two linked together? R' Frand answered by quoting the mishna in pirkei avos which says that a person should be careful with easy and hard mitzvos because we don't know the reward for mitzvos. Since these easy and hard mitzvos have the same reward, we should not be quick to dismiss certain mitzvos because we mistakenly believe that the reward for doing them is minuscule.

R' Frand also offered a second answer to the question - based on a Vilna Gaon. The Gaon explains that our natural inclination is to believe that both mitzvos are built on compassion - if the Torah tells us how to act with little birds, it should also carry over to our actions towards people. Similarly, the showing of respect to parents when they age also appears to be based on compassion. This school of thought follows the Rambam and the Ramban who view the mitzvos as based on rachmanus.

However, there is another way of looking at the mitzva. The Gaon quotes the Zohar who explains that the mitzva shows the quality of aczarious - loosely translated as cruelty or lack of compassion. Although the mother bird is sent away, it eventually returns and sees that its nest is essentially gone. It has no hatchlings in the nest or eggs and it cries. The Zohar explains that the tears provoke Hashem's mercy and we too hope that he will have mercy on us and rebuild our nest from which we have been exiled (the Beis Hamikdash).

Under this approach to shiluach haken, the two mitzvos are from opposite ends of the spectrum - one is compassion and one is cruelty. The Gaon explains that this is why the rewards are specified - because we must know that whether the mitzva is easy or difficult or involves compassion or cruelty with a purpose - the reward is the same.

This concept equally applies to mitzvos of other kinds. A person may be predisposed to act a certain way, however to keep a mitzva, the person might have to act against their nature. A person may be shy and introverted, but the mitzva of hachnasas orchim - welcoming in guests, requires him to go against his nature.

The Gaon explains that a person who goes far to show respect for his parents may be doing so because he is a nice guy or a rachaman. Therefore, he must go against his nature by acting cruelly and send away the mother bird, only to return to the empty nest.

R' Frand tied this together by referencing the Torah reading for Rosh Hashanah when we read that Hashem said after Avraham showed that he was willing to sacrifice Isaac - now I know that you are G-d fearing. Why is this the moment? Because at this tenth test, Avraham was required to go against his nature of being a rachman and sacrifice his son. By doing this, he was able to demonstrate that he acted because Hashem commanded him to, not just because he was a nice guy.

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Labor Day 2011 Kosher Beers List

As a community service, Kosher Beers publishes a list twice a year of the beers which are known to be certified kosher. The list will be updated periodically until the next edition (Purim 2012).

For the Labor Day 2011 edition, I will again be using scribd to upload and maintain list.

Kosher Beers Labor Day 2011

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Shoftim

The following is a brief summary of a thought said over by R' Frand on the parsha 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 this week's parsha, the Torah discusses the exemptions which are available for men who are unable to serve in the army engaged in a milchemes reshus (voluntary war). As enumerated in Devarim 20:5-8, the exceptions include a man who has built a new house but has not begun to live in it, a man who has planted a new vineyard but has not yet brought bikkurim from it or a man who has recently become engaged and has not yet married his wife. The final exemption listed is for a man who is afraid of battle. After the above exemptions have been read to the group of potential soldiers, those with an excuse were permitted to leave.

R' Frand quoted a mishna in Sotah 44a which discusses a dispute between R' Akiva and R' Yosi Haglili in relation to the "fear" exemptions. R' Akiva stated that the fear exemption is for one who is afraid of going to war. R' Yosi Haglili said that the exemption is for one who is afraid of potentially being killed in battle as punishment for the sins he has committed. R' Yosi further explained that the reason for the other exceptions is solely to protect this type of person from embarrassment. Indeed, there is no logical explanation for the draft exemption status of one of who built a new house or planted a new vineyard. As R' Yosi explains, the Torah added these categories to protect the man who was afraid of punishment so that it will not be obvious why he is not going to battle.

R' Frand then quoted the Tolner Rebbi who linked this dispute to another seemingly unconnected argument. The gemara in Gittin discusses a dispute as to the acceptable reasons for divorce. Beis Shammai stated that the only reason a divorce may be given is if the wife committed adultery. Beis Hillel stated that a man may divorce his wife for any reason, even if it is because she burned the soup.

R' Frand quoted a R' Moskowitz who asked why Beis Shammai and Beis Hillel had taken positions contrary to their usual methods (wherein Beis Shammai was usually machmir and Beis Hillel was usually meikil).

R' Frand answered this question by quoting a R' Taub who was a Modzitz Chassid (there was a longer name but I did not get it). R' Frand explained that if the only permitted ground for divorce was adultery, a divorced woman would never be able to get remarried as she would be forever branded an adulteress, regardless of her acts of teshuva. By allowing a husband to give a divorce for more mundane reasons, the woman is no longer pigeonholed as an adulteress and she stands a better chance of getting remarried, since the general public will not assume that she has committed any terrible act. As such, Beis Hillel's actions protect the woman's dignity and are in reality more maykil than Beis Shammai.

R' Frand closed the vort by stating that we should take a lesson from these two scenarios and be more cognizant of other people's dignity when he act or speak about them.

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