Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Vayigash

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 Bereishis 45:8, Yosef meets his brothers and he tells them not to be upset since Hashem sent me here to be the patron for Pharaoh and I am the master in Pharaoh's house and the ruler of the land of Egypt.

R' Frand noted that Yosef's statement is not technically correct. Yosef was not the ruler of Egypt, he was the second in command.

R' Frand further noted that when the brothers came back to Yaakov and told him that Yosef was alive, they did not tell Yaakov about all of Yosef's titles. Instead they just told Yaakov that Yosef was the ruler in Egypt.

R' Frand quoted the Chasam Sofer who answers both questions. The brothers told Yaakov that Yosef was alive and living in Egypt, but Yaakov was not interested in knowing anything about Yosef, other than that Yosef was still living as a Jew. By telling Yaakov that Yosef was the ruler in Egypt, they were telling Yaakov that Yosef was not a slave to Egypt, he was the master of it. This also answers the first question as to the technical incorrectness of Yosef's statement to the brothers that he ruled Egypt. Yosef was telling the brothers, I am not being controlled by Egyptian culture, I am above the culture and was not influenced by it.

R' Frand then said a vort from a dayan in Manchester who commented about the famous Rashi that Yaakov saw the wagons and thus knew Yosef was alive. The dayan told a story about a child of a couple who went to university and then moved to Alabama. The son called his family every Friday afternoon to wish them a good shabbos, but they knew nothing about his personal life in Alabama. One Friday afternoon, the parents said - we haven't seen you in a long time, we will come and visit you. The son responded - don't come, I will go and visit you. This gave the parents the impression that the son has something to hide. In this week's parsha, Yosef sends the wagons, as if to tell his father - come and see the life I have made for myself, I have nothing I need to keep from you. This invigorated Yaakov.

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Monday's Musings on Sports - Napoleon, Joseph and the NBA

Sunday marked the return of the National Basketball Association. To some, this was a matter of life and death, like the two high school freshmen who host the 1050 ESPN Radio midday show on weekdays who were deeply depressed at the prospect of no basketball for the year.

To others, the possibility of a season without professional basketball was not all that scary. Some pundits have professed that they would not miss the NBA, as college basketball offers all of the action and skill and without all the strutting and showboating.

[I must confess that other than the NCAA Tournament or when I am sitting in the car and need a sporting event to listen to, I have very little interest in basketball - professional or college. This was probably the result of growing up in a home where the big sports were hockey and baseball, but I digress...]

As a result of the lockout and the long delay before labor and management came to an agreement (which was virtually the same offer made by management many weeks earlier), this year's NBA season has been shortened to sixty six games. Most opinions that I have heard on sports radio programs have not lamented the loss of approximately 20% of the season. Instead, these sports jocks have opined that the NBA regular season games only start to matter after New Year's, since the first part of the season is like an extended training camp when players are still learning how to play with their new teammates.

Personally, I don't understand why the shortened season would eliminate this feeling out period. Drawing a parallel to the NFL season, many teams suffered at the beginning of the NFL season as players (especially rookies) lacked a training camp where they would learn the coaches' systems. Similarly, coaches suffered from not having a period to evaluate their players' strengths and draw up schemes to accommodate their talents.

The debate as to whether the lockout and the shortening of the season was a positive or negative made me think about a story about Napoleon that I heard in a R' Mansour shiur. When Napoleon conquered a certain region in Eastern Europe, the local dignitaries came out to greet him and sing his praises. After the program ended, Napoleon asked -- how come no Rabbi had come out to meet with him. The local politicians began to look for a Rabbi and found one in a small shul. They brought him to meet with Napoleon, who asked the Rabbi to address him. The Rabbi said - I am not a man of words, I only know the Torah. Napoleon said to him - I have had enough false flattery, please tell me words of the Torah. The Rabbi responded with a vort about Yosef and the butler.

The Rabbi said to Napoleon - after Yosef interpreted the butler's dream, he said to the butler - Ki im zechartani - because you will remember me, you will be returned to your position of power. The Rabbi then asked rhetorically - what was the connection between the interpretation of the dream (that the butler would be returned to his position of authority) and the statement that the butler will remember him?

The Rabbi explained that Yosef was telling the butler - you were rightfully imprisoned for serving Pharaoh a cup of wine with a fly in the cup. You are now getting a second chance, but it is because of me that you are being returned to the king's court. Your second chance at serving comes so that you may remember me and cause my release from prison.

The Rabbi said to Napoleon - why do you need Eastern Europe? This land is poor and lacks the natural resources and culture of Western Europe. It must be that the reason that you have conquered this region is because the Jews were being oppressed and could not freely worship Hashem. As such, you have been sent to liberate the Jews of this area so that they can freely worship.

And it was known that Napoleon was good towards the Jews and allowed them to live their lives without government interference.

As to whether the lockout shortened season will be good or bad for the quality of basketball being played or the NY teams, I cannot hope to predict. But everything happens for a reason and it is only at the end of this season or possibly two seasons down the road, that we will be able to see who ultimately benefited from the lockout shortened season.

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Sunday Night Suds - Blue Moon Spiced Amber Ale

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Blue Moon's Spiced Amber Ale.

When I was in my early twenties, Snapple came out with an iced tea called Snapple Apple Pie. It was spiced with cinnamon and tasted like a cross between iced tea and apple pie. I recall driving around the South Shore of Long Island looking for convenience stores which carried it, before finding a store in Island Park which had a cooler with a dozen or so bottles in it (yes, I bought them all).

So what does Snapple have to do with beer? Not very much, but my first sniff of the Blue Moon Spiced Amber Ale brought flashbacks of the Snapple Apple Pie. The beer has a sharp cinnamon aroma which carries through to the first sip. However, the brew is not overly sweet to the point that it loses its character as a beer.

American Amber beers can vary from hoppy to mild, but they generally have a good amount of malt and this beer is no exception. The malt mixes nicely with the hops and blends with the cinnamon to produce an excellent dessert type beer.

I would recommend this beer with apple pie, apple kugel muffins or maybe some vanilla ice cream. Mrs KB gives her thumbs up as well and feels that it rivals Saranac's Maple Porter as a dessert quality brew.

The only negative about this beer is that you can't buy it on its own. It is a limited edition winter release and comes packaged in a 12 pack which contains three Spiced Amber Ales, three Winter Moon (also quite delicious), three standard Blue Moon (can't go wrong with those) and three Pale Moon (I am not too fond of those).

Blue Moon Spiced Amber Ale is certified kosher by the Orthodox Union. For the experts take on the Spiced Amber Ale, please click here http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/306/75358.

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!

Sunday Night Suds - Lakefront Brewery Fuel Cafe Stout

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Lakefront Brewery's Fuel Cafe Stout.

A number of months ago, I was approached by a friend who was looking for a coffee flavored brew. At the time, I was unaware of the (yet unreleased) Samuel Adams Black & Brew, so I pointed Dan L. in the direction of the Lakefront Brewery Fuel Cafe Stout, which at the time was the only coffee flavored brew which I knew to be under kosher supervision. While Dan L. was unable to find the Fuel Cafe Stout, I noticed it on the shelf at Beverage Barn in Garden City Park and I picked up some up for a refresher course in this coffee flavored brew.

The Fuel Cafe Stout poured a deep black color, to the point that one is unable to see anything through the brew. There was some tan lacing after the pour which was mostly dissolved within ten minutes of pouring in the glass.

Although the color of the beer is dark, the beer itself is light for a stout. I did not notice much body in the brew and the one note is the heavy coffee flavor which hits you the moment that you bring the glass to your face. Although the beer claims to be close to 6% abv, its alcohol flavor is more akin to a light beer.

If you are looking for iced coffee served in a six pack holder, this brew is for you. However, if you are looking for a traditional stout with a little coffee flavoring, you would be better served with the Samuel Adams Black and Brew or even just drinking a Guinness (which Mrs KB thinks tastes like coffee anyway).

Lakefront Brewery Fuel Cafe Stout is under the kosher supervision of the Star-K (there is even a Star-K on the label).

For the experts' take on the Fuel Cafe Stout please click here http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/741/2870. 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, 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 Vayeshev

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.

Rabbi Frand quoted a Rokeach who explains that Parshas Vayeshev has 112 pesukim and Tehillim chapter 92 which we say on Shabbos morning and Friday Night (Mizmor Shir L'Yom HaShabbas) has 112 words. Rabbi Frand asked - what is the connection?

Rabbi Frand began his answer by quoting a Ramban on Vayehsev 37:15 which states that Yosef was looking for his brothers and was "found" by a man in the field. The meforshim teach that this was an angel. The Ramban states that when Yosef got to Shechem and could not find his brothers, he could have returned and said to his father - I looked and I could not find them. However, the Ramban writes that the gezera of Hashem will happen and all the efforts of man will be meaningless. [R' Frand then used the Yiddish expression - man thinks and G-d laughs]. The Ramban explained that while logically Yosef should have gone back, Hashem wanted this to happen and this why the word "ish" appears three times, because Hashem used three malachim to make sure that Yosef would meet the brothers - this was Hashem's plan.

R' Frand then used a l'havdil analogy to a puppet show. Hashem is the puppeteer and Yosef, Yaakov and the brothers are the puppets.

In this week's parsha, Yaakov makes the cardinal parental mistake of treating his children differently. Yaakov gave Yosef the multicolored coat and the brothers became insanely jealous. How can Yaakov make this mistake? The brothers also make a mistake as they think that Yosef wants to kill them. How could they be so far off the mark? Yosef also makes a mistake as he wrongfully suspects his brothers of eating from live animals. How?

How did all this happen - Hashem has his plan and these seemingly irrational things can happen so that the plan can be put into effect.

The Torah also writes at Vayeshev 37:14 that Yosef was sent from the valley of Hevron. Rashi notes that Hevron is on a mountain, not in a valley. He explains that this is a code for the one who is buried in Hevron - Avraham who had the vision that the Jews would be in galus - the Jews needed to go down to Egypt.

The questions continue with Yosef living in Egypt. Yosef manages at the age of seventeen to withstand the enticement of the wife of Potiphar. What is Yosef's reward? He winds up in jail for twelve years. One who views the story asks - why did this happen? The answer is that if one sees the whole story, he is aware that Yosef needs to meet the servants in prison so that he can rise to assist Pharaoh in interpreting his dreams. The story needs to be seen completely to understand it.

This is the connection to Tehillim 92. Adam HaRishon was shown the entire world - 6,000 years of history and how everything fits in. So in writing Tehillim 92, Adam writes that the fool will not understand this - how the wicked prosper and are successful while the righteous suffer. The answer is that I see it all. Mizmor Shir L'Yom HaShabbas has the same theme as Parshas Vayesehev - things need to be seen from the outside to understand the whole picture. The message of Tehillim 92 - is me'od amku machsivosecha - how deep are Your thoughts.

R' Schwab in writing on Job, a story of Tzadik v'ra lo, explains that to understand, one must take the long view of history, because if one takes the short look they will not understand it.

This is how Tehillim 92 ends - there will be old people who will have all their faculties and will be vigorous and vital in their old age. If a person lives long enough they can say - now I understand why this happened.

R' Schwab writes - imagine if a person died in the middle of the Yosef story and did not see the end. A person needs to see the end of the story to realize that Hashem is just and that things do all work out for the best.

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Sunday Night Suds - Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock.

The Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock is a sophomore offering from the Boston Beer company. The Chocolate Bock was first introduced by Samuel Adams last winter and it has been included again in this year's Winter Classics box. Similar to last year's version, this season's Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock is kosher DAIRY (chalav stam).

Some beer styles have names that make one think that there might be dairy in the brew process. By way of example, there are cream ales, which BA explains were "spawned from the American light lager style, are brewed as an ale though are sometimes finished with a lager yeast or lager beer mixed in. Adjuncts such as corn or rice are used to lighten the body. It is no uncommon for smaller craft brewers to brew all malt Cream Ales. Pale straw to pale gold color. Low hop bittering and some hop aroma though some micros have given the style more of a hop character. Well carbonated and well attenuated."

Then there are milk or sweet stouts which BA defines as "stouts that have a larger amount of residual dextrins and unfermented sugars that give the brew more body and a sweetness that counters the roasted character. Milk Stouts are very similar to Sweet Stouts, but brewers add unfermentable sugars, usually lactose, to the brew kettle to add body and some sweetness."

The Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock is not one of the above beer styles which can typically contain dairy. I am unaware of what specifically was added to the brew which makes the beer dairy, but the Star-K has confirmed to me by e-mail that the Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock is dairy and that the Star-K will not be including the Chocolate Bock on their LOC.

So once I became aware that the Chocolate Bock was dairy, I needed to wait until I had a proper dairy meal to share the brew with. You can't pair a bock with pasta or eggs or cereal, so I saved the brew for a night that Mrs KB was making tilapia. While I can't say that the Chocolate Bock melded with the fish, it was quite tasty. The beer was silky smooth and the chocolate flavor was very pronounced. To quote Mrs KB, this is one of those beers that can be served over ice cream. I wished that I could serve this after dinner on Friday night to friends, but alas it cannot follow a meat dinner.

The Star-K has indicated that the Chocolate Bock is kosher dairy, but there is no Star-K on the label and it does not appear on the LOC.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about the Chocolate Bock, please follow this link - http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/35/14309.

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!

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Vayishlach

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 there is a discussion in Bereishis 32:25-33 of the story of Yaakov's battle with the angel of Esav. The Torah relates that Yaakov and the angel fought all night, until the angel struck Yaakov in the thigh and that as a result Jews may not eat the gid hanasheh.

R' Frand related that there are many perushim on the story and there is much symbolism found in the events. Having said that, R' Frand stated that he recently saw an explanation of the story that he had never seen before.

R' Frand quoted the Chizkuni who explained that the punishment of not eating the gid hanasheh is a punishment that applies until today (as Jews cannot eat the prime cuts of meat such as the porterhouse or sirloin). The Chizkuni explains that it is only right that we cannot eat the gid hanesheh because Yaakov's sons allowed him to go unattended, even though they were strong boys. Because the sons did not provide an accompaniment to their father, they are prohibited from eating the gid hanasheh.

R' Frand said that similar statements are also made by the Rosh and the Sefer Chasidim.

R' Frand then quoted a sefer called the Shabbas U'Moadim which provides a deeper understanding of the events involving Yaakov and the angel. He notes that Yaakov went back alone to retrieve the pachim k'tanim and was struck by the angel. He quoted the Drashas HaRan who explained that the reason that Yaakov was struck by the angel now was because the angel wanted to reclaim the bechora at this juncture. Why now?

The Derashas HaRan answers the question by first referring back to the story of the day that Yaakov bought the bechora. Avraham had died and Yaakov prepared a meal for his father who was mourning for Avraham. Where was Esav at this time? He was out in the field and was not distressed by his father Yitzchak's mourning. Esav then came in from the field and saw that Yitzchak was in mourning. However, Esav did not sit down and console his father. Instead, Esav demanded food.

When Yaakov saw Esav acting this way he said to Esav - you are the bechor? The bechor should be acting like the father. You see that your father is in mourning, yet you are thoroughly unmoved? You are not like your father, so sell me the bechora!
You have not showed your father any respect and have neglected him. I can show proper respect and will be like my father, so sell the bechora to me.

Now in parshas Vayishlach, the angel says to Yaakov - you may have respected your father, but you have not passed this on to your kids. Look! Your children have neglected and abandoned you! Your rationale that you should have the bechora was because Esav was not like Yitzchak and showed no respect - your kids are not respecting you, so I should be able to reclaim the bechora for Esav.

This manifested in a shot to the thigh. The gemara calls descendants - yotzei yereicho - those that come from the thigh. They are also called the supporters of the father - like the thigh supports the person. The Jews are punished that they cannot eat the gid hanasheh, because we must pay the price for failing to properly support and respect Yaakov.

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Belated Monday Musings on Sports - Santo and Saying Thank You

[Its been more years than I can count since Mrs KB and I went to a hockey game. As we were treated to tix to last night's Rangers Maple Leaf game, I was unable to post a Monday Musings on Sports post last evening. Rather than leaving the week without Sports+Torah, I have posted this evening instead.]

This morning, news broke that former Chicago Cubs 3B Ron Santo had been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. The news was truly bittersweet, as Chicago area baseball fans had been advocating Santo for the Hall of Fame from the moment that he became eligible. During his career with the Cubs, Santo was selected to the All Star Team nine time and won five gold gloves. After Santo retired from baseball, he continued his service to the Cubs and to endear himself to Cubs fans by joining the broadcast team as WGN's color commentator.

Despite Santo's accomplishments, he was not elected to the Hall of Fame during his initial period of eligibility. Thereafter he was "eligible" to be voted in by the Veterans Committee, but he also failed to gain the necessary percentage of votes required for entry to the Hall. Although Santo was finally selected to the Hall of Fame today, the ceremony will be held without him as he passed away last December.

While driving to work this morning, I heard a piece on the Mike & Mike in the Morning Show on 1050 ESPN Radio in which they discussed the posthumous induction. Greenberg recollected his time working as a journalist in Chicago and how beloved Santo was by the fans. He also talked about how year after year, the media would descend on Santo for comment as to what he felt about the present year's Hall of Fame voting and his prospects for election in the following year.

Golic on the other hand ranted about why players take 10-15 years to get voted into the Hall. His position was - if the player is deserved of induction, he should be voted into the Hall in his first couple of years of eligibility. After all mused Golic, what about his statistics or accomplishments changed over the next ten years which would make the player now worthy of admission to the Hall?

The question of posthumous honors and the proper way to say thanks made me think about a vort that I heard on a R' Mansour shiur that I downloaded from www.learntorah.com. In last week's parsha, Leah names her fourth child Yehuda as now she can thank Hashem. The gemara states that Leah's action was the first time in Chumash that someone had shown thanks to Hashem. However, the gemara requires explanation as it is inconceivable that others did not thank Hashem. By example, Avraham & Sarah certainly must have thanked Hashem after being blessed with a son at advanced age.

R' Mansour answered the question on the gemara by quoting a vort from R' Paam ztl. R' Paam explained that thanks can be fleeting and easily forgotten, even if the gift or act was meaningful when received. Leah did not want to forget that Hashem had blessed her by giving her a fourth son which was more than a proportional 1/4 share of the 12 tribes of Israel. In order to remember this, Leah named her son Yehuda, so that every time she called or referred to him, the boy's very name would remind her of how thankful she was to Hashem.

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Sunday Night Suds - Saranac Chocolate Lager

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at the newest Saranac brew - Saranac's Chocolate Lager.

To my knowledge, the Saranac Chocolate Lager is the first new beer introduced by Saranac in about two years. The Chocolate Lager has been included in the beers of winter box which also includes the superior Big Moose Ale and Lake Effect Lager, along with the India Copper Ale, Bohemian Plisner and Vanilla Stout.

Not to be confused with a prior Saranac offering called Saranac Chocolate Amber Lager (reviewed here http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2008/06/sunday-night-suds-saranac-chocolate.html) the new Chocolate Lager is more of a bock then a lager. The beer pours a rich copper color with a fair amount of foam which disappears soon into the brew. The first smell of the brew was actually reminiscent of a macrolager, but that soon dissipated as well. When I tried my first sip I was struck by the chocolate flavor additive, but it was not overpowering and rendered the beer quite drinkable. Perhaps this is because they (according to the Saranac website) added cacao nibs, rather than pure chocolate flavoring.

Because the Saranac Chocolate Lager is more of a bock than a lager, the alcohol content is a little higher than one would expect (6% abv). Having said that, the alcohol flavor is not noticeable.

Saranac Chocolate 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 Chocolate Lager, please follow this link http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/99/75739.

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 Vayeitzei

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.

This week's parsha begins with a summary of Yaakov's travels. The Torah recounts that Yaakov left Be'er Sheva and went to Charan. However, not long after Yaakov gets to Charan, he turns around and travels back to Yerushalayim. The Medrash explains that Hashem did a chessed for Yaakov and folded up the land so that he could expeditiously return from Charan to Yerushalayim.

R' Frand quoted the sefer Machat Shel Yad (R' Frankel) which asks - why did Yaakov get all the way to Charan before he remembered that he had passed Yerushalayim without davening there? The distance between Beer Sheva and Yerushalayim is quite short, whereas the distance from Yerushalayim to Charan is many hundreds of miles. Why did he wait until he got to Charan before he suddenly remembered he had passed Yerushalayim.

Before answering the question, R' Frand quoted R' Kaminetsky to further expand on the vort. We know that after Yaakov left Beer Sheva he did not go straight to Charan. Instead, Yaakov spent 14 years learning in Yeshivas Shem V'Ever. But why did Yaakov need to go learn there? He had spent 15 years learning by Avraham and then another 45 years learning from Yitzchak. What was he missing in his education that he needed to learn at the Yeshiva Shem V'Ever?

R' Kaminetsky answered that there was something that Yaakov needed to learn in the yeshiva. Shem was a product of the Dor Hamabul while Ever was a product of the Dor Haflaga. Despite their toxic surroundings, Shem and Ever were able to stay true to their learning.

When Yaakov was learning by Avraham and Yitzchak, he was learning in a pristine environment. The Beis Medrash and the people there were not distractions and Yaakov was able to learn without distraction.

However, Yaakov was aware that the land of Charan was anything but stable and pleasant. Therefore, Yaakov wanted to learn in the Yeshiva of Shem V'Ever so that he could withstand the populace in Charan.

R' Frand then quoted a Rashi on next week's parsha which discussed the Torah taught by Yaakov to Yosef. Rashi explains that the Ben Zekunim present was the Torah that Yaakov learned in Yeshiva Shem V'Ever. Yaakov knew through ruach HaKodesh that Yosef would be in a dangerous environment. Yaakov did not know the details, but he was concerned, so he taught Yosef what he learned in the Yeshiva.

But returning to the original question - why did Yaakov go back to Yerushalayim. R' Frand answered by giving a mashal about a man who lives in the sticks and wants to visit NY City. The man studies and prepares for the trip, but when he gets off in Times Square he is assaulted by all the noise and lights and bustle.

When Yaakov got to Charan he was overwhelmed. He had learned in the Yeshiva, but was still very concerned that he would be unable to resist the insanity of Charan. At that point, Yaakov said to himself - I need more than Shem V'Ever. I need the tefillos where my fathers davened. It was for this reason that he went back to Yerushalayim.

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