Monday, February 27, 2012

Monday's Musings on Sports - Armor, Frozen Yogurt and a Few Good Words

With every passing day, the Linsanity seems to grow. People who had abandoned all hope in the New York Knicks are now beginning to watch games again. Casual fans are reading the sports pages or listening to sports radio. But the impact on the non-sports fans is even more difficult to believe. If news reports are to be believed, Taiwanese tour groups are selling $2,000 trips to the United States, which include tickets to a New York Knick game. Meanwhile, fans in China are tuning into games like they did when Yao Ming first came to the Rockets. And the Linpact has been credited with causing a reconciliation between Time Warner and Cablevision so that the Knicks could be seen on cable again.

Given Jeremy Lin's Asian-American heritage, there has also been a concomitant impact on the self-image of Asian children in this country who have come to identify with Lin, both as a basketball player as well as a person. The Lin story has appeal beyond the court, since he is a player who was twice cut and needed the right opportunity to show his skills.

But while there have been many, many, positive stories about Lin and his heritage, there have also been some negative pieces as well. Numerous athletes have posited that if Lin was not Asian-American, there would not have been as much of a story about his impact on basketball. But even more than the players who have voiced their opinions, there have been racial slurs from the media, such as the headlines which used a pejorative term for Chinese in connection with armor.

(No I don't have a problem with the Ben & Jerry's flavor which used fortune cookies together with lychee honey and vanilla ice cream. If they made a flavor with matza farfel or some other Jewish ethnic food and named it after a Jewish athlete other than Ryan Braun, I would be proud, not perturbed, but I digress...)

The negative impact on an Asian kid who saw the headline or heard it on the radio is hard to overlook. Certain terms are known to be racial slurs and even if the word has a neutral meaning in other contexts, when the word is used in connection with a minority athlete, there simply cannot be any innocent explanation.

I heard a story about the power of words at the end of this past week's R' Frand shiur. R' Frand told a story about a man who recently passed away in his mid eighties. The man had been a builder of his shul and the local Jewish day school in a community which did not have a large Jewish population. When he was asked once why he was so dedicated to building these Jewish institutions, he told over a story about his bar-mitzva.

The man had been bar-mitzva'd seventy years earlier in a different small town. At the time, a bar mitzva was simply an aliyah and the reading of the haftorah - nothing like today's production. After the (boy) finished reading the haftorah he heard two men discussing him. One commented that the boy had done a good job, while the other responded, but will he come back for Mincha. The first man responded - "this one is different." The boy never forgot this conversation and the simple four words spoken by this anonymous man stayed in his head for the rest of his life. R' Frand (who did not reveal the name of the man) said that the man was the only one from his family to go away to yeshiva to learn, was the only one who married an orthodox Jewish woman and all of his children and grandchildren were frum. All because of the simple four words spoken by a man who probably did not know they were being heard - "this boy is different."

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Sunday, February 26, 2012

Sunday Night Suds - He'Brew Genesis Dry Hopped Session Ale



This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at He'Brew's Dry Hopped Session Ale (15th Anniversary).

As regular readers of this blog are aware, one of my favorite styles of beer is the India Pale Ale. Although the name of this He'Brew beer is quite a mouthful, at its essence it is an American version of the IPA, and a tasty one at that.

While some beer aficionados like to draw a distinction between APA's (American Pale Ales) and IPA's, I fail to see much of a difference. The APAs may lack some maltiness which is supposedly characteristic of IPA's, I find that the domestic brews which carry the IPA moniker are nearly identical to those which call themselves IPAs. Of course, this might be due to the fact that my favorite domestic IPAs tend to be stronger in hop flavor, but in truth, I cannot really say that the average craft brewed APA lacks in hop bite.

One of the nice things about the He'Brew Genesis Ale is that the label identifies the hops, malts and dry hops which are infused in the brew. While some other beers may list a few of these ingredients, the Genesis Ale label is more informative than average.

But leaving aside all of these factoids, you must be asking yourself - what does the beer taste like? The answer is simply - it tastes like an IPA, albeit a slightly mellow variety.

The beer poured a dark orange color with significant lacing which lasted much longer than expected. The first taste is floral hops with a good deal of pine, letting you know that there is cascade and simcoe (and somewhat similar to the Samuel Adams Latitude 48). The aftertaste lingers somewhat, but mellows out after a while and made me think of the vastly underrated Saranac Pale Pale Ale (no, that is not a typo).

I would recommend this beer with spicy dishes or lightly charred meat. I do not see this as a "pizza" beer as it would be better served with fleishig.

The Genesis Dry Hopped Session Ale is an unflavored beer which is under the kosher supervision of the KSA.

For the experts' take on the He'Brew Genesis Dry Hopped Session Ale, please click here http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/262/76295 .

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, February 23, 2012

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Terumah

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.

The Chumash writes in Shemos 26:15 that Moshe is commanded to make the kerashim (boards) for the mishkan out of "atzei sheetim omdim". Rashi explains that these boards were made from cedars which were planted by Yaakov when he went down to Egypt. Yaakov told his children when they went down to Egypt that one day they would leave Egypt and build a mishkan. He instructed them to use these cedars which he was planting now, as the boards for the mishkan.

R' Frand mentioned that this Rashi is based on a medrash in Sefer Bereishis on the pasuk in Bereishis 46:1 which stated that Yaakov stopped in Be'er Sheva on his way down to Egypt. The medrash explained that Yaakov cut down trees which Avraham Avinu had planted in Beer Sheva when Avraham made his hospitality there. After cutting down the trees, Yaakov replanted them in Egypt and they were used for the mishkan.

R' Frand quoted R' Yaakov Kaminetzky who explains the pasuk in Shemos 26:15 that the boards were made from atzei sheetim omdim, based on a gemara in Yoma and Sukkah which states that Moshe was commanded to make the mishkan from the type of trees which will last forever and ever. These boards will never be destroyed or burned down (like the two Batei Mikdash). But how would Moshe know whether the mishkan will last forever? If the Jews were not zoche, how could the mishkan last forever?

The answer given by R' Frand was that Moshe was instructed not to take "just any trees." Instead, Moshe was to take the trees which were planted by Avraham for a dvar mitzva and transplanted by Yaakov. R' Frand explained that something which is used for a dvar mitzva and is built from the start with pure intentions will last forever.

R' Frand then applied this concept to a gemara in Kesubos and Bava Metzia wherein R' Chiya said that he would insure that the Torah would never be forgotten. How? By teaching children Torah which was then retransmitted and retransmitted. The gemara explains that R' Chiya did not just teach Torah. R' Chiya planted flax and harvested the flax and made nets from the flax to catch deer. R' Chiya then caught the deer and skinned the deer so that he could use the parchment to teach Torah to Jewish children.

The question can be asked, why couldn't R' Chiya just go and buy parchment and use that to teach Torah? The answer is that he planted the flax in order to start this process and ensure that it was pure from the beginning. By putting the effort in to start the process from the beginning for the right purpose, the Torah will last forever.

R' Frand also quoted a ma'amar of the Vilna Gaon in connection with the building of a shul. The Gaon states that if the wood for the axe handle which was used to cut down the trees to build the shul was prepared by a Jew for the sake of Shamayim, there would never be a tefillah without kavana in the shul. This is because the very foundation of the shul began with the proper intent.

Moshe was instructed to build the mishkan in a way that it would last forever. In order to do that, he had to start with trees which were pure. These trees were planted by Avraham to fulfil the mitzva of chessed. These trees were next transplanted by Yaakov with the pure intention of having the trees available for the mishkan. With this form of beginning, the Mishkan could last forever, unlike the Batei Mikdash which were built with the assistance and gifts of outsiders.

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Monday, February 20, 2012

Belated Sunday Night Suds - Uinta Baba Black Lager



This week's belated Sunday Night Suds looks at Uinta's Baba Black Lager.

[This week's column is a belated post for a very special occasion as we were zoche to celebrate our daughter Yael's bat mitzva last evening. Due to the lateness of the hour when the simcha ended and my daughter's desire to deliver left over food to our local food bank, I was unable to write this post last evening.]

There used to be a commercial years ago wherein the spokesperson advocated - don't be afraid of the dark. I can't recall what food or beverage was being advertised, but I try to live by this creed and fully embrace dark beers, such as the Uinta Baba Black Lager.

As frequent readers of this site may recall, Uinta is a Utah based brewery which within the last two years came under the kashruth supervision of the Orthodox Union. Also within the last year, Uinta has folded its four plus (organic) brewing company label into Uinta and now produces organic beers (such as Baba) under its own label.

The Baba Black Lager has some characteristics of other dark lagers such as Shiner's Bohemian Black Lager (reviewed here - http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2009/08/sunday-night-suds-shiner-bohemian-black.html) and Waterloo Dark Lager (reviewed here - http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2008/09/sunday-night-suds-waterloo-dark-lager.html), but in truth, the other dark lager's can't hold a candle to the Baba Black Lager.

The beer pours a jet black color, with little lacing or translucency. The first taste is not overly heavy and there are quite a few flavor notes such as caramel and even a little hops which hit me early in the brew. The malt is also readily apparent and makes itself known with each sip.

This beer is not as flexible in food pairings as a traditional lager, but I could see experimenting with poultry as well as charred meat with this beer as the flavors seem to mesh well with roasted meat or fowl.

As mentioned above, Uinta Baba Black Lager is certified kosher by the Orthodox Union and bears an OU on the label. For the experts' take on the Uinta Baba Black Lager please click here http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1416/73965.

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, February 16, 2012

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Mishpatim

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.

Parshas Mishpatim begins with a discussion of Eved Ivri - a Jew who sells himself into slavery to another Jew because he is unable to pay off a debt incurred because he stole.

The Torah states that the slave may only stay in servitude for six years and should go free in the seventh year. However, if the slave wishes to stay in servitude, he may inform his master of his request. The master then takes the slave to the door and pierces the slave's ear by nailing it to the door post.

Rashi on Shemos 21:6 quotes R' Yochanan Ben Zakkai who explains that the reason that the ear is pierced is that this Jew heard at Mount Sinai that he should not steal. Rather than follow Hashem's way, the eved stole and now the ear which heard Hashem's commandment is being punished.

R' Frand quoted the Sfas Emes who asked - this ear did not do anything wrong. It did not steal. More importantly, the ear does not make decisions - that would be the heart or mind. If we were to punish the wrongdoer, we should pierce the heart or the mind. So why do we pierce the ear?

The Sfas Emes answers - the reason why the ear is pierced is that the ear heard Hashem's commandment, but the words only stayed in the ear. They did not travel to the brain or heart or soul.

R' Frand mentioned our most meaningful prayer - Shema Yisrael. That a Jew must hear and understand Hashem's role as the one true G-d. That hearing must lead to understand.

The Sfas Emes connects this thought with last week's parsha. The parsha began Vayishma Yisro - Yisro heard. Yisro was a listener - he heard and understood what was right. The Medrash writes that three advisers knew about Pharaoh's designs for the Jews - Yisro, Bilaam and Job. Job kept quiet and was punished with suffering in silence. Bilaam counseled for the oppression so he was killed. Yisro could not stomach the plan and ran away from his position of power in Egypt. Why? Because Yisro heard and understood the gravity of Pharaoh's plan.

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Monday, February 13, 2012

Monday's Musings on Sports - Linsanity, Pharaoh & Nineveh

Over the last week, New York area basketball has been gripped by a phenomenon known as "Linsanity." It all started on February 4, 2012. The Knicks had lost five of their last six games and were playing their cross-river (soon to be intracity) rivals, the New Jersey Nets. The Nets entered the game with a record of 8-16, only one half game behind the Knicks who were 8-15. The game had enormous potential repercussions as there were rumors that if the Knicks lost the game, they would be firing their coach. The Nets also saw a potential for upwards mobility in the eyes of New York Metro area basketball fans as they had been playing consistent .500 basketball and were moving up the ranks of the NBA Eastern Conference.

The Nets quickly raced out to a twelve point lead and were leading the game 30-20 at the end of the First Quarter. Then the Knicks substituted in Jeremy Lin, an Asian-American backup point guard who had played his college basketball at Harvard. Lin took control of the game and out played all star point guard Deron Williams. After defeating the Nets, the Knicks won their next five games and Lin out played NBA luminaries including Devon Harris and Kobe Bryant.

Suddenly, the second year player who had been unwanted in Golden State was the talk of the NBA world. One particular comment by Magic Johnson caught my attention. Johnson commented (I paraphrase) that talent like Lin's does not come out of nowhere, but sometimes needs the right opportunity to reveal itself.

Magic Johnson's comment made me think of a question that I heard raised about Pharaoh and Hashem's hardening of Pharaoh's heart after the fifth plague. The question is asked - why did Hashem harden Pharaoh's heart and not allow him to repent? The answer given is that Pharaoh needed to hit bottom, to see that to argue with Hashem is pointless. In order to learn his lesson, Pharaoh needed to lose everything so that when he was faced with the same situation again, he would immediately respond to the warning and repent. Had Pharaoh been allowed to repent before the fifth plague, he would not have learned his lesson and would not have been able to save a nation from destruction. When was Pharaoh put in this position that he could use his knowledge gleaned in Egypt to save a nation from destruction? The answer lies in the Yona story that we read on Yom Kippur.

As told over in Nach, Yona arrives in Nineveh after having been spat out by the fish. When Yona comes to Nineveh, he tells the people that they need to repent. The King of Nineveh immediately complies and puts on sackcloth and convinces the other townspeople to repent. The question is - why would the King listen to this prophet who comes out of nowhere and tells him that Hashem is angry because the people are not acting properly? It would be more logical for the King to say - who are you? Or at the very least, the King should say to Yona - prove to me that you are telling the truth. Yet, the King does none of the above and instead leads a massive teshuva movement.

The answer to the question is that the King of Nineveh had been through this once before, as the role of King of Nineveh was his second position in royalty. The medrash writes that previously, the King of Nineveh had been Pharaoh in Egypt. Having learned his lesson from ignoring the Jews and Moshe's warning of destruction, the King of Nineveh/former Pharaoh of Egypt knew that this was not something to be ignored and his knowledge (when placed in the right situation) allowed a nation to be saved.

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Sunday, February 12, 2012

Sunday Night Suds - Lakefront Brewery Holiday Spice Lager



This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Lakefront Brewery's Holiday Spice Lager.

I picked this beer up at the Beverage Barn on Jericho Turnpike in Garden City Park. As I have mentioned in past posts, this store is one of my favorites because they will let you mix a six pack or just buy individual bottles of anything not sealed in a box. They also sell Saranac Diet Root Beer which we use as a treat at our Friday Night table, but that is a story for another post...

The Lakefront Holiday Spice Lager is a very different kind of beer, much like the other beers produced at Lakefront which has been an innovative brewery for quite some time. This brew is a "Winter Warmer", but unlike most other beers in this category, the Lakefront people have made used a lager as their vehicle for their special seasonal brew.

The label of the beer indicated that it is spiced with cinnamon, orange zest, nutmeg, cloves and honey. All of these flavors are added to a brew process which is engineered to produce a high alcohol brew (the Lakefront website indicates that it is 11% abv).

The beer poured a dark amber and had a decent amount of foam which quickly dissipated. My first taste started with the cinnamon as well as an alcohol flavor which was not well masked by all the spice. Additional sips of the beer added interesting spice notes which I was not able to readily identify. Mrs. KB adds that the beer is yummy, but I can't get much more of a comment from her as to the flavors or its possible pairings. She even opines that I should not buy more of it, although that may be due to my ambivalence as to whether I like it or not.

I can't really see pairing this beer with main course dishes as the spice level and alcohol content don't really lend themselves to meat or poultry. Having said that, if you are into spiced beers, you may want to consider this brew as a meal replacement or at the very least, a non-fat dessert substitute.

Lakefront Brewery Holiday Spice is under the kosher supervision of the Star-K (there is even a Star-K on the label).

For the experts' take on the Holiday Spice Lager, please click here http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/741/3542. 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, February 9, 2012

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Yisro

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.

Rashi on the first pasuk in this week's parsha notes that Yisro had seven names. Rashi further explains that Yisro (the most commonly used name) was given because Yisro caused a "parsha" to be added to the Torah. [In this case, parsha means story or topic, not the entire Parshas Yisro].

What was the parsha which was added to the Torah? Rashi answers that the parsha is V'ata Sechezeh (Shemos 18:21) - that Yisro told Moshe that he should choose a number of men to serve as magistrates in a hierarchical system of judges.

Rabbi Frand asked two questions on this Rashi. The first question was --why did Yisro need to tell Moshe this - wasn't it obvious? Also, why does the parsha start with the instruction to choose judges, when the story began a few pesukim earlier (Shemos 18:18) where Yisro states - this is not good what you are doing.

Rabbi Frand quoted R' Meir Shapiro who answers that the parsha starts from V'ata Sechezeh because anyone can criticize. However, a notable positive addition takes place when a person gives advice as to how the problem can be solved. Yisro's solution for the problem begins at 18:21 and this is why his parsha begins here.

Rabbi Frand then asked - why did it take Yisro to tell Moshe that the Jews needed a judicial system? Couldn't they have figured it out on their own?

Rabbi Frand quoted the Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh who explains that the lesson of Yisro is that there are smart people who are not Jewish. Jewish people may assume that they have a monopoly on intelligence, but this is simply not true - there were many many non-Jews who are very smart. [R' Frand gave many examples - ranging from Galileo to Ben Franklin to Steve Jobs and Warren Buffet].

The Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh explains that the Jews were not chosen to receive the Torah because they were smarter than all the other nations. The preamble to the parsha which contains the ten commandments and the acceptance of the Torah is that the Jews were not chosen to receive the Torah because of their intelligence. Hashem is telling the Jews - I chose you because I loved your forefathers. Again, this was not because they were smart, but because they are good people. Thus the introduction to the acceptance of the Torah demonstrates that there are other smart people and the Jews were not given the Torah based on their intelligence.

R' Frand closed the vort by quoting the Rabbeinu B'chaya who writes on Sefer Shmos - see that the Torah is the middos, which the avos personified. The Jews' "claim to fame" is that they come from "good" stock, not smart stock. The reason we are the am segulah is because of the middos of our forefathers which carried over to us.

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Monday, February 6, 2012

Monday's Musings on Sports - Know Your Place Edition ... and somewhere Max is Smiling

Was it a catch 22? I guess it really depends on who wore that uniform number. All I know is that the Patriots and Giants played an incredible game which kept me riveted until the last play. And somewhere Max must be smiling...

As most of the civilized world knows, yesterday was the Super Bowl. I am not aware of the Nielsen numbers, but I recall seeing a news short that the viewership was close to an all time record. I can't speak to whether people tuned in to the game for the commercials or to watch the Giants and the Patriots, but no matter the reason that you watched, you were rewarded with an epic.

This post is dedicated to a few vital plays at the end of the game, but not the final play of the game which was essentially an up for grabs throw. When the Giants had the ball and were driving on the Patriots, they found themselves inside of field goal range with approximately three minutes left. The Giants would take the lead whether they scored a touchdown or a field goal. However, there was an equally important goal - don't give the ball back to the Patriots with enough time that Tom Brady could move them down the field and score.

During the Giants drive, there were two potentially "killer" mistakes that were made by Giants players. The first such play was a pass to Hakeem Nicks with a little more than a minute left to play. The Giants needed three yards for a first down. If the Giants made this play, they could run the clock down to twenty seconds and then kick a field goal -- leaving Tom Brady about fifteen seconds to march the Patriots back down the field. Although the pass to Nicks gained four yards (enough for a first down), he went out of bounds which stopped the clock and allowed the Patriots to save their time out.

Two plays later, Ahmad Bradshaw scored a touchdown, in one of the most controversial plays of the game. As avid fans are well aware (and I have seen done to the Jets by one Maurice Jones Drew in 2009) you don't want to score a touchdown too early, as the score allows the other team to get the ball back. For some unknown reason, the Giants coaches did not instruct Eli Manning in the huddle to tell Bradshaw to fall down at the one yard line. Instead (according to an interview with Bradshaw I heard this morning), Eli yelled at him while he was handing him the ball "don't score." Perhaps it took Bradshaw too long to process this information, because as he got to the two yard line it seemed that he wanted to stop, he was just unable to do so and his momentum carried him into the end zone, rear first.

As a result of the play, the Patriots got the ball back and had a last gasp chance to win the game with a touchdown. They were unable to do so and the evil Belichek and Brady combination was prevented from raising another Lombardi trophy. But depending on the deflection of the previously mentioned "up for grabs" (aka Hail Mary) throw, the Giants could easily have been the heartbroken team.

The ability to know one's place is equally important in real life. R' Mansour tells a story about a Rabbi in Czarist Russia who was arrested and charged with treason. After the "witnesses" presented their evidence, the judges began to speak to each other in French. During this conversation, the Rabbi left the courtroom. Incensed, the judges sent the bailiffs to seize the Rabbi and bring him back. The judges asked the Rabbi how he could leave when they were in the middle of judging him. The Rabbi responded - I heard that you were speaking French, and I assumed that was because you did not believe that I spoke this language. What you did not know is that I too speak French. Rather than give you a wrong impression, I left the room.

The judges asked the Rabbi where he learned this behavior. The Rabbi replied - from Parshas Bo, when Moshe abruptly left Pharaoh's court when he could see that the advisers wanted to discuss with Pharaoh the warning of the plague of Arbeh.

The judges were so impressed with the Rabbi that they let him go...

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Sunday, February 5, 2012

Sunday Night Suds - Brooklyn Brown Ale


This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Brooklyn Brown Ale.

I read a news short last week about some bar in Manhattan which was going to ban Samuel Adams Boston Lager and Boston Ale during the Super Bowl. The article indicated that the tavern was going to push Brooklyn Brewery products instead. (There was no indication whether the ban would apply to all beers from New England or just those which had Boston in their moniker).

Having no strong interest in rooting for the hated New England Patriots and having developed a grudging respect for Eli Manning after he kept getting up after taking hits from the San Francisco 49ers, I indulged this unnamed bar and decided to review Brooklyn Brown Ale.

Since I have never reviewed a Brown Ale on this blog, I have reproduced below the BA definition of the style:
Spawned from the English Brown Ale, the American version can simply use American ingredients. Many other versions may have additions of coffee or nuts. This style also encompasses "Dark Ales". The bitterness and hop flavor has a wide range and the alcohol is not limited to the average either.
An interesting note about American Brown Ales is that they have an extremely wide range of alcohol content (anywhere from 4-8% abv). The Brooklyn Brown Ale sat towards the middle at 5.6%abv.

The Brooklyn Brown Ale poured a dark, almost coffee like brown color with more than an inch of thick foam which did not quickly dissipate. There is a lot of malt in the front of this brew and a bit of a (natural) caramel aftertaste which sits well after finishing my sip.

I would pair this beer with char grilled meat or thick stews. I would not recommend this with light fare or fish or salads which simply cannot stand up to this full bodied ale.

Brooklyn Brewery Brown Ale is under the kosher supervision of the Va'ad of Detroit as are all 12 oz Brooklyn beers which are brewed in the Utica plant.

For the experts' take on the Brown Ale please click here http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/45/146.

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, February 2, 2012

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Beshalach

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 Shemos 13:19, the Torah notes that Moshe took Yosef's body with him when the Jews left Egypt. The Medrash states - look at the righteousness of Moshe! The Jews took the gold and silver with them when they left Egypt, but Moshe took the body of Yosef.

R' Frand quoted R' Yaakov Kaminetsky who asked what is Moshe's chassidus by taking the body? R' Kaminetsky further comments that the Jews had a hard time taking the money from Egypt and Hashem needed to use the term "daber na" (in Shemos 11:2) when telling Moshe to ask the Jews to request money from the Egyptians. The reason the Jews needed to be convinced was that they were afraid that they would be stealing from the Egyptians. They needed to be convinced that this was not true, since this was their payment for all their years of servitude. Additionally, this was money which only came to the Egyptians due to the efforts of Yosef. Therefore the money was legitimately theirs.

Although there was an imprimatur for taking the money, Moshe decided that he wanted to perform an act that was purely spiritual with no physical benefit.

But R' Yaakov gives a deeper explanation for this act. He quoted a well known medrash that recites that when the Jews came to Yam Suf, the angels came before Hashem and said - why should the Jews be saved? Both these (the Jews) and them (the Egyptians) were idol worshippers. The Medrash answers that the reason that Hashem saved the Jews was because of Yosef. But why Yosef?

The answer given by Shimon HaTzadik in the Medrash is that Yosef gave up his life, rather than sin with the wife of Potiphar. Yosef knew that if he fled from the house he would be chased down and imprisoned. He knew that he would be eventually caught and thrown in a dungeon, perhaps forever. But Yosef did not care about this, and on principle, turned her down and fled.

This was the reason that Hashem was able to answer the angels. Hashem said to them - there is a difference between the Jews and the Egyptians. The Jews are willing to give up their lives on principle - my principle, and they get it from Yosef.

Moshe may not have known that the angels would challenge Hashem when the Jews got to the Yam Suf. But his choice of taking Yosef's body gave Hashem the ammunition to set aside the angels' challenge.

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