Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Yisro

The following is a brief summary of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.

The first pasuk of this week's parsha states that Yisro heard all that had occurred. Rashi quotes a gemara in Zevachim which asks what did Yisro hear? Rashi answers that Yisro heard the splitting of the sea and the war with Amalek.

R' Frand asked three questions about this: The first question was - why was Yisro the only one who came after hearing these things? Didn't the whole world hear?

R' Frand next noted that Rashi states that Yisro had seven names. One of these names was Yeser, because through Yisro a parsha was added in the Torah. In recognition of this, a letter was added a letter to his name, a vuv. But why was the letter vuv added as opposed to any other letter?

R' Frand then quoted a Zohar which states that vuv is the letter of truth. The Zohar made reference to the story of when the spies hid out at Rachav's house she asked for a chesed in return. The pasuk says the chesed will be an "os emes" and the Zohar explains that it is vuv.

R' Frand said that we see the vuv is the letter of truth based on the perek of Tehillim which talks about when Dovid acted like a crazy man to fool Avimelech. The perek (Ch 34) is written in the order of the alphabet but lacks a pasuk for vuv because it is the letter of truth.

R' Frand then quoted the Sefer Darash Mordechai to answer the three questions. He quoted the Medrash which states that when Hashem said the Aseres Hadibros, the world stopped. Everything was silent and not even a dog barked. The people of the world came to Bilaam and asked why is this happening - is there another flood coming? Bilaam responded - Hashem L'Mabul Yashav - there won't be another flood. But maybe there will be a flood of fire? Bilaam responded - Vayeshev Hashem Melech L'Olam. The people asked but what is going on? Bilaam said that Hashem has a great treasure in his storehouse which he is giving to the Jews - Hashem Oz L'Amo Yitain. The people said - if that is the case - Hashem Yivarech Es Amo BaShalom - the Jews can have it, just leave us alone.

This is what differentiated Yisro from the people of the world. Once they found out the world was not going to be destroyed, they did not care or want to know what was going on. But while they ignored the events of the world, Yisro connected the dots and it led him to Moshe. This is why the vuv is the letter of emes - it is the letter of connection the vuv hachibur. Yisro saw the connections and it brought him together with the Jews.

R' Frand also brought a proof from the end of Megillas Esther. The last perek talks about how after all the events had ended, Achasverosh imposed a tax. This is the one time in the megillah that Achasverosh's name is spelled without a vuv. Why? Because he did not see the connection. After all that happened, the only thing that mattered to him was imposing a tax. Because he did not see the miracles and was just wrapped up in himself.

R' Frand finished by quoting a story about R' Gifter when he was travelling from America to Europe to learn in Telshe in the 1930s. R' Gifter traveled to Europe on a boat and his cabin was in the steerage section.  One night there was a dance held on a floor above R' Gifter's cabin. At some point during the night, there was a great storm and they all stopped dancing out of panic about whether the boat would sink in the North Atlantic. But after the storm passed, they resumed their dance as if nothing had happened. They did not see the message and did not connect the dots.

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Tuesday's Thoughts on the Daf - Shabbos 118

Its been a while since I had the time to do a Daf Yomi blog post, but I learned something tonight when I was preparing the daf which completely blew my mind.

 

I had always learned that a person who intends to wake up early and eat/drink before a "day" fast must have in mind when finishing the last meal on the day before that the fast was not accepted at that time. However, today's daf teaches that this is only partly correct.

 

Towards the bottom of Shabbos 118, the gemara teaches that a person can wash certain dishes on shabbos if they will be needed for other meals on the shabbos. However, once mincha arrives, no further washing is permitted as no meal will be eaten after shalosh seudos. [FYI - Today's daf is also chock full of great agaddita about shalosh seudos, but this is not the purpose of this blog post].

 

The gemara notes that this rule does not apply to drinking utensils since the time of drinking is not fixed. As a result, people can wash dirty glasses even after mincha.

 

Tosafos (d'h L'fi) teaches that if a person finishes his meal before a fast and does not have in mind that he will eat again before morning, he may not eat. However, Tosafos adds that this rule does not apply to drinking and that a person who wants to drink may do so even if he did not specifically have in mind that he will need to drink later because drinking is not a fixed act.

 

I looked up the halacha in the Mishna Berurah (564) and sure enough, the Rama there states that a person needs to have in mind that he will eat before the fast begins, but not that he will drink because generally people intend to drink after sleeping.

 

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Monday's Musings on Sports - Taking a Chance on Something Unorthodox

This week is football's traditional week off between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl. A number of years ago, the NFL decided that it would move the All Pro game (football's all star game) from the week after the Super Bowl to the week before the big game in order to increase the number of viewers and give the players more of an incentive to play in the game. While it is unclear to me why the players would need an incentive to take their families to Hawaii for a week long all expenses paid vacation, the change in schedule does seem to have increased the game's Nielsen ratings.

As a result of the change in schedule, the original All Pro game rosters (which are selected a few weeks prior to the end of the regular season) are subject to tweaking based on the participants in the Super Bowl. The reason for the late substitution of players is simple. The All Pro game is an exhibition and the score and statistics do not count. Players who will be playing in the Super Bowl the following week are kept out of the game to avoid an injury which might prevent them from playing in the Super Bowl.

Because the game is truly an exhibition, yesterday's All Pro game included the bizarre sight of a player lining  up for the other team. Late in the First Quarter of the game, Jeff Saturday who plays for the NFC's Green Bay Packers, played Center for one snap for the AFC team. The reason that that Saturday was "loaned" to the AFC was for sentimental reasons - Saturday had played most of his career as Peyton Manning's Center with the Indianapolis Colts. As Saturday had announced that he would be retiring at the end of the year, he was "reunited" with his old QB, Peyton Manning for one last play.

The upcoming Super Bowl also will feature two teams who made unconventional moves during the season. Most teams who have Super Bowl aspirations do not change QBs or fire Offensive Coordinators during the season. The reason these types of moves are not generally made is that teams have planned and worked with certain personnel since training camp and it is difficult to develop the chemistry and familiarity required for success when changes are made in the middle of the season.

Notwithstanding the general tradition of not changing horses mid stream, both the SF 49ers and Baltimore Ravens made controversial mid season moves. After the ninth week of the season, 49er QB Alex Smith had a record of 6 wins 2 losses and 1 tie. Smith got hurt in that last game and the 49ers were forced to use Colin Kaepernick - their backup QB who had little NFL experience. Once Smith regained his health, he was unable to force his way back into the lineup and the 49ers stayed with Kaepernick.

Although slightly less newsworthy, the Baltimore Ravens fired their Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron in the middle of the season. This is not a headline making move, but it is not generally done and almost never by a team which is trying to make the playoffs. Indeed, these moves are usually made on the Monday after the regular season ends (aka Black Monday) because it is difficult for a new coordinator to teach a new offense in the middle of the season.

The decision to act based on instinct and forego the conventional wisdom can also be seen in this week's parsha. Prior to Moshe's birth, Yisro was one of Pharaoh's chief advisers. However, when Pharaoh began to implement his own "final solution", Yisro ran away to Midyan because he could not agree with Pharaoh's plan. to the land of Midyan. After Yisro arrived in Midyan he became the high priest of the idol worshipers, but eventually abandoned this honored position when he recognized that Hashem is the only true G-d. Both of these decisions were not popular and one must wonder whether Mrs Yisro truly approved of her husband's actions. Still, these unconventional decisions were the right choices and it is for this reason that the story of the giving of the Torah can be found in the parsha named for Yisro.

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Sunday Night Suds - Blue Moon Valencia Grove Amber

After a week's hiatus due in large part to yeshiva week travel, Sunday Night Suds returns, this week with a look at Blue Moon's newest seasonal addition - the Valencia Grove Amber Ale.

 

Blue Moon is one of those quasi craft brewers who are constantly seeking to innovate and try new flavors. The experimental versions (many of which are not certified kosher) will pop up in cities or bars for a few days at a time. If they meet with the public approval they may surface again as a seasonal or limited edition a year or two later. Other failed experiments can be found on discussion boards of various website but never again see the light of day.

 

Before reaching the actual review of the beer, I must add that while all of the 12 oz bottle varieties of Blue Moon that I have seen all carry an OU, there are a few versions of Blue Moon which are currently available that contain grape juice and are not currently certified kosher by the Orthodox Union.

 

The Valencia Grove Amber Ale is certified kosher by the OU (and to my knowledge is not made with grape juice). It originally debuted last year as one of the super limited editions of Blue Moon, but this year it is available for purchase in six or twelve packs.

 

The Valencia Grove Amber Ale poured a true copper and was practically translucent. The beer has some flavor from the wheat and a hint of the orange peel, but neither flavor is prominent. When sharing this with Mrs KB, her palate was unable to detect the orange, but I did taste a little of the bitterness of the peel in the aftertaste. Because the flavoring is subtle, I would recommend having this with lighter fare such as grilled fish or pasta dishes.

 

As mentioned above, the Valencia Grove Amber Ale is certified kosher by the Orthodox Union. For the experts take on this brew, please click here http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/306/77796.

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 Beshlach

The following is a brief summary of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.

This week's parsha begins with the word "Vayehi" which the gemara teaches is a word which connotes pain. Chazal learn that when Pharaoh saw the Jews leaving Egypt, he cried out - oy - what have I lost.

The Medrash Rabbah uses the following analogy to explain Pharaoh's distress. A man had a significant string of mixed pearls, but he had no idea that it had value. He happened on another man and he offered him the pearls for free. The second man took the pearls and worked on them and created pearl necklaces of various sizes and sold them to the public at great profit. The first man saw the sales taking place and ripped his clothing in distress.

R' Frand related a story about R' Zevulun Groz the former Av Beis Din of Rechovot. Before R' Groz went away to Yeshiva, his father asked him a question about the analogy in the medrash - why are these situations comparable? Pharaoh had no choice about sending the Jews out of Egypt, but this person gave the pearls away for free.

R' Groz' father answered his own question as follows. When Pharaoh saw the Jews leaving he did not cry out in loss that they were leaving. Instead, Pharaoh cried out when he saw that the Jews were leaving in formation and were organized in their travels. These were not common slaves who ran away from bondage. Instead, the Jews left in an organized fashion. He said to himself - these Jews have talents and could have accomplished great feats for Egyptian society. Instead, I used them to make bricks! I wasted the opportunity I had while they were under my control.

R' Groz' father said to his son - you are leaving now to learn in Yeshiva. Don't waste this time when learning will come easy and without distraction.

The second vort that R' Frand discussed was in the name of the Tolner Rebbe. He asked four questions about Miriam's shira (Shemos 15:20-21). The pesukim state that Miriam the prophetess took... Why did the Torah have to tell us now that she was a prophetess. Also, why does it say that Miriam answered them instead of she sang to them. The third question is why does it say that Miriam spoke to them in masculine form? The final question is why did Miriam say to them that the Egyptian horses and riders drowned.

The Tolner Rebbe answered that this parsha was not about dancing. There was a demonstration/protest by the women and Miriam as a prophetess was able to discern that the women were upset about their roles. The women were saying - the men gave up and we had to motivate them and it is in our zechus that the Jews left Egypt. Now that we come to the final conclusion, why are only the men allowed to sing? Its not fair that men get all the glory! Therefore the pasuk relates that Miriam answered to them - you want to be like the men, I will answer you like men. This was a question that even until today resonates.

Miriam's answer to them was that the horses and riders drowned in the sea. Why did the horses drown if they did not do anything wrong? Only the riders did the evil deeds! The answer is that the the facilitator gets punished as much as the actor.

Miriam explained to the women - much as the way that the horses were punished for facilitating evil acts, those who support good deeds get their reward as well. A woman who assists her husband by watching the children while he learns gets the same reward as the men who are learning. 

[I can recall Mrs KB making a similar comment to me when I finished Shas the first time. She remarked that this is my mitzva and reward too. At the time I was zoche to finish Shas the second time this past summer, I was overwhelmed with a feeling of gratitude to her for all that she had done to support my learning and the thousands of nights that she let me learn out from 10-11 PM].

The Tolner Rebbe then connected this to a pasuk in Shir Hashirim where Shlomo says that he compares his love to the horses of Pharaoh. The plain meaning of the pasuk is difficult - I love you like a horse. Can this possibly be a term of endearment?

The Rebbe explains - I love you because this is the message of the horses of Pharaoh. Because you reward those who facilitate and assist those who do the mitzvos.

The vort ended with a story about a cleaning woman who met R'  Moshe Feinstein Ztl. When they were introduced, the person making the introduction told R' Moshe that the woman had been a cleaning lady in a yeshiva for 40 years. R' Moshe said to the woman - you have the same reward as the boys who have been learning here for the last 40 years.

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Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Bo

The following is a brief summary of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand. 

In this week's parsha, the Torah recites at Bo (11:2) that Moshe was asked to tell the Jewish people to please ask their neighbors to borrow gold and silver from their neighbors. Rashi explains that Moshe was asked to please do this because Hashem did not want Avraham to have a claim. Hashem had promised Avraham that the Jews would be in galus and then go out with great wealth. If the Jews left Egypt without money, Avraham might complain - so please ask.

However this vort is problematic when viewed in contrast with a pasuk in Parshas Vaera (6:3) where Hashem said to Moshe, why are you complaining? Avraham did not complain, Yitzchak did not complain, Yaakov did not complain. Even when things were difficult for them! 

So the Kloizenberger Rebbe asks - if Avraham did not complain about burying Sarah or possibly sacrificing Yitzchak - why would Avraham have complaints about the Jews not leaving with great wealth?

R' Frand said that the Kloizenberger Rebbe answered the question based on a conversation he had with a fellow when they were concentration camp inmates. The inmate - an apostate Jew, said to the Rebbe - you and I will have the same Olam Haba. The Nazis consider me a Jew just like you - they see no difference. So I will get the same reward as you. 

The Rebbe responded to the apostate - you have now helped me understand the following vort. When the Jews left Egypt, the Satan said to Hashem - these and these are both idol worshipers! Why should the Jews be saved? You promised that after galus your children would go free, but there is no difference between them. 

The Rebbe concluded - Avraham will respond to the Satan - these are Jews enough to be enslaved, so they are Jews enough to go free. If they went down to Egypt because they are Jews, they need to go free with the rewards they were promised.

Rabbi Frand added another thought in connection with the use of the word please (na) in the pasuk. Quoting the Sefer Darash Mordechai, he explained - when Moshe argued with Hashem that the Jews should be forgiven for the sin of the Golden Calf, he said Selach Na - please forgive them. In so doing Moshe said to Hashem - you asked them to take the money when they left Egypt and used the term na. The money that they took with them was because of your use of the na. Now please (na) forgive them.

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Sunday Night Suds - Uinta Dubhe Imperial Black IPA

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Uinta's Dubhe Imperial Black IPA.

Although many Uinta brews do not find their way to the East Coast, the Uinta Dubhe Imperial Black IPA seems to be one of the more easier beers to find in the NY Metro area. I have received reports of Dubhe sightings in Queens, Long Island and would surmise that it is probably in Brooklyn beer stores as well.

The Dubhe Imperial Black IPA is on the extreme end of the alcohol content scale (especially for a 12 oz bottle) as it is 9.2 % abv. The experts at Beer Advocate classify the Uinta Dubhe Imperial Black IPA as an American Black Ale with an average abv range of 5.0 - 10%. They note that the Black IPA can also be called Cascadian Dark Ale, but I do not recall ever seeing a beer which touts itself under that style. Regardless of the name of the category, the Black  IPA/American Black Ale

range from dark brown to pitch black and showcase malty and light to moderate roasty notes and are often quite hoppy generally with the use of American hops. Alcohol can range from average to high depending on if the brewery is going for a "dobule / imperial" version.

I was actually surprised to read that the Uinta website identifies the source of the Dubhe name as based on Utah's Centernnial Star which is called "Dubhe." I guess I was also surprised to learn that a state can have a star, but they do things differently in Utah. The Uinta website explains the source for the beer since it was

[n]amed Utah's Centennial Star in 1996, Dubhe (pronounced Doo-bee) illuminates the front of the big dipper from 124 light years away. Dubhe, also known as Alpha Ursae Majoris, is a red giant that appears orange in color and has a mass 4x that of the sun

It was my sinking suspicion that the name of the beer was derived from the "Hemp Seed" which is purportedly used in the brew process.

The Dubhe is full of rich chocolate malts, but the hop is more subdued than I would have expected. The Alstrom Bros have given this beer a 4.22 (out of 5) and an overall ranking of 94, but I would not have been as generous. I am glad that I only purchased two bottles of this "oily, sticky hemp-seed infused beer" as it is just not very pleasant to drink.

 

Uinta Dubhe Imperial Black IPA is certified kosher by the Orthodox Union and bears an OU on the label. For the experts' take on the Uinta Dubhe Imperial Black IPA lease click here http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1416/67046.

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 Va'era

The following is a brief summary of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.

 

In this week's parsha Moshe tells Hashem, the Jews aren't listening to me, so how will Pharaoh listen to me. Rashi on this pasuk says that this is one of the ten kal v'chomer (aka a fortiori arguments) mentioned in the Torah.

 

The meforshim ask on this Rashi (Shemos 6:12) -- there is a reason that the Jews would not listen to Moshe - because the Jews were exhausted from hard work. So this is not a true kal v'chomer because Pharaoh is not oppressed, he is a free man sitting in his palace.

 

R' Frand quoted the Ohr Hayashar who says that it is a true kal v'chomer. In the end of Shemos (4:31), it states that the Jews believed Moshe. When viewed in this light there is a true kal v'chomer, but it is slightly different than one would first think. The transformed kal v'chomer is the following argument - the people at one point had faith in me and now do not, how can Pharaoh who never believed me be expected to believe now.

 

R' Frand also quoted the sefer Darash Mordechai who explains the kal v'chomer as follows. Pharaoh was not a free man. Pharaoh had to live up to the image that he created of himself as a deity. But Pharaoh was a human and had bodily needs - he needed to go to the bathroom. So once a day, Pharaoh would get up early and go down to the Nile to do his business. But the rest of the day, Pharaoh had to suppress his needs.

 

The kal v'chomer can now be taught - the Jews who are oppressed will not listen to me, so how can  Pharaoh who has his own oppression, be expected to listen?

 

R' Frand also quoted a vort on the plague of frogs. The pasuk states (Shemos 8:8) that Moshe cried out to Hashem to end the frogs. The Zohar states that this is truly crying out when the language of vayitzak is used. But why did Moshe need to cry out to end the plague?  Pharaoh is a terrible person - let him suffer!

 

R' Frand answered by quoting a Rav Bunim M'Parshizcha that the purpose of the plagues was to show that there is a power of davening - prayer helps. By yelling out, Moshe was demonstrating that tefillah helps to end troubles.

 

There was one additional vort on Arov which R'Frand said, but I will iyh try to post it next week as the hour is late.

 

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Monday's Musings on Sports - Woe is the Knee of RG III in DC

Yesterday afternoon Wild Card weekend concluded with a game between the Washington Redskins and the Seattle Seahawks. The game was slated for 4:30 PM on Sunday which meant that it was the game that the networks thought would be the most watched of the four played this weekend. There was good logic behind this, because the game featured the two teams with the (combined) best records but that was only part of the draw. The matchup also presented two rookie quarterbacks who had outplayed their expectations and had brought a sense of electricity to franchises which had missed the playoffs the year before.

Although I did not have an opportunity to watch most of the three other games which were played this past weekend, the snippets which I caught and the news summaries made it clear that they were not great games. I heard a great sound bite from Mike Greenberg who quipped that since he is a Jets fan he knows bad football and the Saturday games were bad football (I believe he also said that they were unwatchable, but that has to be an exaggeration since no playoff game can be truly unwatchable).

The early game on Sunday between Indianapolis and Baltimore had elements of drama of its own since it featured yet another rookie QB (Andrew Luck) on one side and a player who was coming back from injury but announced that he would be retiring after the season (Ray Lewis) on the other side. Still, it really was not much of a game as the Ravens defense confused and stymied Luck.

 

The late game presented all of the drama and was the one game that I really wanted to watch. The Redskins were a team which came back from a 3-6 start and passed the Dallas Cowboys and NY Giants to finish first in the NFC East. They had two superstar rookies - Alfred Morris and Robert Griffin III. On the other side was the beast of the NFC West - the Seattle Seahawks. This team took on the persona of Marshawn Lynch and just refused to go down. They had manhandled the NFC West leading San Francisco 49ers a few weeks before, but because of some early season losses the Hawks only qualified for a wild card.

 

When the game first started, the Redskins were on fire and they scored two early touchdowns to go up 14-0. But then the Skins started to falter, as did Robert Griffin III's knee. Griffin had been injured earlier in the season, but after sitting out a few games he was able to return and he took the Skins into the playoffs. During the week, pundits had debated whether RG III was at 75% and if his knee brace was hindering his movement. But as the game wore on, it became painfully obvious to those watching that Griffin's knee was causing him pain and he was unable to plant. Mercifully, Coach Shanahan eventually removed Griffin, but it was too late to save the game for the Skins. More importantly, his MRI the following day showed that he had some new tears in his ACL and LCL.

 

The decision to play Griffin in the playoffs, despite the fact that he was less than 100% made me think of another DC area player - Stephen Strasburg. Strasburg was a star pitcher for the Washington Nationals who was a dominant force for most of the season, despite the fact that he was coming off Tommy John surgery.

 

Towards the end of the season, the Nationals shut Strasburg down for his own good when he reached the Nationals' limit of the number innings that they felt were healthy for his arm. This decision was publicly criticized throughout baseball. The Nationals were in the playoffs for the first time in team history and had the chance to reach the World Series, but they refused to play Strasburg for fear that too many innings would damage his arm. Although Strasburg himself probably begged for the opportunity to pitch, the Nationals would not put him on their post season roster and they did not advance in the playoffs. In contrast, Griffin was not 100% but the Redskins allowed him to decide whether he was OK to play. Depending on the results of his forthcoming knee surgery, the Skins may regret the decision to play their franchise QB for a decade.

 

The decision to follow the advice of their young player made me think of another controversial decision from last week's parsha. Amram was the gadol hador - the great Rabbinical leader of the generation. When he heard that Pharaoh had ordered that all Jewish baby boys be drowned, he decided to separate from his wife so that they would have no other children. As discussed in the gemara, Amram's five year old daughter Miriam took him to task for his decision and said to him - you are worse than Pharaoh as he only decreed on the boys, but you are preventing all children from being born. Although Amram was a great leader, he listened to his five year old daughter and took his wife Yocheved back.

 

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Sunday Night Suds - Samuel Adams White Christmas

 

 

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Samuel Adams White Christmas.

 

Every year, the Boston Beer company puts out a winter box containing some of their best beers which they only sell in the winter box. These regularly include: Old Fezziwig (reviewed here http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2008/12/sunday-night-suds-samuel-adams-old.html); Holiday Porter (reviewed here http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2008/12/sunday-night-suds-holiday-porter.html); Winter Lager (reviewed here http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2012/01/sunday-night-suds-samuel-adams-winter.html) and the flagship Boston Lager (which I just realized tonight that I have never actually reviewed in one of these posts).

 

This year once again Sam Adams has added the Chocolate Bock (reviewed here http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2011/12/sunday-night-suds-samuel-adams.html) which  the Star-K has informed me is kosher dairy (chalav stam). For reasons that I can't fully comprehend, the Star-K will not actually put a kosher dairy symbol on the beer, but they do confirm that it is milchig.

 

The White Christmas is classified by the gurus at BA as a witbier, but I really cannot agree with the classification. The Samuel Adams website calls it a White Ale which seems to be a more appropriate style for the brew (duh). They indicate that it is brewed with cinnamon, nutmeg and orange peel, but I don't really taste the orange peel or orange flavor. I do taste the cinnamon and nutmeg and it gives some very nice spice to the beer.

 

I tried the beer on its own with Mrs KB an we both enjoyed the flavor notes. Since this seasonal is actually available in six packs, I may do some additional "research" in the future as to pairings for this brew.

 

Samuel Adams White Christmas is under the Kosher Supervision of the Star-K. Unlike most Samuel Adams brews, this bottle has the Star-K certification mark on the label. It also has been recently added to the current Star-K LOC (http://www.star-k.org/loc/LetterOfCertification_PEFQZ4N3.pdf).

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about the White Christmas, please follow this link - http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/35/86393.

As always, please remember to drink responsibly and to never waste good beer unless there is no designated driver.

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Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Shemos

The following is a brief summary of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.

 

The parsha contains an introduction to Pharaoh by which the parsha writes that there was a new Pharaoh who did not know Yosef. The mefarshim argue as to whether this means that there truly was a new Pharaoh or whether it was the same Pharaoh and he forgot who Yosef was.

 

R' Frand commented that people don't recognize how truly terrible Pharaoh was. The Medrash states that Pharaoh was a leper and he treated his disease by bathing in the blood of Jewish children.

 

[Ed. Note - R' Mansour has a great shiur on Shemos where he compares Pharaoh to Yosef by demonstrating similarities in how the two attempted to portray Jews as subhuman and to desensitize their people to the treatment of the Jews. R' Mansour commented that people see Pharaoh as a nebbish, someone who is afflicted by frogs here, frogs there, and other maladies. However Pharaoh is truly evil].

 

Given all that Yosef did for Pharaoh and the people of Egypt, Pharaoh should have shown some compassion for the Jewish people as without Yosef, Egypt would have starved. However, Pharaoh had no sympathy for the Jews in Egypt as R' Frand explained by comparing him to Yosef.

 

R' Frand quoted the Ramban in Parshas Vayeshev which comments on the pasuk which states that Yosef left his garment in the hand of the wife of Potiphar. The Ramban asks - why did Yosef not grab the garment from her hand so that there would be no prop to serve as "evidence" for her accusations? The Ramban answers that it would not have been nice for Yosef to grab this from her hand since she was the wife of his master. Because of this, Yosef was willing to risk his future and endure years in jail, rather than act poorly towards the wife of his master. This is the meaning that Pharaoh did not know Yosef. Pharaoh did not know how to act like Yosef and instead returned good acts with punishment.

 

R' Frand then asked on the next pasuk - why would anyone believe that the Jews would be willing to be a Fifth Column and join another country which would potentially attack Egypt?

 

R' Frand answered by making reference to a line that he used a number of weeks ago - what Peter says about Paul says more about Peter than it does about Paul. Because Pharaoh had no capacity for recognizing and repaying good acts, he truly believed that given the opportunity, the Jews of Egypt would support an invading army and betray the Egyptians.

 

R' Frand then quoted some stories from Shas which demonstrate the same principle. R' Frand quoted a story from the Gemara Avodah Zara wherein Issur the Ger said that before he converted, he never thought that Jews kept Shabbos. Why? Because he never saw any wallets in the street and he believed that the Jews must have violated Shabbos to carry their belongings if they were dropped.

 

R' Frand explained that Issur could not believe that people would give up money for Shabbos. To Issur it was impossible that someone could drop something and let it stay until after Shabbos.

 

R' Frand quoted another Gemara from Sanhedrin where a non-Jew said - I don't believe that a husband can sleep in the same room with his wife when she is a niddah. Of course the halacha is that they can share a room as they will be able to stand up to their desires. However to this man who could not stand up to his own urges, he did not believe that anyone else could.

 

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