Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Zachor

The following is a brief summary of some of the 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.

Since the halacha portion of the shiur dealt with the mitzva of hearing Parshas Zachor, R' Frand transitioned from the halacha to the parsha vort and spoke of Parshas Zachor. R' Frand noted that the last pasuk of Parshas Zachor (Devarim 25:19) states that "It shall be that when Hashem your G-d gives you rest from all your enemies around...you shall wipe out the memory of Amalek from under the heaven, you shall not forget.

R' Frand quoted R' Avraham Bukspan of Miami who asked three questions: (1) The Torah states that after the Jews have respite from conquering their enemies, the Jews should wipe out Amalek. But if all the enemies have been conquered, why do we need to wipe out Amalek now? (2) Why is it that we are commanded to wipe out the memory of Amalek? Shouldn't the commandment be to wipe out the people of Amalek? (3) When does one usually celebrate the victory in a war? On the anniversary of the winning the war. So why is it that the celebration of conquering Haman celebrated in Shushan on the following day?

R' Frand answered that there is a difference between the enemy from without and the enemy from within. Amalek was a nation that was defeated, but it was also an ideology. Amalek stands for the philosophy that things happen by accident and coincidence. This is contrary to Judaism which believes that Hashem is in control. This is why Amalek attacked us - to challenge the concept that it is all from Hashem. Indeed, the gematria of Amalek is Safek.

This is why the pasuk states that after we have conquered the enemies around us, there is another enemy. We need to wipe out the philosophy of Amalek and its life motif. This is also why we conquer the memory of Amalek - we have already defeated him physically, but we need to make sure that besides conquering the physical enemy, we also conquer the ideology of Amalek so that it cannot be internalized. And this is why the holiday is celebrated the following day - because we need to remember and celebrate beyond the day that Amalek was physically conquered.

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Sunday Night Suds - Blue Moon First Peach Ale

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Blue Moon First Peach Ale.

Picked this up at a Total Wine & Liquor in Virginia where it was available as a single instead of as a special limited release seasonal beer in the Brewmasters Sampler box. As this beer is the rare swing and miss for Blue Moon, I was glad that I only bought one.

The beer poured a deep copper (see picture above) and when I brought the glass to my face I was overwhelmed with what can only be described as scratch n' sniff peach aroma. My first sip confirmed the presence of what seems like an artificial peach flavor, and very low end carbonation which is also rare for Blue Moon.

Although the Blue Moon website indicates that the beer has caramel malts and is flavored with coriander, I did not detect any of these flavors in successive sips. Instead, it was the single note of peach flavor which almost seemed like wine more than beer (something akin to the Kedem Peach Grape Juice). The Blue Moon website also indicates that the beer is 5.6% abv, but the alcohol flavor was masked by the peach infusion, much like the non existence hops/wheat in this ale.

Blue Moon First Peach Ale is certified kosher by the Orthodox Union, as is every other current variety of beer produced by Blue Moon. For the experts take on the Blue Moon First Peach Ale, please click here beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/306/135685.

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

If you've tried this beer or any others which have been reviewed on the kosher beers site, please feel free to post your comments (anonymous comments are acceptable).

If you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com/ to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Terumah

As regular readers of this blog are aware, the Thursday post is usually reserved for a parsha vort. During the winter months I attempt to summarize R' Frand's live Thursday night shiur, however this week the shiur was given by R'Dovid Heber and it did not contain a parsha component. Rather than leave the blog dark, I am reproducing a thought from R' Mansour which I heard in an on-line shiur. 

In the very beginning of Parshas Terumah, the Torah instructs Moshe to tell the Jews - V'yichu Li Terumah - "take for me a donation". Many meforshim question why the Torah uses the language of "take", when what the Jews actually are being instructed is to give.

In the recorded shiur that I heard from R' Eli Mansour (available for download on www.learntorah.com), he explains that the language of take was used in order to allow the Jews to have more of an emotional investment in the mishkan process.

Many people like to do for their families, friends and communities. R' Mansour explained that giving is not only about making the other person feel good about the gift they receive. Giving to another person allows the donor to feel good about himself, because he becomes emotionally invested in the other person.

I would like to add that the concept of emotional investment manifests itself in the way that people become fans of a team. By following the team in the media and buying their apparel, the fan becomes invested in the team. Often times, you will hear a caller to a sports radio program use the term "we" or "us." The caller is a not player on the team nor officially affiliated with the management of the organization. But his emotional and often times financial investment gives that person a connection to the team.

This was the purpose of the Torah's language of "take for me" the terumah. By becoming actively involved in the collection and organizational process, the Jews felt closer to the building of the mishkan.

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Sunday Night Suds - Smith & Forge Hard Cider

This week's Sunday Night Suds takes a brief step away from beer to review Smith & Forge's Hard Cider.

One frequent question that I receive via e-mail does not involve beer, but instead is an inquiry as to whether there are any kosher hard apple ciders. After Samuel Adams divested itself of the Angry Orchard brand (and the new company ceased maintaining kosher supervision for its product) there was a paucity of kosher certified hard ciders. But more recently there have been a few entries into the market for kosher hard apple cider including Henry Hotspur's Hard Apple Cider (available exclusively at Trader Joe's); JK Scrumpy's Hard Cider; Yankee Folly Hard Cider (never seen it for sale anywhere) and Smith & Forge Hard Cider.

Unlike some other hard ciders, the Smith & Forge Hard Cider has very little bitter to it and any bite is largely masked by the sweet and slightly tart apple flavor. Although the can indicates that the hard cider is 6% abv, there is little kick to the brew and no noticeable alcohol flavor.

I would not recommend having this with a main course as it would be akin to drinking apple juice with a steak (something no one over the age of four would consider). I served this at our daf yomi siyum on Yevamos and then again at a tish last Friday Night and everyone enjoyed it, but again this was more of a dessert type setting.

I don't know if the Smith & Forge Hard Cider is available in the New York market and I purchased my six pack while away with my family on yeshiva week break.

Although the Smith & Forge Hard Cider indicates that it is brewed by the Uncharted Cider Company, it is a subsidiary of MillerCoors and as such it is certified kosher by the OU (there is even an OU on the can).

As always, please remember to drink responsibly and to never waste good beer unless there is no designated driver.If you've tried this beer or any others which have been reviewed on the kosher beers site, please feel free to post your comments (anonymous comments are acceptable).

Finally, if you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Mishpatim

The following is a brief summary of some of the 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 Shemos 22:24, the Torah states "Im Cesef Talveh Es Ami..." This pasuk is commonly translated as "When you lend money to My people..." The Torah instructs that the money should not be lent on interest and the lender should not be an oppressive lender.

Rabbi Frand observed that the mitzva is a positive commandment, but the use of the word "Im" suggests that the mitzva is optional. The Torah does not use the word "Im" to describe tefillin or matza - it does not say if you wear tefillin or if you choose to eat matza. So why does this mitzva begin with the word "Im."

Rabbi Frand noted that the use of the verbiage was discussed in the Mechilta which writes that all the times that the Torah uses the word "Im" it is optional, except for this mitzva and that the use of the word "Im" in this mitzva means when.

The Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh asks the obvious question - so why does the Torah use the word "Im"? He answers that the word "Im" teaches that if you have more money than you need and you see that someone else needs money, you should know that its not your money - its the poor person's money which happens to be deposited with you. This is why the continuation of the pasuk contains the words "es heani imuch" - the poor person with you - because the money you have belongs to him. 

The Ohr HaChaim HaKaosh explains that this is also the reason that the pasuk teaches that you should not be an oppressive lender, because its not your money.

R' Frand next quoted R' Yaakov Yosef M'Polna who cites to a gemara in Bava Basra which teaches that if a man writes in his will that he is leaving all his money to one of his five sons, the father has not accomplished anything more than making the son the executor of the estate, because why would a person intentionally create such strife among his children by leaving all the money to one of them.

This is the reason that the Torah writes the pasuk on lending in this manner - this money that you have is not your money - it belongs to the poor person and you are just watching it for him.

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Monday's Musings on Sports - Doing things for appearance sake - of Dolan and Ovie

Two stories which appeared in the sports news today drew my attention. Both stories involved sports personalities who acted without due regard for the press which it might draw them. Both appeared to be selfish, but in reality, neither suffered a loss from the consequences of their actions.

The first, more notorious story involves NY Knicks President Jim Dolan. As reported on Deadspin and confirmed by the team, Dolan received an email from a fan who claimed to have been a Knicks fan for more than sixty years (talk about long suffering) who wrote that he was "utterly embarrassed" by Dolan's moves as owner of the team. 

As reported on the Yahoo basketball blog - Ball Don't Lie, Dolan responded to the fan:

You are a sad person. Why would anybody write such a hateful letter. I am.just guessing but ill bet your life is a mess and you are a hateful mess. What have you done that anyone would consider positive or nice. I am betting nothing. In fact ill bet you are negative force in everyone who comes in contact with you. You most likely have made your family miserable. Alcoholic maybe. I just celebrated my 21 year anniversary of sobriety. You should try it. Maybe it will help you become a person that folks would like to have around. In the mean while start rooting.for the Nets because the Knicks dont want you.

(To see the full e-mail to Dolan and his response, please click here http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/knick-owner-james-dolan-urges-an-angry--alcoholic-maybe--knicks-fan-to-root-for-the-nets-163622254.html)

Dolan's response demonstrates the mindset of a man who made his money by operating a monopoly (Cablevision) and who does not care if he alienates long time fans because he knows that the next sucker will by the seat that this disillusioned fan gave up.

Apparently, the NBA only has issues with owners who are racist and not those who are mean to the elderly as late this afternoon the NBA announced that Dolan will not be disciplined for his e-mail. (To see this story please click here http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba-wont-punish-dolan-email-knicks-fan-224242156--nba.html).

In contrast to the story about Jim Dolan and his utter disregard for what people think of him and whether they will continue to support his team, there was another story posted today on Yahoo sports involving Alexander Ovechkin (Ovie for short). 

Last week, the NHL held its annual All Star game. As they had previously done in non-Olympic years, the NHL held a fantasy style draft where the players selected by the league for the game were then drafted by the two captains. The league then present cars to the two last players selected in the draft.

In advance of the game, Ovie had campaigned to be one of the last two players. Since he is an all world talent, it was unlikely that he would be among the last two players selected.  Similarly, because he makes $9 million a year, he clearly did not need to get a free car.

As was reported on Yahoo uneven Puck Daddy blog, Ovie did not do it for the car. He had lobbied to be selected last so that he could donate the car to charity. (To see the story please click here http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/alex-ovechkin-finally-gets-his-honda--donates-it-to-charity-220236314.html).

Although Ovie was unsuccessful in this regard, once the news broke about Ovie's motivation, Honda agreed to donate another car to the charity (the American Special Hockey Foundation).

From the outside, both Ovie and Dolan acted out of apparent selfishness, yet Ovie clearly had a higher purpose in mind while Dolan only thought about himself.

In Jewish thought there is a concept of being dan l'caf zechus, of giving people the benefit of the doubt when you see actions which could be interpreted in different ways. But sometimes a person demonstrates over time that he is unworthy of such courtesy. I leave it to the readers to determine whether Mr. Dolan has stepped over the line.

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Sunday Night Suds - New Belgium Accumulation White IPA

This week's Sunday Night Suds takes a seasonal turn as with yet another snowstorm approaching it seems like an opportune time to review New Belgium's Accumulation White India Pale Ale.

It seems that over the last five or so years, the craft brewers have taken license to adapt the once pure beer style of India Pale Ale and to modify it with various spices. From the most common variation (Black IPA) to the more cutting edge (see the Jailbreak Jalapeno IPA reviewed in last week's SNS post) each brewery has put its own spin on the style. But one of the more interesting interpretations is the New Belgium Accumulation White IPA.

The Accumulation White IPA poured a pale yellow with some phenols that made me of a hefeweisen more than an IPA. There was significant hop bitterness, but the dominant flavor was citrus - grapefruit to be precise.

I would pair this beer with hearty winter vegetable and meat soups or even with complex salads.

New Belgium Accumulation White IPA is under the Kosher Supervision of the Scroll-K of Colorado. Although the beer does not bear the kosher symbol on the label, the Scroll-K kosher symbol can usually be found on the bottom of the six pack holder (as I bought this is a single I did not see the holder, but I have found that to be the case with all the NB beers under the Scroll-K).

Please note that not every brew produced by New Belgium is under kosher supervision. For a list of the New Belgium brews currently under supervision, please click on the link on the left side of my home page for my latest Kosher Beer List.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about New Belgium Accumulation White IPA, please follow this link beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/192/99699. As always, please remember to drink responsibly and to never waste good beer unless there is no designated driver.

If you've tried this beer or any others which have been reviewed on the kosher beers site, please feel free to post your comments (anonymous comments are acceptable).

Finally, if you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Yisro

The following is a brief summary of some of the 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.

R' Frand began the vort by quoting the Ohr HaChayim HaKadosh which notes that this week's parsha which contains the story of the acceptance of the Torah and which is the most fundamental act of the Jews, begins with Yisro telling Moshe to establish a judicial system. Why does the Torah start the parsha this way? 

The Ohr HaChayim HaKadosh answers that the Torah wants to make the point that the Jews did not receive the Torah because they are smarter than the other nations. Yisro represents brilliance among the other nations and he is not an exception. (R Frand quipped that Bill Gates is not Jewish, although he is from Seattle).

The Torah is telling the Jews that they did not receive the Torah based on brains and they are no smarter than the other nations. Rather, the Jews were chosen because we are descendants of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov who Hashem loved. And this point is so important to make, that Hashem uses it as an introduction to the giving of the Torah.

R' Frand next noted that the story of Moshe's implementation of the judicial system is replicated in Parshas Devarim. Moshe states in Devarim 1:14  when I proposed this to you, you responded "great idea." Rashi on this pasuk states that Moshe was telling the people that they should not have said great idea. They should have said - we want to learn Torah from you, even it means waiting in line for four hours. But instead, the people said great  if we don't like this judge we can hop over to another judge. Even if Moshe had eventually acquiesced, they still should have said no, initially.

R' Frand next quoted the sefer Yad HaTorah which explains that Rashi was saying that Moshe's complaint was that the Jews should have said that they want to hear from you, because you sweated to learn Torah. You were on the mountain for 40 days and nights without food. Your Torah is greater because you worked hard for it. Its not that Moshe was the most brilliant, but he worked the hardest for it.

R' Frand closed the vort by quoting the Ponovitch Rav who asked - why is it that we don't have gedolim now like we had in Europe? He answers that it is because the Rabbanim in Europe had to work hard and live in conditions of poverty and without the quality of life that we have in modern times. The key to gaining Torah is working for it.

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Sunday Night Suds - Jailbreak Brewery Welcome to Scoville Jalapeno IPA

This week's Sunday Night Suds makes a return trip to Jailbreak Brewery and reviews Welcome to Scoville - Jalapeno IPA.

As mentioned in last week's Sunday Night Suds, one of the most recent breweries to received kosher certification is the Laurel, Maryland based Jailbreak Brewing. Although this brewery is less than a year old, they have put together a diverse selection of brews and they clearly are not afraid to push the envelope with the flavor combinations.

As tonight we engaged in the American tradition of hosting a Super Bowl (or is it Big Game?) party for our kids, it seemed fitting that Mrs KB and I would have some kind of beer that could stand up to buffalo wings, franks in blankets, spicy fries and other SB nosh. Enter the Welcome to Scoville, an IPA brewed with Jalapenos and influenced by spices including cilantro.

The beer has some notes of an IPA, but the Jalapeno was very much present and amplified the kick from the wings. At points I was wondering whether the kick I felt after taking a break from eating was from the wings or the beer. At the end I was able to isolate that the kick was from the spicy wings, but it just goes to show you how well the beer went with the party food.

The Welcome to Scoville IPA is certified kosher by the Star-K and there is a Star-K on the can. Click here (www.star-k.org/directory/comp-k.asp?src=&compid=SEEDVZ8M ) for a copy of the LOC showing which of the Jailbreak products are certified kosher. You can also click here (jailbreakbrewing.com) to see their website and to use their locator to find their products. As mentioned in last week's post, Jailbreak is currently only selling in the MD area, but I am hopeful that we will see them in NY/NJ area before too long.

Although this brewery is less than a year old, they already have a following on Beer Advocate and you can click www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/34426/118519 to see their thoughts on the Jalapeno IPA.

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

If you've tried this beer or any others which have been reviewed on the kosher beers site, please feel free to post your comments (anonymous comments are acceptable).

Finally, if you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!