Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Shemos

The following is a brief summary of some 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. 

R Frand quoted the Apter Rav who is famous for linking every parsha in the Torah to the concept of Jews loving fellow Jews (Ahavas Yisrael). R' Frand said that he never tried to make a link, but he did say that there is a concept of HaKaras Hatov in every parsha.

In connection with Parshas Shemos, R' Frand connected this concept to the pasuk where Tzipporah tells her father "Ish Mitzri Hitzilanu" - an Egyptian man saved us (Shemos 2:19). The conventional pshat on this pasuk is that she is telling Yisro, a man who appeared to be Egyptian saved us. However, R' Frand gave an interesting drush on the pasuk.

R' Frand said that Tzipporah was telling her father - the Ish Mitzri who Moshe saw striking a Jew in Shemos (1:11) and who Moshe killed, saved them. How? Because if not for the Ish Mitzri striking the Jew, Moshe does not kill him and does not then run away the following day to Midyan.

R' Frand then tied this into a Medrash which tells a story about how a child was drowning in a river at the same time that a man was bitten by an Arod. The man ran down to the river and washed his wound. When he reached the river he saw the drowning child and saved him. The child then thanked the man for saving him, but the man said to him - I did not save you, the Arod did. Had the Arod not bitten him, he would not have been there to save the child.

R' Frand said that the lesson is that if a person does something which benefits you, even if it is clear that it was not his intention, you should still show your HaKaras Hatov. The Mitzri who struck the Jew probably never heard of Tzipporah, but he was the reason that Moshe ran away and eventually saved her.

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Sunday Night Suds - Shiner Wicked Ram IPA

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Shiner Wicked Ram IPA.

I picked this up a few weeks ago at the Beverage Barn on Jericho Turnpike in Garden City Park where they always let you buy singles. Its a great store if you are looking to browse as they have a fantastic selection of reasonably priced beer and they never push you to buy. But what makes this a superior beer store is the fantastic selection at more than competitive prices.

But enough about the beer store - lets talk about the beer. According to their website, this is Shiner's first IPA in their 106 year history. I have no explanation for why they waited this long to make an IPA, but I can't argue the point.

The beer poured a golden yellow with nice foam which coated the glass. There was some hops in each sip, but this beer has more session IPA in it than biting hoppy IPA. I tasted some pine and a bit of citrus, however the bitter was somewhat subdued. The beer was mildly carbonated and within half an hour of the pour, the carbonation in the glass was negligible. Still, it was a good first try to Shiner and I look forward to trying what I expect to be many other variations on the IPA.

The Shiner Wicked Ram IPA is under the Kosher Supervision of the Va'ad of Detroit although there is no symbol on the the bottle. To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about the Shiner Wicked Ram IPA, please follow this link beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/143/186942.

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 Vayechi

The following is a brief summary of some 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 Bereishis 47:29, the Torah writes that Ya'akov knew that he was nearing death and that he called his children to him and asked that he not be buried in Egypt.

Rashi explains that we learn from this pasuk the concept of Chessed Shel Emes - that in burying the dead, a person performs an act of kindness which is true chessed in that it is one way and cannot be repaid.

Rabbi Frand then asked a question based on a pasuk later in the parsha (Bereishis 48:22) where it states Ya'akov told Yosef that he was giving him Shechem Achad Al Achecha. Rashi explains that Ya'akov told Yosef that he was giving him the City of Shechem because Yosef took on the role of being involved with the burial Ya'akov.

But then how is this Chessed Shel Emes, if he received a reward?

R' Frand added to the question by quoting a Gemara in Kesuvos which states that if a man takes on the role of burying others, he will be zocheh that others will bury him.

So again, how is the burial of the dead a Chessed Shel Emes?

R' Frand answered that in general if a person does a favor for another person, the recipient feels a need to reciprocate. Additionally, the person doing the chessed may feel that the person who received the good deed, "owes him one", even if he does not express it. 

However, when a person buries the dead there is no such feeling. The living person does not think that the deceased "owes him one" or that there ever will be a possibly that the deceased will repay him. Thus it is a true chessed.

R' Frand's second vort related to the pasuk in Bereishis 48:1, where Yosef is told that his father was sick. The reason for the notification was that this was not just an illness as Ya'akov was dying and Yosef was being given an opportunity to pay one last visit with his children.

The Da'as Zikeinim M'Baalei Tosfos (DZMT) states that Yosef had not visited Ya'akov during the entire seventeen year period that Ya'akov was living in Egypt. 

But why would Yosef stay away from his father, after they had been involuntarily separated for so many years? The DZMT explains that Yosef was afraid that his father would ask him - what happened? How did you wind up in Egypt? And Yosef did not want to tell his father about his brothers' misdeeds. 

R' Frand asked - but why couldn't Yosef lie to Ya'akov for the sake of Shalom Bayis? Couldn't he have told him that he was kidnapped or some other half truth which would not have revealed his brothers' involvement?

R' Frand posed an answer and then invited the audience to discuss it at their Shabbos tables and see if they came up with a better answer. He explained that since Ya'akov was known for the middah of emes - truthfulness - Yosef could not bring himself to lie to him.

R' Frand also had a third vort on the parsha which if I have time tomorrow I may attempt to summarize it iyh.

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Sunday Night Suds - Saranac West End Winter IPA

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Saranac West End Winter IPA.

I picked this up at the Beverage Barn on Jericho Turnpike where they encourage patrons to mix their own six packs or just buy singles. I had been in search of a variety which I was hoping they would carry and even though it was not on their shelves, I found quite a few beers which I had never seen or tried before, including the West End Winter IPA.

Once I got home I checked the Saranac website and learned that this is a brand new winter variety for winter 2015-2016. After giving it a sufficient chill, I cracked it open tonight and enjoyed it with my daf yomi.

The beer poured a rich copper with Saranac's trademark perfect carbonation. There was fantastic lacing on the side of the glass which stayed for some time. The first sip was hop forward with some nice pine and a little citrus. Additional sips gave some hints of malt, but this beer is all about the hops and was quite enjoyable. I could see drinking this with char grilled chicken or other smoky poultry dishes.

Saranac West End Winter IPA is under the Kosher Supervision of the Va'ad of Detroit as is every other beer produced at the Matt Brewery plant in Utica, NY. Keep in mind, Saranac has begun to brew some of its High Peaks series off site and these bottles do not have kosher certification from the Va'ad of Detroit.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about the brew, please follow this link www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/99/195378.

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 Vayigash

The following is a brief summary of some 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 Bereishis 45:1 the Torah describes Yosef's revelation to his brothers. In so doing the Torah writes that Yosef commanded that everyone should be removed from the room and that therefore "V'Lo Amad Ish Ito" no man stood with Yosef when he made himself known to his brothers.

Rabbi Frand asked why is there the seeming redundancy about not having anyone in the room? Once Yosef commanded that everyone be taken out, did the Torah really need to tell us that therefore no man stood there?

R' Frand answered by making reference to a personal story. About a year and a half ago, R' Frand had been in his office in the Yeshiva and was planning on leaving, but wound up staying a few minutes longer than he intended. When he left, R' Frand drove down to Reisterstown Road and was making a right on a green light when his car was struck by another vehicle. The damage was immense and R' Frand's car was totaled. He said that he, b'h was fine, but his car and some election signs in parking lot were severely damaged.

R' Frand later learned that the car which struck his car was being driven by a fugitive who was running from the US Marshals. The driver hit three other cars before striking R' Frand's car and then ultimately being stopped when it ran into a truck.

R' Frand said that he thought about suing the US Government, but he realized that there would be no claim if they were in hot pursuit of this dangerous person. Instead he made a claim on his policy and got a nice settlement.

R' Frand said that if he were to wonder "if I did not leave a few minutes late this would not have happened" --it would be a sign of kefirah - rejecting Hashem's control of the world. Hashem had decided that this would happen, where it happened and when it happened.

R' Frand quoted R' Shmuel Brazil who explained the pasuk in Parshas Vayigash much in the same way. Yosef could have been upset about what had happened in his life. Indeed, it all traces back to Yosef meeting the Ish in Parshas Vayeshev (Bereishis 37:15). The Torah states that a man (Ish) found Yosef wandering in the field and the man then directed Yosef to where his brothers were in Dosan. Rashi explains that this man was no less than the angel Gavriel.

R' Frand explained that Yosef could have been upset, because had the man not told Yosef where the brothers were, Yosef would not have been sold down to Egypt. However, Yosef was not upset at the chain of events which were caused by the man directing him to his brothers. The man was a manifestation of Hashem which directed Yosef to where he needed to go. Yosef recognized this and this is hinted to by the seeming redundant language of "no man stood". In so doing, Yosef is telling his brothers - "no man stood" in my mind -- this was not a negative event which caused these things in my life.

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Sunday Night Suds - Boulevard The Calling IPA

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Boulevard's The Calling IPA.

Every once in a while, I will pick up a single beer (no, that happens pretty often) and bring it home and stick it with my stash. Weeks or even months later I will decide that I want to try it, but I won't be able to remember where I bought it. While this may not seem like much of a problem, it is to me when I sample the beer and find myself wanting to buy a few more of the style.

This problem came up this week when I took out the Calling IPA and poured it. After a few sips of the beer, I commented to Mrs KB that this was the best new IPA I have had in a very long time. The beer poured a deep maize with noticeable lacing. The first few sips revealed some pine and citrus and a few bitter notes. Successive sips gave me some deeper malt and a little stronger alcohol flavor, although not too heavy.

I would recommend pairing this brew with grilled meat or chicken as the backbone of this double will meld well with barbecue/charred meat.

The Calling IPA is an American Double which comes in four packs, usually retailing at between $11-12 for a four pack. 

Boulevard The Calling IPA is under the Kosher Supervision of the Va'ad of Kansas City, but the bottle I purchased did not have the certification mark on the label. If you would like the LOC from the Va'ad, please let me know and I will email it to you.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about this brew, please follow this link -http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/423/150877.

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 Mikeitz

The following is a brief summary of some 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 Bereishis (41:37) the Torah writes that Yosef's interpretation and plan for dealing with Pharaoh's dreams was accepted by Pharaoh and all of his servants. R' Frand's asked - why was this even accepted by Pharaoh? He gave two analogies - to a law firm or a medical practice. If the senior partners of a law firm were conferencing to plan strategy for a complicated legal issue and then the mail room clerk came in and offered his suggestion, would they possibly pay attention to him? Similarly, if the doctors in a practice were meeting to discuss how to treat a patient and an orderly comes in and gives his thoughts, would the doctors pay attention to him?

The answer to each question/analogy is a resounding no. People who have achieved this stature in life would never follow the suggestion of an underling. So how did Yosef manage to get everyone to agree?

R' Frand answered that Yosef hooked all of Pharaoh's servants by doing more than just interpreting the dream -- he suggested that someone be appointed to minister to the food which would be harvested during the boom years. Each one of Pharaoh's servants who heard this said to himself -- that job will be mine, so I will agree to what Yosef said. R' Frand linked this to the Purim story as Haman heard the King's plans and thought to himself - who else besides me could be deserving of this honor?

R' Frand also said a second vort which linked to the first pasuk of the parsha. He quoted the Medrash which writes that the word Mikeitz is connected to Keitz (end) - it was the end of the term in prison which Hashem had decreed for Yosef. Once this end was reached, Pharaoh dreamed.

To an outsider, it might appear that Yosef was released because of the the dream, but really it was the other way around. The dream was not the cause of Yosef being released from prison. Instead, it was the end of Yosef's prison term which caused Pharaoh to dream.

[I heard a similar vort from R' Mansour who explained the term Choleim as a command by Hashem to Pharaoh to dream].

R' Frand connected this to a story told by R' Yosef Galinski (sp?) about his mother. When his mother was living in Poland there were many women in the town who could not read Polish. Since his mother was literate and she worked for a newspaper, the women would come to his house in the evening so that she could read the news to them.

One night a woman came to the home slightly early and at the time, Mrs. Galinski was chopping potatoes in the kitchen. The woman looked at the newspaper and let out a gasp. She ran to Mrs Galinski and said - how can you be chopping potatoes when this ship is sinking in the ocean! Mrs. Galinksi looked at the newspaper and explained to the woman that she was reading the paper upside down. The ship was not sinking, it was sailing. But because the woman had the paper upside down she thought the ship was upside down as well.

R' Frand closed the vort by observing that often we may get the cause and effect backwards because we are looking at the newspaper upside down.

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Sunday Night Suds - Blue Moon Cappuccino Oatmeal Stout

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Blue Moon's Cappuccino Oatmeal Stout.

This limited release beer was introduced in this Winter's Brewmaster sample box. The beer is unique for a few reasons. Although I have seen stouts which are brewed with coffee additives and I have tried (and enjoyed oatmeal stouts), I have never seen a beer which combined the two. Additionally, this beer is a first for Blue Moon as I cannot remember them ever producing a stout.

The website and bottle label indicate that the beer is brewed with cocoa and finished with decaffeinated coffee. The beer pours a dark brown with an instant burst of carbonation but that was short lived. The beer is sweet, not cloying, but definitely sweet. There is a strong chocolate coffee flavor and it paired well with Mrs KB's chewy brownie cookies. 

The beer is 5.9% abv but I could not taste nor feel the alcohol. I could see using this as an after dinner drink on a Shabbos Chanukah meal, but it only comes in the mix box so you only get three bottles to work with.

Blue Moon Cappuccino Oatmeal Stout is certified kosher by the Orthodox Union, as is every other current variety of beer produced by Blue Moon. For the experts take on this beer, please click here beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/306/182505.

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 Vayeshev

The following is a brief summary of some 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. 

R' Frand quoted the Rambam in Hilchos Yesodei HaTorah (5:10) where it is written that if a person commits a sin, not because of desire, but because he does not care what Hashem thinks, he has committed a chillul Hashem. The Rambam further explains that if a person does a mitzvah or stops from doing an aveirah - not because of fear, or for the sake of honor, but because Hashem told him to do so - this is a Kiddush Hashem like Yosef HaTzaddik. Yosef refrained from going with the wife of Potiphar not because of fear or honor, but because Hashem forbade it.

R' Frand next quoted a Gemara in Yoma where a poor person goes to be judged after death and when asked why he did not learn and he responded that he was poor, the Heavenly Court asks - were you more poor than Hillel? A rich person is also judged and when he his asked why he did not learn and he says that he was too rich they ask - were you more wealthy than R' Elazar Ben Charsom? A rasha then comes to be judged and he responds - I could not because I was so attractive. They then ask - were you more handsome than Yosef. The Gemara learns that Hillel is M'Chayev the poor, R' Elazar is M'Chayev the rich and Yosef is M'Chayev the wicked.

R' Frand observed that there is a problem with the Rambam and the Gemara in Yoma. R' Frand quoted the Gemara in Sotah (36b) [which we learned in Daf Yomi this past Tuesday] wherein the Gemara writes that Yosef was about to go along with the wife of Potiphar, but he stopped when he saw the image of his father. So how is Yosef the paradigm of control and the one who reproaches the rishaim if what stopped him was seeing the image of his father?

R' Frand answered that Yosef constantly asked himself - what would my father do? Everywhere that he went, Yosef "saw" his father and used that as a barometer to measure whether he should do an act. When a person lives that way, then seeing the image of his father is not a supernatural event.

R' Frand then asked - but why is Yosef the one chosen by the Gemara and then Rambam to illustrate the point? If the person is being judged, they could respond - "they don't call me ___ HaTzdaddik"! I am not Yosef!

R' Frand answered by quoting the Chidushei Harim who explains that Yosef changed the Jewish people and gave us the ability to fight this yetzer hara. Our DNA was changed and we were given the ability to say no to being with a woman who is not Jewish.

R' Frand also quoted the Brisker Rav who notes that when the wife of Potiphar attempts to seduce Yosef and he comes up with many reasons, before finally saying - and I will sin to Hashem if I do this. The message is that you can come up with many excuses or reasons, but the bottom line for refraining from doing the wrong thing is that it will be a sin to Hashem.

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!