Thursday, December 29, 2016

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 41:50-52, the Torah recounts how Yosef had two sons before the years of famine befell Egypt and further explains the rationale for each of the names of the boys. The Torah states in 41:51 that Yosef named his older son Menashe because Hashem made him forget his father's house. The Torah then states in 41:52 that Yosef named his younger son Efraim because Hashem made him fruitful.

The explanation for Efraim's name is fairly obvious in that it is an expression of Yosef's gratitude. But it is more difficult to understand why Yosef is happy that he has forgotten his father's home. 

R' Frand offered two explanations for Yosef's thinking in naming Menashe. The first explanation was said in the name of the sefer Rivid Yosef who states that Yosef was not saying he was happy that he forgot his father's house. Instead, Yosef was expressing gratitude to Hashem for allowing Yosef to forget the traumatic experiences from his father's house wherein his brothers hated him to the point that they cast him into a pit and then sold him as a slave. When a person endures a traumatic experience, it can have ramifications which last many decades and scar the person for life. Yosef recognized that Hashem allowed him to forget the experiences.

The second explanation given by R' Frand was said in the name of R' Yisrael Salanter, who stated that Yosef expressed gratitude to Hashem for granting Yosef the strength to deal with the incident and put it in the rear view mirror. But how does one do that?

R' Frand explained the concept by quoting the Meorei Ohr, who told a story about a young woman who attended a seminar. When the speaker concluded, the young woman went over to tell him her story. She said that she was 30 years old and did not date because of scarring from a prior experience. When she was 20 years old she was engaged to a boy who broke the engagement one week before the wedding. But what was even worse for her was that she later learned from the caterer that the boy had told the caterer two weeks before the wedding that he was cancelling the wedding. The girl was devastated as the boy already knew that he would be backing out, but was more concerned with getting his deposit back than telling his fiancee that it was over.

The speaker said to the girl - you should not be upset about this - Hashem did you a tremendous tova. Could you imagine if you had actually gone through with the wedding and married this miserable excuse for a human being? If this was the way that he conducted himself, you are better off that your relationship with him ended before marriage.

This was the attitude which Yosef had about the traumatic events in his father's house. He recognized that although he previously endured a difficult time in his father's home, Hashem had put him in the position of viceroy in Egypt for a good reason - because he needed to come down to Egypt and help them avoid the famine. Yosef later expressed this to his brothers in Parshas Vayechi (Bereishis 50:20) wherein he stated to his brothers - although you intended bad to befall me, Hashem intended this for good...so that a great nation could be sustained.

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Thursday, December 22, 2016

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.

Within the story of Yosef sitting in jail in Egypt is the interpretation of the dreams of the butler and baker. When Yosef tells the butler the meaning of his dream, the Torah recounts in Bereishis 40:13 that Yosef tells him that in three days he will be restored to his old position and that he will place Pharaoh's cup in Pharaoh's hand as was his former practice when he was the cup bearer. 

R' Frand quoted R' Akiva Eiger who asked - why does the Torah need to tell us at the end of the pasuk the mechanics of what the butler did and will do? Why not just say that he will get his old job back? What is added by telling him that he will put the cup back in Pharaoh's hand just like originally?

R' Akiva Eiger also asked on the next pasuk wherein Yosef says "Ki Im Zechartani" - which implies that this is happening so that you will remember me. Why not just say - please remember me?

R' Akiva Eiger answered his questions by stating that if Yosef had just told him that he was getting his job back, the butler would have been a nervous wreck. After all, if he was jailed simply because a fly fell in the wine, what would stop it from happening again. And the next time that the fly was in the wine, he could lose his head. 

In order to calm down the butler, Yosef tells him that he did not do anything wrong. He definitely checked the wine each time. Yosef was telling him that this happened because it is the hand of Hashem. You were put in jail because Hashem wanted this to happen, but it wont happen again. Hashem put you there so that you would meet me and be the vehicle for me to get out of jail. So relax, there wont be another fly in the cup and you will go back to doing all the things that you used to do for Pharaoh.

R' Frand next told a story about the President's Conference of Torah U'Mesorah which took place last weekend. One of the speakers was Gary Turgo (sp?) who is involved in many Jewish organizations in Detroit. He told a story of hashgacha pratis which related to Blue Cross-Blue Shield. He had attended a meeting of Blue Cross-Blue Shield where he intended to announce that he was going to resign as he had completed all that he needed to do there. And while he was at the meeting he got a text message from someone who had a loved one in the hospital in NY and needed an operation. 

The problem was that Blue Cross-Blue Shield had not approved the operation and time was of the essence. The person wanted to know of Mr. Turgo knew anyone at Blue Cross-Blue Shield who could help. Since Mr. Turgo was siting next to the head of Blue Cross-Blue Shield, he showed her his phone and within five minutes the operation was approved.

And he did not resign his post.

This was a Ki Im Zechartani situation - this is why he was on the board of Blue Cross-Blue Shield.

Mr. Turgo told another story about a call he got from someone who was questioning how Mr. Turgo could be the President of a particular bank. The man had a mortgage with the bank and had fallen behind after the death of his wife. The bank was foreclosing on the mortgage. But the man owed all of $5,000 on the mortgage and the house was worth several hundred thousand dollars. Mr. Turgo looked into it and found out that the bank had sold the mortgage to another bank which had no allegiance to the man and was foreclosing. Mr. Turgo stepped in and paid off the final $5,000.

After paying off the mortgage, Mr. Turgo never heard from the man again. But at some point later he was contacted and advised that the man had died and that in his will, the man left his house to Mr. Turgo with the direction that he should give the house to whichever charity he deemed worthy. 

And that was why he was the bank president. Another Ki Im Zechartani moment.

R' Frand remarked that the moment may not be as dramatic as what happened to Mr. Turgo, but we all have these Ki Im Zechartani moments, we just need to recognize them.

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Sunday, December 18, 2016

Sunday Night Suds - Leinenkugel India Pale Lager




This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Leinenkugel's India Pale Lager.

While in Chicago over Sukkos I picked up the Leinenkugel Autumn Explorer Pack which features the Harvest Patch Shandy, India Pale Lager, Maple Dunkel and Octoberfest. We broke open the box and shared them amongst the  numerous thirsty Cubs fans watching the playoffs and their non-Chicago spouses. Who knew that this was a precursor to them making it to (and winning!) the World Series.

Of all the beers in the Autumn Explorer Pack, this was the beer that caught my fancy and which I would go out of my way to buy more of. The beer poured light brown which was a bit richer and darker than a standard lager. There was also citrus and hops, which are not common to a lager. But the beer does not desert its lager roots as the citrus and hops are a bit subdued and there is some grain/malt underneath the brew.

This versatile brew could be paired with many types of food, such as pizza, cheese dishes and light poultry entrees (obviously not together). 

Leinenkugel India Pale Lager (IPL) is certified kosher by the Orthodox Union, and has an OU on the label. To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about this brew, please follow this link beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/710/141751

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).


Also, if you are reading this post more than six months after it was written, please note that it is possible that the product is no longer still certified kosher. To verify that the product is still certified kosher, please click on the kosher beers list link on the top left corner of the blog.


Lastly, 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, December 15, 2016

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Vayishlach

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 said a vort which he indicated he had said 17 years prior and he did not remember, but the prior weekend he met a former Talmid (Phil Bogart) who reminded him of it.

In Bereishis 32:11 Ya'akov says "Katonti" - I am unworthy of all the good things that You have done for me Hashem.

The words HaYarden Hazeh is odd since the use of the word Hazeh is used when the speaker is discussing something which is in front of you and unless Ya'akov was standing on the banks of the Yarden there would be no reason to say HaYarden Hazeh.

The student told R' Frand that when he previously told the vort he had said that the use of the HaZeh is a hint to the key about how to be makir tov - appreciative of what he previously had. Ya'akov made reference to the Yarden as if it was before him because he remembers of what he was like at the time. At the time that Ya'akov first crossed the Yarden he had nothing, he was running away from his brother and had just been robbed of all of his possessions. Now he had four wives, eleven sons and many possessions. Ya'akov showed his HaKaras HaTov by viewing it as if he was back in that state of being penniless. That is truly being a makir tov.

R' Frand remarked that this is a continuation of a prior theme he had said about the proper way to be makir tov by remembering the prior status - click here for the vort http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2016/11/thursdays-parsha-tidbits-parshas-vayera.html.

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!

Sunday, December 11, 2016

Sunday Night Suds - Samuel Adams Toasted Caramel Bock


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

The Toasted Caramel Bock is included in the Samuel Adams Fall Sampler Box, containing the flagship Boston Lager along with Bonfire Blonde, Hoppy Red, Maple Ale and Octoberfest.

I did not purchase the entire box, but a friend who knows my proclivity for trying new beers brought this over to try last Friday Night. We tried this together with Mrs KB and had some mixed reviews. This beer has some extra sweetness which comes from the molasses added to the brew process. There are some bock notes behind the added sugar and the beer is not entirely one note, but it is primarily an overly sweet, dessert type beer.

I would not recommend this brew with any kind of main course, but it would be nice in small quantities with baklava or maybe pecan pie.

The Samuel Adams Toasted Caramel Bock is under the Kosher Supervision of the Star-K and has a Star-K certification mark on the label. To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about this brew, please follow this link - beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/35/225611.

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 are reading this post more than six months after it was written, please note that it is possible that the product is no longer still certified kosher. To verify that the product is still certified kosher, please click on the kosher beers list link on the top left corner of the blog.

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, December 8, 2016

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Vayeitzei

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 29:35, the Torah describes how Leah named her fourth son Yehuda as a "thank you" to Hashem and that thereafter she stopped having children.

The Ibn Ezra explains that that the cessation of having children was a punishment, since Leah did not ask for more children and in essence said to Hashem, Yasher Koach for giving me these four children, I have enough.

R' Frand asked - but why is she being punished for saying I have enough and thank you? The Chazal teach that Leah was the first to say thank you to Hashem and she is even praised for doing so.

R' Frand answered by quoting the Rambam in Hilchos Berachos (Ch10) who writes that a person should cry out to Hashem about the future and ask for rachamim, while also acknowledging and thanking Hashem for what he has.

R' Frand observed that the word "modeh" has more than one connotation. It is not just saying thanks, it is also admitting that what you have is due to someone else. Thus when a person says thanks to Hashem he is not just saying thank you for what I have, he is also saying, I can't live without your help.

R' Frand gave a mashal of a person who wins a $450 million lottery. If he says thank you Hashem and I will see you later, it would be insufficient. He needs to say, I appreciate what you gave me in this big lottery windfall, but I still need you.

This is also why our Shemoneh Esreh is structured the way that it is. We begin with Shevach - praise and then go into our Bakashos - requests. Afterwards there is Modim wherein we admit that Hashem is responsible for all that we have. However, the Shemoneh Esreh does not end after Modim. Instead we have one more request after Modim, a request for peace. The greatest vessel for beracha is peace, so we do not end Shemoneh Esreh with thanks. Instead we complete our acknowledgement of Hashem's role by making that request for peace.

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, December 1, 2016

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Toldos

This week Rabbi Frand did not give his customary Thursday Night shiur and instead TCN carried a shiur by R' Shraga Neuberger who had an interesting view of the Ya'akov/Yitzchak interaction. The following is a brief summary of the vort. Same rules as usual apply -  I have attempted to reproduce the 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 the maggid shiur.

In Bereishis 27:19 the Torah recites the statement made by Ya'akov to Yitzchak wherein he says "Anoci, Esav Bechorecha" - this can be read as "it is I, Esav your bechor" or it can be read as "it is I Esav, your bechor." Rashi on the pasuk explains that Ya'akov adopts the former method and states to Yitzchak that Esav is the bechor.

R' Neuberger took issue with this explanation and the traditional approach taught to children that Ya'akov told the truth. Instead, he argued that Ya'akov did what was right by lying to Yitzchak. In fact, by taking the traditional approach, we are in effect saying to our children - it's OK to be sneaky and tell half truths, when in reality the lesson should be that it is sometimes permitted to lie.

R' Neuberger quoted the Maharam M'Pano who explains that Ya'akov committed an Aveirah L'Shma and Esav wanted to commit a Mitzva Shelo L'Shma and it is better to commit an Aveirah L'Shma, especially when his mother had told him that she had a prophecy that he should do this.

[R' Neuberger then said as an aside - tell your children that when their mother tells them that she had a nevuah its OK to lie, but only if she had the nevuah].

So what is the lesson from the language used by Ya'akov? That when you tell a lie, you stray from the truth as little as possible.

R' Neuberger brought a proof from a Rambam which interprets/applies a gemara in Bava Metzia. The gemara states that there are three things a person can lie about - the mesechta you are learning, whether you were with your wife the night before and to not publicize/praise a host over the quality of the food.

The Rambam applies the gemara and explains that if a person is asked which mesechta he is learning and he is learning Niddah he should say Mikva'os. 

R' Neuberger then asked - why do we need the Rambam to tell us which mesechta he should say that he is learning? He answered that the Rambam is teaching a lesson - if you say Bava Metzia instead of Niddah - there is no connection between the two. But if you are going to lie, you should make a switch as small as possible, and Mikva'os is much closer to Niddah than a mesechta in Nezikin.

Here Ya'akov had to lie - he was told by his mother to do so, based on the prophecy that she had received. But even when lying, it was the smallest possible lie which he told.

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Sunday, November 27, 2016

Sunday Night Suds - Jack-o Traveler Pumpkin Shandy

This week's Sunday Night Suds extends Thanksgiving one more week by reviewing Jack-o Traveler Pumpkin Shandy.

The Shandy is the Americanized version of the German Radler which combined lemonade and lager in what can only be termed an unholy alliance. American breweries have taken this combination light years further, including the Traveler line produced by the Boston Beer Company which fuses lemonade, lager and basically anything else they can think of and produces various "Shandy" products.

Although its one week post Thanksgiving, I wanted to give this Pumpkin infused Shandy a try. The first sips had some nice pumpkin and cinnamon notes and I thought that I might like this beer. But then the lemonade started to kick in and the syrupy sweet flavor overwhelmed my palate. I could not bring myself to finish the beer in my glass, let alone the bottle and I found myself wondering how I had even considered this to be drinkable.

The Jack-o Traveler Pumpkin Shandy is under the Kosher Supervision of the Star-K and has a Star-K certification mark on the label. To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about this brew, please follow this link - beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/31442/98924/

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 are reading this post more than six months after it was written, please note that it is possible that the product is no longer still certified kosher. To verify that the product is still certified kosher, please click on the kosher beers list link on the top left corner of the blog.

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, November 24, 2016

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Chaye Sarah

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 23:2 the Torah writes that Avraham came L'spod - to eulogize Sarah. R' Frand quoted the sefer Meorei Ohr who noted that there are only two people in the Torah who had hespedim - Sarah and Yaa'kov. Although the Torah writes that the Jews cried after the death of others, including Aharon and Miriam, but only Sarah and Ya'akov are the subject of eulogies. But the obvious question is - why?

R' Frand prefaced the answer by quoting the gemara in Sanhedrin which asks whether a eulogy is for the dead or for the living? The gemara analyzes whether saying a eulogy serves to benefit the dead as an honor to their memories, or perhaps the eulogy is said to inspire others and reveal things about them which others did not know..

R' Frand did not reach the result of the gemara, but instead digressed to state a ma'amar chazal that the Aishes Chayil, although written in Mishlei, was actually the text of the hesped said by Avraham after Sarah died. He then stated that the reason why Avraham made a public hesped for Sarah was because she was so private (hine'i b'ohel) that no one knew her greatness, so he explained her deeds after her death.

R' Frand next told a story about R' Yerucham Levovitz who was in a city and heard that a woman had passed away and that people were worried that there would not be a minyan at the funeral. He decided that even though he did not know her, it would be almost like attending to a meis mitzvah and he decided that he would attend personally. However, when he arrived at the funeral he saw that it was filled with people, both from the city and from other towns. It was revealed that the woman had lived a life of doing chessed for others, but privately. In fact, each beneficiary thought that they were the only one for whom she did chessed. But in fact she had done chessed for many people in many different cities.

R' Levovitz later returned to the Mirrer Yeshiva and told the boys in a shmooze that it is the way of people not to hide their every day items. Your regular dishes and glasses are out in the open, but fine china and silver are locked in the breakfront and the gold is in the safe. This woman held her chessed as a valuable commodity, so she locked it away, out of sight of others.

This is why Avraham felt the need to be maspid Sarah. Everyone knew Avraham, everyone knew Yosef, and Moshe and Aharon were public and well known. But because of Sarah's great privacy and middah of tznius, Avraham had to let the world know what she was all about.

So why did Ya'akov merit a funeral? R' Frand quoted the answer given by the sefer, but then gave his own answer. The pasuk in Bereishis 50:10 states that they came to Goren Ha'Atad to eulogize him.   The gemara in Sotah teaches that the residents of Canaan came to the funeral and hung their crowns in a show of respect. This funeral was said for the living so that they could benefit from the words about Ya'akov. 

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Sunday, November 20, 2016

Sunday Night Suds - New Belgium Fat Tire and Friends Fat Pale Ale

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at another of the Fat Tire & Friends' offerings - Fat Pale Ale.

This summer New Belgium celebrated the 25th anniversary of Fat Tire by collaborating with other notable breweries and producing their ode to Fat Tire. The Fat Tire and Friends mix box contains five beers in addition to Fat Tire itself, including: Fat Funk Ale; Fat Hoppy Ale (reviewed here http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2016/09/sunday-night-suds-new-belgium-fat-hoppy.html); Fat Pale Ale; Fat Sour Apple Ale (reviewed here http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2016/08/sunday-night-suds-new-belgium-fat-sour.html) and Fat Wild Ale.While this would be exciting to most beer aficionados, it is even more exciting to the kosher beer consumer since all of these brews were produced at New Belgium and the 12 pack box even has the Scroll K (Va'ad of Denver) symbol on the bottom of the box.

The Fat Pale Ale was produced in collaboration with Rheingeist Brewery. It has a mix of citrus, with some lemon and coriander notes, but a fair amount of malts as well. The beer is a little high on the alcohol content (6% abv) but the flavor does not manifest in the brew. There was some pine, but did not taste like a traditional American Pale Ale.

I could see pairing this beer with saucy chicken or even grilled chicken dishes. If you had a good pairing experience, please post it in the comments below.

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 Fat Pale Ale, please follow this link beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/192/217619. As always, please remember to drink responsibly and to never waste good beer unless there is no designated driver.

If you are reading this post more than six months after it was written, please note that it is possible that the product is no longer still certified kosher. To verify that the product is still certified kosher, please click on the kosher beers list link on the top left corner of the blog.

Lastly, 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, November 17, 2016

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Vayera


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 18:23-32, Avraham Avinu tried to save the city of Sodom by bargaining with Hashem. In so doing, he referred to himself in Bereishis 18:27 as Afar V'Afer. Rashi explains that Avraham means that he already should have been dust because he should have been ground down in battle of the kings and that he should have been ashes, because he had been thrown into the fiery furnace by Nimrod.

R' Frand quoted R' Avraham Bukspan's new sefer Parsha Pearls who explains that Avraham in 18:27 was saying that now I am Afar V'Afer, even though he clearly was not at the time. This is a lesson for recognizing and internalizing the good that was done for a person. A person can go though a life altering experience and when he survives, decides that he wants to take on a new level of observance. But as time goes by, he may see that start to peter out. R' Frand told the story of a man who made certain changes after he was saved from death when he was in a serious car accident. But as the year went by, he started to feel less enthusiastic about the changes. In order to internalize and keep the motivation in mind, a person needs to constantly remember the feeling that he had at the moment that he took on that special observance.

R' Frand gave a mashal of a man who lost his job and was unemployed for a period of time. The man came to need to rely on charitable organizations, but eventually found a job. He was overjoyed and so thankful that he had gainful employment. But after a number of months he became dissatisfied with the working conditions and began to express his displeasure. He no longer felt depressed about how his being unemployed. He had lost that since of gratitude of being employed after living with no source of income.

R' Frand quoted an old GM advertisement which stated - it is typically American to ask - what have you done for me lately. He also quoted Pete Rose who said - you are only as good as your last at bat.

This is not the Jewish way - there is a need for Hakaras HaTov, to recognize the good that was done for you. This is not to say that people should dwell on and continually be depressed over their prior situation. But, they do need to remember that they were in that situation and that they were cured or rescued from it. This is Avraham Avinu's reminder - I am Afar V'Afer.

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, November 10, 2016

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Lech Lecha

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 12:10-20, the Torah tells the story of Avraham and Sarah venturing down to Egypt because of the famine. In Bereishis 12:13, Avraham tells Sarah to say that she is his sister "l'maan yitav li" - so that he may go well. Rashi explains that Avraham expected that he would receive gifts from the Egyptians if they thought that Sarah was his sister.

This request and the expectation of receiving material wealth is hard to understand, especially since later in the parsha, Avraham turns down the offer from the king of Sodom to split the spoils of war. In so doing, Avraham remarks that he does not want the king of Sodom to be able to say, I was the cause that Avraham became wealthy. So why does Avraham here put himself in the position to accept wealth and in fact, he does become wealthy as a result?

R' Frand began his answer with an introduction from the Medrash Tanchuma on Bereishis 13:3 which states "Vayelech L'Masa'av" - that Avraham proceeded on his journey. The Medrash explains that en route to Egypt, Avraham had made numerous stops and at each stop he borrowed money in order to pay for his necessities to live. Now, on the way back from Egypt, Avraham stopped in all of those places and repaid his benefactors for lending him the money.

R' Frand stated that this teaches a valuable lesson - when you borrow money, you need to pay it back. But there is another valuable lesson behind the scenes, to not be a tzaddik on someone else's dime. At a time that you owe other people money and someone is offering you a gift, you should not turn it down as a sign of piety.

R' Frand closed this vort with two stories - the first involved R' Dovid from Ner Israel, who when he came to America refused to eat meat because he had concerns about the shechita. But while he ate chicken, he allowed his wife and children to eat meat, because he did not need to be a tzaddik on their dine.

The second story involved a young married kollel man who came to R' Shach to complain that his Rosh Kollel wanted him to stop learning late into the night. As related by the Tolner Rebbi, R' Shach approached the Rosh Kollel and asked him why he had given this instruction. The Rosh Kollel responded that the young man had expressed to him that there was friction in the house because his wife had recently taken a job and she needed to get up early to make food for the children and get them ready for school and he was unable to help because he would learn too late at night to be able to get up early to help her.

Having learned the 'back story', R' Shach told the young man that his Rosh Kollel was absolutely correct. This young man had promised in the kesuva to support the wife, yet she was allowing him to learn while she went to work to support the family. Given how she needed help from him to get all of her tasks completed, it was not time for him to be a tzaddik on her dime and learn late into the night if it prevented him from getting up early to help her.

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Sunday, November 6, 2016

Sunday Night Suds - Leinenkugel Harvest Patch Shandy


This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Leinenkugel Harvest Patch Shandy.

While in Chicago over Sukkos over Sukkos I picked up the Leinenkugel Autumn Explorer Pack which features the Harvest Patch Shandy, India Pale Lager, Maple Dunkel and Octoberfest. As I had not tried most of these beers and there were numerous thirsty Cubs fans watching the playoffs (at the time it was the NLCS) I knew that I could easily share this and get other opinions of the brews.

I have to admit that when I commenced this exercise, the Harvest Patch Shandy was the beer which I felt that I was least likely to enjoy. But after Mrs KB and her sister in law Naomi L both expressed that this beer did not taste like a typical Shandy, I tried it and surprisingly found that I liked this brew.

The brew is all pumpkin and spice and frankly, very little beer. If you were take a pumpkin pie and puree it and pour it into a beer bottle for about fifteen minutes and then strain it to remove the pumpkin pulp, you would be able to create a reasonable facsimile of this beer. 

Leinenkugel Harvest Patch Shandy is certified kosher by the Orthodox Union, and has an OU on the label. To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about this brew, please follow this link beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/710/129261

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).

Also, if you are reading this post more than six months after it was written, please note that it is possible that the product is no longer still certified kosher. To verify that the product is still certified kosher, please click on the kosher beers list link on the top left corner of the blog.

Lastly, 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, November 3, 2016

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Noach

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 began the vort by quoting the famous Rashi who notes that Noach can be viewed as a Tzaddik on a varying scale, depending on who he was being compared with. R' Frand then mentioned a former attendee at his shiur a Rav Kolson (sp?) who used to drive from Fredrick, MD to the shiur until he recently passed away. R' Frand described how upbeat this Rav always was and how he lamented that Noach could not just be viewed as a Tzaddik, instead of being compared to others and criticized.

R' Frand next quoted a Gemara in Avodah Zarah which notes that Noach was a Tamim and a Tzaddik. Rashi on the Gemara explains that as a Tamim, Noach was pious, and as a Tzaddik, he avoided Chamas (loosely translated as thievery).

R' Frand then asked - how does one measure up to be a Tzaddik? He answered  based on the Rambam who explains that a Tzaddik is conscientious of other people's money. When he is an employee, he works as hard as possible while he is on the clock.

R' Frand supported this theory by noting that the Rambam calls Ya'akov a Tzaddik when he worked for Lavan. But this reference is odd, since Ya'akov is not generally referred to as a Tzaddik (that role is usually attributed to Yosef). However in this instance, where Ya'akov worked so hard for Lavan, we see that he is a Tzaddik as well.

R' Frand closed the vort by quoting the sefer Kav HaYashar who writes that the individual who does not want other people's money and works hard for his employer is a Tzaddik, because the ikur of being a Tzaddik is to be careful with other people's money. He demonstrated this based on Noach being called a Tzaddik and Anav (modest). Noach was called a Tzaddik because he did not want other people's money and for this reason he was saved. He was also an Anav, even though the world was his after the waters of the flood receded, he did not see himself as the master of the world.

R' Frand also quoted the new R' Bukspan sefer (Parsha Pearls) which applied this concept to the pasuk in Bereishis 6:11 in which Hashem said that he was going to destroy the world because of Chamas. Rashi explains that the generation of the flood committed the cardinal sins of adultery and idol worship, but their sentence was sealed because of Chamas.

The Yerushalmi explains that Chamas is stealing, but less than a perutah value so that the thief cannot be prosecuted. It gives the example of someone who has a pile of dates and passersby take individual dates which each have a value of less than a perutah. By the time they are done, he has lost everything but has no one to sue, because each theft was less than the minimum amount.

But although this was horrible, why did this seal their fate?

He answered that a person who steals a minimal amount so that he cannot be prosecuted is working the system and does not regret his acts. Meanwhile, a person who commits adultery or another major wrong knows that he is acting inapporpriately and can have regret. But a person who thinks that what he is doing is not wrong has no hope.

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Sunday, October 30, 2016

Sunday Night Suds - Lakefront Brewery Hop Jockey


This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Lakefront Brewery's Hop Jockey Double India Pale Ale. 

Found this in Binny's in Lincolnwood, Illinois when we were in Chicago for Sukkos. Since this variety had not hit NY, I did not know much about it, but I can't pass up an opportunity to buy a double IPA. Although this was not the only new beer that I sampled in Chicago over Sukkos, I reviewed this beer tonight in the hope that the lucky horseshoe could send the Cubs back to Cleveland. 

As described by the folks at BA, the Double IPA style

Take an India Pale Ale and feed it steroids, ergo the term Double IPA. Although open to the same interpretation as its sister styles, you should expect something robust, malty, alcoholic and with a hop profile that might rip your tongue out. The Imperial usage comes from Russian Imperial stout, a style of strong stout originally brewed in England for the Russian Imperial Court of the late 1700s; though Double IPA is often the preferred name.

The Hop Jockey has a deep malt flavor with some grapefruit and an alcoholic taste reminiscent of a barleywine. The beer is 8.2% abv but still is eminently drinkable and worked well with rich saucy meat dishes in my BiL's sukkah. I am hoping that this beer does make its way to the East Coast as it is easily the best new double that I have had in years.

Lakefront Brewery's Hop Jockey Double India Pale Ale is under the kosher supervision of the Star-K (there is even a Star-K on the label). For the experts' take on the brew, please click here http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/741/206460.

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

If you are reading this post more than six months after it was written, please note that it is possible that the product is no longer still certified kosher. To verify that the product is still certified kosher, please click on the kosher beers list link on the top left corner of the blog.

Lastly, 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, October 27, 2016

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Bereishis

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's first vort involved the sequence of pesukim in Bereishis 3:1-21, in which after the snake convinces Chava to eat from the tree and she gave to Adam to eat, Hashem comes to Adam and Adam blames Chava, stating that it was her fault. Rashi on Bereishis 3:11 states that by blaming Chava, Adam was kafar bitov - he rejected something good done for him.

Immediately thereafter, Hashem curses all men, all women and the snake with individual curses which have stayed with us for 5777 years. After this, Adam calls Chava by her name (rather than generic - Isha) in Bereishis 3:20. Immediately thereafter, Hashem gives Adam and Chava special clothes (Kasnos Or). The medrash states that these clothes lasted so long that he was able to pass them to Shes and then Noach and then Malki Tzedek and then to the Avos.

Why after Hashem cursed Adam and Chava did He give them these incredible clothes?

R' Frand quoted R' Shmuel Roskhin (sp?) who explained that Hashem first got angry with Adam for being a kafoi tov and therefore Hashem kicked him out of Gan Eden, telling him I don't want to have anything to do with you. Adam realized the error of his ways and took a step to recognize the good that he had by naming her Chava. Once Hashem saw that Adam did teshuva, Hashem gave them the special clothes.

R' Frand's second vort dealt with the story of Kayin and Hevel. In Bereishis 4:11 Hashem takes issue with Kayin's murder, but He punishes him for covering up the body. This is difficult to understand because it seemingly skips over the murder and goes to the cover up. R' Frand remarked that this was akin to the Watergate saga. The crime was breaking into the DNC but the larger problem was the cover up. This was the first cover up - Kayin could have said that this was a crime of passion - I could not stop myself. But by covering up the body and attempting to deny it existed, Kayin made things that much worse and Hashem took him to task.

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!

Sunday, October 9, 2016

Sunday Night Suds - Baderbrau Oktoberfest



This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Baderbrau Oktoberfest.

Once September turned into October the Sunday Nights are almost all YT, but not this week of the Aseres Yimei Teshuva as this is the only Sunday Night before the chagim end which is not a Jewish holiday. With that kind of narrow window, I had to squeeze one Oktoberfest in. So I chose Baderbrau - the local Chicago brewery which recently has gone kosher.

My Baderbrau Oktoberfest was poured from a 12 oz can (which had been chilling for about a week in my fridge) into a pint glass. But even with some angling, the beer had about an inch and half of foam on top of the glass. The first few sips were week toffee as I really needed to wait for the beer to settle before I could get a good appreciation for the brew. After the glass had sat for about fifteen minutes, the marzen started to come out and the malts took center stage.

An Oktoberfest is not a heavy beer and I would not attempt to pair this with a heavy, saucy or smoky dish. But it would go nicely with pizza, spaghetti and meatballs and other comfort food.

Baderbrau Oktoberfest is certified kosher by the CRC and there is a CRC logo on the label. To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about this brew, please follow this link beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/29318/99922.

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).

Also, if you are reading this post more than six months after it was written, please note that it is possible that the product is no longer still certified kosher. To verify that the product is still certified kosher, please click on the kosher beers list link on the top left corner of the blog.

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!

The Second Half of the R' Frand Teshuva Derasha - 5777

The following is a continuation of the summary of some of the thoughts said by Rabbi Frand in his teshuva derasha played Thursday night in the NY area. The first half of the derasha can be found here http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2016/10/thursdays-thoughts-on-teshuva-aka-recap.html. Same rules as usual apply. I have attempted to summarize many of the thoughts to the best of my abilities. Any inconsistencies are the results of my transcription and should not be attributed to R' Frand.

R' Frand said that he gave this derasha in Lakewood to some Panamanians who had come up to be in Lakewood for three days. The shiur was attended by some Syrians from Flatbush who said that among their peer group they made a deal that they would leave their smartphones in the car and transfer their calls to a flip phone which would be brought into the house.

R' Frand talked about how during the summer he was part of a tour which went to Lithuania and Poland. They visited Ponovich which is now a bakery and cafe. They visited Telshe and while the building still stands on the outside, inside the building is falling apart.

They also visited concentration camps and R' Frand said that he was concerned about what reaction he would have, or whether there would be an impact on him. He said that the greatest reaction he had was when he went to the Kelem and visited the Kever Achim of Kelem.

R' Frand quoted a book from R' Dessler about Kelem which described it as a place with a concern for one's fellow man, an abhorrence of honor, a pursuit of truth and a place of menuchas hanefesh - serenity. This was the most prized of all spiritual achievements - always be calm and avoid anything that could lead to distraction or confusion. R' Frand that he envied that, although he said that he could not have lasted a day there. He said that a marching band once marched by the yeshiva and only one boy looked up - and he was chastised as it was not his concern.

R' Frand told the story of the end of the yeshiva - July 25, 1941. The boys from the yeshiva were told to march to a place in the forest and dig a massive grave. R' Schechter describes that the boys walked and sang Ashreinu Mah Tov Chelkeinu - a song of happiness, often sung on Simchas Torah. There was no panic or outbursts. The masghgiach -  R' Daniel Moshowitz asked for permission to address the boys and was granted permission. He told them that they were like the Asarah Harugei Malchu - a kaparah for the whole world so that it could continue to exist. The executioner was losing patience and told him to finish up. R' Moshowitz then told the people let us be neither confused or frightened, but rather let us accept on ourselves this awesome responsibility. He then turned to the executioner and said I have finished, now you can begin. He mowed them down and they fell into the pit. That was the end of the yeshiva. 

R' Frand remarked that was the result of a life born out of a purposeful existence. A life of being a good Jew. We need to avoid distractions and live a purposeful existence.

R' Frand noted that at the end of Yom Kippur we blow shofar. This connects back to Rosh Hashana and the shofar, but the laws of shofar on Rosh Hashana are learned from the laws of shofar of Yovel. The laws of something that is done every year was learned out of an event that took place every fifty years - an event which we have not even observed in 2000 years. Why? Because that is an event which is freedom - which frees us from the shackles which enslave us. R' Hai Gaon says the last shofar on Yom Kippur is meant to remind us of Yovel - of being free from our various yetzer hara. 

R' Frand said that we can take a step towards that freedom by controlling our smartphones and not to become enslaved. And when we hear the shofar on Yom Kippur we can say - I am not a slave to the master in my pocket and can take steps towards freeing ourselves from our various and difficult yetzer haras.

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Thursday, October 6, 2016

Thursday's Thoughts on Teshuva aka Recap of the R' Frand Teshuva Derasha 5777 - Part I

The following is a summary of some of the thoughts said by Rabbi Frand in his teshuva derasha played tonight in the NY area. Same rules as usual apply. I have attempted to summarize many of the thoughts to the best of my abilities. Any inconsistencies are the results of my transcription and should not be attributed to R' Frand.

R Frand prefaced the shiur by stating that the derasha would be unlike any conventional teshuva derasha in that it was not quoting or resolving issues in the Rambam Hilchos Teshuva or the Sha'are Teshuva. Instead he likened it to a statement by Rav Huttner who said that Teshuva does not merely mean becoming better, its about changing one's behavior. He said that he hoped that by hearing this shiur we can change our behavior.

R' Frand then introduced the shiur as being about the danger of smartphones. Not because of the content or the epidemic of smartphone use in shuls. But what smartphones are doing to our daily lives.

R' Frand hypothesized about what a person who went off to a desert island in 2000 would think when he returned in 2016. Not that the person was unaware of phones or the internet, but about the ubiquitous nature of cell phones and what they do to our daily lives.

R' Frand talked about how he and his wife would take a daily 45 minute walk during the summer. Since Baltimore is so hot and humid during the summer, they walked at the mall. Each floor takes approximately ten minutes to walk so they were able to get their walk in every day when the mall was quiet and had just opened. Except when they passed a particular store where people are lined up with a twenty five minute from the time that the store opened - the Apple store.

R' Frand said that research has shown that people check their phones every 6 minutes. There was an experiment where people were told that they would be isolated and could give themselves electro shocks if they were bored. They then had their cell phones taken away. And within seven minutes a sizable number of people shocked themselves. All because they did not have their cell phones.

R' Frand remarked that this did not begin overnight, but it did happen over a few years.

R' Frand quoted an op ed from the NY Times written by a Major who talked about the military and the Band of Brothers mentality. He wrote about the difference between his time in Iraq in 2003 and 2008. In 2003 they walked together and talked together and discussed everything. Contact with the outside world was infrequent and was mostly letters and occasional phone calls. 

When he returned in 2008, Iraq was a completely different mentality. The men all had cell phones and internet access. They spent their free time in the base's internet lab, updating their Facebook walls and accounts. The men who previously were tight and together were fighting over decisions. He remarked - we went from being a band of brothers to a band of tweeters.

R' Frand said that this problem manifests in the Yeshiva world too. A mashgiach remarked that its harder to reach boys because they require instant gratification - they are all interested in their screens. He asked a boy - do you discuss your problems with your friends on Facebook. The boy responded that he was not interested in other people's problems, he just wanted to know what was going on.

R' Frand spoke of another mashgiach who said that he would take in boys from any form of background who wanted to do teshuva - as long as they did not bring their cell phones. He remarked that if they bring their phones, then he can't reach them because he can't talk to them.

R' Frand talked about speaking with a man from Manhattan who had a son and daughter in Yeshivos in Israel. The son had a good year and made close friends, the daughter did not. The boys' school banned cell phones, but the girl's school allowed them.

R' Frand noted that we are not surprised by this, because we adjust and get used to things. He quoted the Rav who called it the people's ability or middah to adjust. But this is not necessarily a good thing.

R' Frand quoted the Brisker Rav on Nitzvaim (29:16) - which talks about the repugnant avodah zarah, wood and stone and gold and silver. The Brisker Rav asked - which one was it? Was it disgusting, or wood and stone or gold and silver? He answered that initially people were repulsed and found it disgusting, but then it became tolerable like wood and stone and eventually, desirable.

R' Frand quoted a book by Professor Sherry Turkel (sp) at MIT who talked about how cell phones are destroying humanity. The cell phone takes away our ability to empathize as people text and email and don't see others face to face - making it impossible to empathize. This manifests itself in job interviews - where employers report that the post smartphone era candidates don't know how to converse in the interview.

But R' Frand posed a question near and dear to parents - how on Earth are these people going to get married? If you don't know how to talk to the other person how can you get married? The basis of marriage is communication!

R' Frand quoted the Professor who discussed the impact of smartphones on parenting. At the park, parents aren't watching their kids, they are looking at their smartphones. 

R' Frand mentioned a conversation with a man from New Jersey who was taking his son to his hockey game and realized that he had left his cell phone at home. He said to the boy - "for the first time in 15 years I left my phone at home." The boy responded - "then maybe this time you will watch my game." R' Frand remarked that this event had more of an impact on the man than fifteen shmoozes.

R' Frand again quoted the Professor who stated that the most frightening aspect of the cell phone was stated by her co-worker who called the cellphone her "tiny God.". R' Frand compared this to a Gemara in Shabbos which discussed Gidon's destruction of all the avodah zarahs. The people then made tiny idols in the form of flies and kept them in their pockets and took them out to kiss and hug.

R' Frand said that we don't view the cell phone as a G-d, but we do feel enslaved to our cell phones. Perhaps we should think of this when we say the Beracha "Shelo Asani Aved" - because we need to ask ourselves - can we find a moment of peace? Or do we need to constantly check our phone and be enslaved to it..

[This reminded me how R' Meir Goldvicht used to joke that a Blackberry in Hebrew is Eved Ivri].

R' Frand said that this was why he wanted to give a shiur about this topic - because as a Jew we are a nation of modest people, a kind and giving and emphasizing people. And if cell phones make us less able to empathize and less able to understand and be compassionate, then they are destroying our spiritual DNA.

The Torah states that Hashem chose Avraham, because He knew that Avraham would give over to his children and grandchildren the Mesorah. And if we as parents are only half involved, because our children's needs are secondary to our email or text messages or other things on our cell phones, then we are failing in this role and damaging our relationships.

R' Frand quoted R' Yaakov Kaminetzky who remarked on the Gemara -- which states that Yosef refrained from being with the wife of Potiphar because he saw the image of his father in the window and said to himself - how can I do this to my father? R' Kaminetsky observed that this will only work if there is a relationship and a love between the father and son or mother and daughter.

R' Frand told a story about a man who came to Israel with nothing and became one of the greatest ba'alei batim in a shul in Petach Tikva. They asked the man how he rose to this level and how he raised children who were talmidei chachamim, even though he came after WWII with nothing.

The man explained that he had been on a kinder transport from Austria. When his father brought him to the station early in the morning, they sat in mostly silence. But when his father put him on the train he said to him in yiddish (translated) "be a good Jew".  And when the train was leaving the station, the man walked along the platform and repeated again "be a good Jew." And as the train picked up speed, the man ran alongside and shouted the same phrase...until he tripped and fell and landed on his face. And from the ground, the last words he yelled to his son were "be a good Jew." The man said that these words were always in his head and that he lived that life so that he would not let his father down. But we can only do that if we have a relationship with our children.

R' Frand added that we as Jews also need to be concerned that smartphones are having an impact on our primary role - to live a meaningful and purposeful life. And while the cell phones are not a source of the problem, they are emblematic of how we trivialize things and chase the unimportant tangents.

R' Frand remarked that the difference between Esav and Yaakov was how Esav was a man of the field and Yaakov sat in the tent. The Targum explained that Esav was a Gvar Nachshiran -engaged in idle pursuits - having a good time. R' Frand said that in our day and age its Pokemon Go - where in Baltimore someone drove into a police car while chasing a non-existent character. Meanwhile, Yaakov was in the tent learning, seeking direction from Hashem. This can even be seen in their names as Esav was Asui - considering himself accomplished with no need to grow, but Yaakov was Akev - crooked and needing direction from Hashem. As the heirs of Yaakov its our job not to lose sight of what's important in life, not to be distracted.

R' Frand quoted the Chovos HaLivavos who cited a Chassid whose prayer was - Hashem save me from a life of distraction! Because being distracted causes a person to lose their direction and focus in life.

R' Frand quoted a secular quote which he said was so profound that it needed to be repeated and emphasized - "Distraction is the only thing that consoles us from our miseries, and yet in itself it is the greatest of our miseries."

R' Frand said that we have so many roles - jobs, sometimes more than one. And we are parents and we have commitments in shuls and schools - we are so all over the map and harried. But we need to be saved from our distractions.

R' Frand quoted the Ba'al Shem Tov on the words "V'avaditem Miheira" who said a chassidish vort - we need to lose our miheira - our running from thing to thing to thing.

R' Frand offered some suggestions for improvement based on this shiur:

1. Don't sleep with your cell phone nearby;
2. Don't let your children sleep with the cell phone in the room - they will spend half the night texting;
3. When learning with your children, don't have a cell phone nearby;
4. Don't allow the use of cellphones at meals;
5. Don't daven with your smartphone siddur.

On the last suggestion, R' Frand remarked that the siddur is a thousand year old and he can't understand why it is no longer en vogue. A siddur does not beep or interrupt you when you are davening. So unless you are in a location that has no siddur, why daven from a siddur.

I hope to b'n finish the summary in a post over the weekend.

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Thursday, September 29, 2016

Thursday's Torah (but not parsha) Tidbits - a Vort on Yom Kippur

The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand this evening. As indicated in the title above, the post halacha portion of tonight's shiur was solely about Yom Kippur so there will be no Nitzavim thoughts this week. Still, 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 from the famous mishna in Yoma which discussed the training given by the rabbis to the Kohain Gadol before Yom Kippur. The mishna recites that at the end of the training they would make him swear that he would not deviate from the instructions. After he swore the oath, he would leave and cry and they would walk away crying. They would cry because they suspected an innocent and he would cry because he was suspected of being a Tziduki.

R' Frand next quoted the Rambam on Hilchos Yom HaKippurim which recited the entire story again, including the crying by both sides.

R' Frand asked on the Rambam - this is not a historical book - its a book of halachos. Why does the Rambam tell a story, and then tell us about the crying? This is not a halachic question!

R' Frand next quoted a mishna in Meseches Derech Eretz which instructs that when a guest comes to your house you should treat him finely and give him food and drink like you would be hosting Raban Gamliel, but also suspect that he might steal from you. The mishna tells a story about a guest who visited R' Yehoshua. He was hosted and given fine food and then was given lodging on the second floor. At night the man began to steal items from the second floor, but when he wanted to come down from the second floor he fell and broke his leg as R' Yehoshua had removed the ladder at night in case he was a thief. In the morning, R' Yehoshua found him on the floor with a broken leg and a bag of R' Yehoshua's possessions.

Based on this story, the Rishonim asked - why did the Rabbis cry after they suspected the Kohain Gadol? They had an obligation to suspect him because there was a real problem at that time with the Tzidukim. So why did they cry?

R' Frand answered the questions by quoting the Tolner Rebbi who cited the Sfas Emes in explaining a story in the gemara Yoma. The gemara tells that Rav was giving a shiur and people kept coming in late and he would restart the shiur. When R' Chanina, who was the 4th late comer, came in - Rav did not restart the shiur. R' Chanina got upset about this and felt that he was being disrespected. Rav then went to him for 13 Yom Kippurim to ask forgiveness, but was turned down each time.

The Sfas Emes asked - why did not Rav need to go and apologize? Rav was in the right, he did not need to restart the shiur for a fourth time, merely because another person came in very late. If someone does something wrong to you and your Rav agrees that he was wrong, why should you ask mechila?

The Sfas Emes explains that all year long if someone is wrong and you are right, you are not obligated to ask mechila. But that is for all year long. But Yom Kippur is different. R' Frand quoted the Tanna Dvei Eliyahu on the words "Vlo Echad Meyhem" in Tehillim 139 - there is one day a year that the Satan does not have impact on us - that is Yom Kippur. But on that day we need to be different by building achdus.

This is the reason why Rav only went to ask mechila on Erev Yom Kippur, and he did it every year in that day. Rav was right and he was wrong. But on Yom Kippur we must make shalom - not because Rav was wrong, but because its a day of achdus.

Similarly, this is the reason that the Rabbis cried after suspecting Kohain Gadol. They did their job exactly the way that they were required to. But still, it causes dissension and that's why they cried.

This is also why the Rambam tells the story - because if one causes pirud on Yom Kippur its not good - it is antithetical to the sense of achdus. The mission on Yom Kippur is to try to make shalom, even if you did nothing wrong, do what you can to bring the Jews together on this day.

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Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Tuesday's Thoughts on the Daf - Bava Kamma 119

I have not really found the time lately to write much, but I did not want the mesechta to close without at least one Tuesday's Thoughts on the Daf post. And when I was preparing the daf, I remembered a thought said by Rabbi Frand a few weeks ago which did not make it into a TPT post, so it gave me the perfect opportunity.

On Bava Kamma 119 there is a discussion as to whether a person can destroy the property of a "Moser" - someone who turns over Jews and/or the property to the government for being Jewish. The gemara offers two alternatives - that since there is a mitzva to kill a moser to prevent him from turning a Jew in to the government, then there certainly it is permitted to destroy his property. The second view is that his property should be taken as he might have children who are not evil in nature and they should not be deprived of support, merely because their father is evil.

I was reminded of a vort said by R' Frand on the concept of Ir Miklat - the city of refuge. He noted that during the first fourteen years after the Jews entered the land of Israel there were no Jews sent to Ir Miklat. But why?

R' Frand quoted the Meshech Chachma who explained that the concept of Ir Miklat existed for Jews who killed accidentally to seek refuge there until the death of the Kohain Gadol. However, during the first years that the Jews were conquering and dividing the land, Elazar the Kohain Gadol was involved in the division. Since it was certain that Elazar would not die until his mission was fufilled, no Jews were sent to Ir Miklat because they would have no hope of ever leaving.


R' Frand explained that a Jew must always have hope and that without hope it is difficult to continue. However, there is an exception. As explained by R' Shlomo Zalman, the moser should have no hope. If these people are driven to give over Jews to the government for being Jewish, there is no hope for them.

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Sunday, September 25, 2016

Sunday Night Suds - Coney Island Brewery Mermaid Pilsner


This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Coney Island Brewery Mermaid Pilsner.

To first answer the questions which I am sure you are dying to ask, no they don't make this beer out of real mermaids and no, I don't have a clue why Coney Island has linked mermaids with pilsners.

Having gotten that out of the way, I can tell you that as pilsners go, this is a pretty good version. The beer poured a full golden yellow with decent carbonation and some lacing which faded quickly.

As opposed to most pilsners, this beer did have some floral hops which I appreciated and enjoyed. There was even a bit of a sharpness to the brew, although I would chalk that up to the rye malts.

This beer would be a decent pairing with most foods - the flavor is not strong enough to say that it would mesh well with any food, but it would not clash either. Call it a parve brew.

The Coney Island Brewery Mermaid Pilsner is certified kosher by the Star-K, although not every beer brewed by Coney Island is currently on the LOC. To view and download the LOC for Boston Beer which includes Coney Island (as well as Angry Orchard) click here https://express.star-k.org/viewer/LOCViewer.aspx?PEFQZ4N3.

To see what the experts at BA think about this brew, click here http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/27114/50743.

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

If you are reading this post more than six months after it was written, please note that it is possible that the product is no longer still certified kosher. To verify that the product is still certified kosher, please click on the kosher beers list link on the top left corner of the blog.

Lastly, 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, September 22, 2016

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Ki Savo

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 said his first vort about HaKaras HaTov and quoted the Alshich who cited the well known vort on the first pasuk in the Torah (Bereishis Bara Elokim) that because of what was called first - the Torah, the Jews and Bikkurim, Hashem created the world. This is understandable as it relates to the Torah which preceded creation as well and as it relates to the Jews who are called reishis by Hashem, but why Bikkurim? The Alshich explains that since the concept of Bikkurim is emblematic of Hakaras HaTov, the world was created for the mitzva of Bikkiurim so that we could see the importance of having HaKaras HaTov.

R' Frand quoted the Vilna Gaon on Sefer Yehoshua to illustrate this point. After the meraglim were saved by Rachav, she says to them - I did you a chessed and I want you to do for my family a chessed - I want you to save the lives of my family. The Gaon notes that Rachav says that she wants them to save her because that is Emes whereas saving her family was a chessed. Why the distinction? Because since she did a chessed for them, they are required to do a good deed for her - this is mandatory in order to recognize the good that was done for them. For her family -- that was just chessed.

R' Frand next said a vort on Rosh Hashana. He quoted the Chazon Ish who says that on Rosh Hashana one is allowed to make personal requests. However this is controversial and in the Vilna Gaon quoting the Zohar says that one cannot make personal requests. In fact, we see the tefillos are all about asking Hashem to reveal himself and his glory. If we are devoted servants, it should be incumbent on us to be focused on causing Hashem glory and not on our own needs. The personal needs can be addressed during the Aseres Yimei Teshuva and Yom Kippur.

R' Frand quoted R' Nosson Wachtfogel who heard from R' Leib Chasman who heard from the Chazon Ish the reason he stated that a person can make personal requests. 

He began by telling a story about how the Czar wanted a parade, so he first went to St Petersburg and had a large parade and then went to Moscow and also had a parade. This continued into the smaller cities until he wound up in a small town filled by simple farmers. The townsfolk did not know who the Czar was and they actually feared strangers and would stone them. The Mayor was concerned that if the people were to throw stones, the Czar would order the town to be plowed under, so he asked them not to throw stones. The Czar proceeded through the town to small applause and all was fine.

On Rosh Hashanah, Hashem comes down and is first given a respectful greeting by the Avos. He then comes to Moshe Rabbeinu and gets a similar greeting. He then continues down eventually to the common folk. We don't recognize Hashem's greatness and we are like the simple townsfolk. Our job is to recognize that it all comes from Hashem and that He is responsible for our needs. We are so far removed from the revelation of Hashem's greatness that we don't even recognize it. In a perfect world we would be lauding His revelation and greatness, but we cant. However, we do see that He is responsible for all that we need and He can help us with finding parnassah, or a shidduch or health. By recognizing that it all comes from him, we are revealing his greatness in the only way that a 21st Century Jew can do.

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!

Sunday, September 18, 2016

Sunday Night Suds - New Belgium Fat Hoppy Ale




This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at New Belgium's Fat Hoppy Ale.

This summer New Belgium celebrated the 25th anniversary of Fat Tire by collaborating with other notable breweries and producing their ode to Fat Tire. The Fat Tire and Friends mix box contains five beers in addition to Fat Tire itself, including: Fat Funk Ale; Fat Hoppy Ale; Fat Pale Ale; Fat Sour Apple Ale (reviewed here http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2016/08/sunday-night-suds-new-belgium-fat-sour.html) and Fat Wild Ale.While this would be exciting to most beer aficionados, it is even more exciting to the kosher beer consumer since all of these brews were produced at New Belgium and the 12 pack box even has the Scroll K (Va'ad of Denver) symbol on the bottom of the box.

The Fat Hoppy Ale was produced in collaboration with Firestone Walker Brewery. It has a mix of citrus, leaning towards grapefruit which hits before the glass even gets near the mouth and continues well past each swallow. The beer is a little high on the alcohol content (6% abv) but the flavor does not manifest in the brew. There was some pine which also followed through in each sip and made the flavor profile even more complex.

I could see pairing this beer with charred chicken or even smoked brisket. If you had a good pairing experience, please post it in the comments below.

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 Fat Sour Apple Ale, please follow this link beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/192/217618. As always, please remember to drink responsibly and to never waste good beer unless there is no designated driver.

If you are reading this post more than six months after it was written, please note that it is possible that the product is no longer still certified kosher. To verify that the product is still certified kosher, please click on the kosher beers list link on the top left corner of the blog.

Lastly, 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!