Thursday, March 30, 2017

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Vayikra

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

R' Frand began the parsha vort by discussing the karban oleh v'yoraid - a sacrifice which varies in its offering based upon the wealth of the donor. A poor man can give a karban which is a mincha (meal offering) while a wealthy person offers a cow.

The Gemara in Menachos 110a states that whether the person spends $2,000 on a sacrifice or $2, it is all the same to Hashem, as long as he has the proper intent.

R' Frand quoted the Taz who asks why the wealthy man does not have a better stature? If they both have the same pure intent, shouldn't the man who spent more have a higher stature?

R' Frand answered by making what he called an "updated" reference to the answer of R' Bunim M'Parshischa (sp?). There are two people who attempt to make a 2 PM flight. The first man gets to the airport 90 minutes before the flight and sits around in the departure lounge until it is time to board. The second man barely makes it to the gate before they are about to close the plane's door.

The second man sits down next to the first, who asks him --what took you so long? He responds -- what difference does it make, I made the flight.

R' Frand remarked that R' Bunim said that all Hashem wants from a karban is to bring a person close to Hashem. Some people need to spend $2,000 to feel close to Hashem, while others are able to do so by spending $2. But to Hashem, all that matters is that the donor has "made the flight" in that he feels close to Hashem. As long as the person has made the flight, it does not matter if he got there two hours before or two minutes before. As long as the person feels a true connection with Hashem, it does not matter what he spent to get there.

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, March 26, 2017

Sunday Night Suds - New Belgium Cherry Almond Ale


This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at New Belgium Cherry Almond Ale.

As my family knows, I am not a fan of cherry flavored alcoholic products. The Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat Ale is one of least favorite beers (outside of shandys) and similar cherry flavored alcohol products remind me of Robitussin.

So when I brought home a six pack of New Belgium Cherry Almond Ale, my purchase was met with a healthy dose of skepticism. But after chilling a bottle (or two) and opening it, Mrs KB and I discovered that the New Belgium Cherry Almond Ale was not a typical cherry flavored alcoholic product.

The beer poured a dark brown, almost cola like color. The first few sips evoked thoughts of black ales with their rich nutty flavors melding with the hops. There is some extra sweetness, but its not cloying. Additional sips had a bit of alcohol taste, but again, not overwhelming. The carbonation was medium in intensity and worked well to bring out the nutty flavor of the brew.

Although hard to find in six packs (its more often found in the mixed Folly 12 pack), the Cherry Almond Ale is worth the effort if you have ride a few extra miles to find it. I would recommend pairing it with steaks or other charred meats.

The Cherry Almond Ale is under kosher supervision by the Scroll-K/Va'ad of Denver, but 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 Cherry Almond Ale click here beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/192/263324.

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).

Please Note - 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, March 23, 2017

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshios Vayaykhel - Pikudei

This evening R' Frand did not say his usual shiur and there was a substitute maggid shiur who spoke on the badim (rods) of the mishkan. I also heard a shiur from R' Mansour in connection with Pesach/HaChodesh and I would like to briefly summary of some of the thoughts said over in the shiur. 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' Mansour.

R' Mansour's shiur was a discussion of a derasha given by a R' Lichtman in Lebanon in 1940. The derasha involved seven question and I will try to summarize them herein.

The first question involved the name for the upcoming holiday -- it is sometimes referred to as Pesach and other times as Chag MaMatzos. R' Mansour asked - since we no longer have a Karban Pesach, but we still eat matza, why don't we call the holiday by the Chag HaMatzos name? To add the question, he observed that the main food we eat on Pesach is the matza and the pesukim tell us that we eat the matza because we left in haste and the dough did not have time rise. So again, why don't we call the holiday by the matza name? 

The next question refers to Yirmiah where he writes that Hashem said to the Jews - I remember the chesed that you did for me when you were a young nation--in that you followed me into the desert. But what is the great thing about going to the desert? The Jews left the prison of Egypt and went to the desert. If a person is in hell and they are told that they are free, do they care where they are going? Anywhere is better than jail! So why is Hashem so complimentary that we left prison for Egypt? 

R' Mansour prefaced the next question by stating that "the question will confuse you all." (I believe that was stated by R' Lichtman). The question involved the plague of darkness in which 4/5 of the Jews died. These Jews were those who did not want to leave Egypt? But if they were slaves or prison inmates, why would they not leave if they had the possibility to go? Furthermore, when the Jews got to the desert and things went wrong, the remaining Jews said --why not go to back to Egypt? But again, even if things are bad, why would they say go back to Egypt? Egypt was a land of flowing milk and honey for the Egyptians, but for the Jews it was flowing with pain and troubles!

The last question involved the request by Moshe to the Jews that they go to their Egyptian "friends" and ask them for jewelry and valuables. Why were they described as friends? The Jews were not friendly with the higher echelons of Egyptian society!

R' Mansour answered by quoting a gemara in Rosh Hashana 11 which states that the Jews left Egypt in Nissan, but the hard work of Egypt stopped six months earlier in Tishrei. R' Lichtman explained that previously, the Jews had been slaves for 210 years and no one rebelled or spoke out against the Egyptians. But then Moshe and Aharon come and demand that Pharaoh let the Jews go. Pharaoh senses that there is a rebellion. And when a tyrant thinks that there is a rebellion, he wipes out a city block. So Pharaoh passes a law that the Jews now had to collect their own straw to make bricks. The Jews complained to Moshe as if to say --why are you making worse for us?

But Pharaoh's plan did not work as Moshe and Aharon returned to Pharaoh and then the plagues came. The people started to swing towards Moshe's side and Pharaoh realized this. So Pharaoh decided to swing the pendulum back -- he passed a law on Rosh Chodesh Tishrei which abolished slavery. The Jews reacted well to this and found themselves as equals. And once they were accepted as equals they ran towards the Egyptian way of life. Pharaoh knew that this would bring the people back to his side and also make them comfortable enough to leave the Jewish way of life. 

The Jews became addicted to this way of life, much like the Jews did in pre-WW II Egypt. R' Lichtman made comparison to the Jews of Europe and the level of Torah scholarship prior to the age of Enlightenment. After all the years of persecution, once the doors were opened to the Jews, the assimilation began. R' Mansour noted the irony that this was being said/written by a Rabbi on the eve of the Holocaust (1940).

By the time that the plague of darkness came it was so comfortable that the Jews did not want to leave Egypt. People did not want to go from the comforts which they had been acclimating to over the last six months. Many people did not want to leave Egypt and go with Moshe. This is why it was great that the Jews wanted to go to Egypt, because it was no longer Rikers Island, it was Beverly Hills.

R' Mansour gave the analogy of all the people being at the airport to go away for winter vacation and the TSA announcing that the Moshiach had come. How many people would ask --why would he come now? Couldn't he come after vacation?

When the Jews eat matza they remember that they did not say --lets stay-- they ran with Moshe and ate the bread which did not have time to rise. This is also why the Torah writes that the Jews should go to their Egyptian friends, because at that point they were the Jews friends. It also explains why the Jews wanted to go back to Egypt when things were difficult in the desert --because they remembered the last six months of the good life in Egypt.

Lastly, he answered the first question of Chag HaPesach --because we recognize that even though we did not deserve it and had begun to assimilate, Hashem passed over their homes. But Hashem looks at us and says, I'm also calling it Chag HaMatzos, because the Jews ran when Moshe said to leave.

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, March 19, 2017

Sunday Night Suds - New Belgium Glutiny Golden Ale and Pale Ale


This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at New Belgium's Glutiny line of beers which are not kosher for Passover, but are "gluten free."

I used the quotes around the words gluten free, since the Glutiny products are technically free of gluten, but as opposed to some other beer substitutes, they are made with barley. As explained by the brewery, the Glutiny products are "brewed using an enzyme to break down the proteins that trigger a reaction from gluten sensitive drinkers. Therefore, these beers are being referred to as “gluten removed” instead of gluten free. The beers fall within the FDA guidelines of less than 20 parts per million."

This could also be the reason that the Glutiny products are much more full bodied than the first generation gluten free products. The Pale Ale actually tastes like a Pale Ale with some hop bite, some citrus, decent carbonation and an intriguing flavor profile. The Golden Ale is a bit more subdued and has little in the way of hops or pine and was on the weaker side. Still, it did not have the ersatz taste of beer made with grain substitutes and was quite refreshing.

Although the two Glutiny products are under kosher supervision by the Scroll-K/Va'ad of Denver, 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 Glutiny Pale Ale beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/192/192254. To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about New Belgium Glutiny Golden Ale beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/192/199865.

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).

Please Note - 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, March 16, 2017

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Ki Sissa



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

In Shemos 32:17-18 there is an interesting conversation between Moshe and Yehoshua in connection with the voices of the Jews. In Shemos 32:17, Yehoshua tells Moshe "the sound of battle is in the camp." In response, Moshe tells Yehoshua in Shemos 32:18, that it is a "sound of distress."

R' Frand quoted the Yerushalmi which recounts that Moshe's response to Yehoshua was a rebuke. Moshe said to Yehoshua - you are going to be the next leader of the Jewish people, don't you know the difference between the sounds from the Jews? 

R' Frand analogized this to a mother who hears her baby crying and knows whether the sound is a cry because of pain, hunger, diaper or other problem. This is what Moshe was telling Yehoshua that he needed to be tuned into.

R' Frand next quoted R' Schwalb who writes that Yehoshua thought that he heard a drunken crying from the Jewish people which he interpreted as the beginning of a rebellion against Moshe and Hashem. Moshe responded to Yehoshua - yes they are drunk, but it is because they are in pain and are drinking to take the edge off of their concerns and troubles. They think that I (Moshe) have died and that they will be without a leader in the desert. So they drink to avoid thinking about how they may be lost.

R' Frand closed the vort by observing that this is the role of a psychologist or psychiatrist. They may hear or observe the same things as other people, but they are able to recognize it for what it is and they can discern the source of the problem.

R' Frand also said a second vort on the breaking of the luchos. R' Frand asked the famous question - since Hashem had already told Moshe in Shemos 32:7-8 that  the Jews had created the Egel, then why did Moshe bring the luchos down before breaking them? He could have left them up on Har Sinai or in the alternative, he could have broken them when he was up on the mountain, once Hashem told him about the Jews' actions!

R' Frand quoted the Ramban on Parshas Eikev, who explains that Moshe destroyed the luchos because he came down and saw the Jews' dancing in front of the Egel. This was too much for Moshe as the Jews had not only sinned, they were rejoicing in their sin.

R' Frand also quoted the Seforno who said that Moshe broke the luchos specifically because (as stated in Shemos 32:19), Moshe saw the Egel and the dancing before it.

R' Frand also quoted the Mishna Berurah (I did not catch the cite) who writes that the Arizal had a simcha in his doing mitzvos and that this simcha is what allowed him to reach that high of a spiritual level. 

R' Frand tied that into the acts of the Jews ---before they danced, the Jews had sinned but could do teshuva for their acts, even though this was avodah zarah. But once Moshe saw that they were dancing and rejoicing, he had no choice but to break the luchos, as they were no longer capable of doing teshuva.

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, March 12, 2017

Sunday Night Suds - Emek Haela Irish Red Ale


This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Emek Haela's Irish Red Ale.

This is another one of the beers which I picked up in the Beer Bazaar stand in Machane Yehuda and so far it is the best of the bunch. In fact, it might be the best Israeli beer I have ever tasted.

Emek Haela is one of two breweries which are run by Srigim Breweries (the other is Ronen). A link to the main brewery website can be found here www.srigim-beer.co.il/emekhaela.

The beer poured a rich dark copper which bordered on brown. There was decent carbonation, although it did not rise to the level of some American beers. There was not a specific flavor which stood out for this brew, but there was some hops, a little honey and caramel notes and a pleasant malt character in the background which made this a well balanced beer. I would rank this above any American Irish Red that I have ever tried, although it did remind me somewhat of the (late) Pete's Wicked Ale. 

The Emek Haela is certified kosher, but I left the bottle at the home where we had our Purim sedua and I can't recall who issued the kosher certification. If you have a bottle handy please post the kosher certification in the comments below. To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about this brew (yes its on BA), please follow this link beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/34175/128573.

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 check the label on the bottle you are purchasing (since the the kosher beers list link does not include beer brewed in Israel).

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!

Purim 5777/2017 Kosher Beers List

As a community service, Kosher Beers publishes a list twice a year of the beers which are known to be certified kosher. The list will be updated periodically until the next edition (Labor Day 2017). For the Purim 5777/2017 edition, I will again be using scribd to upload and maintain list. All newly added beers are in bold.

Thursday, March 9, 2017

Thursday's Purim Tidbits

The following is a brief summary of some of the thoughts said over by R' Frand in his shiur this evening. With Purim around the corner, both the halacha and post halacha sections were about Purim. I have attempted to reproduce the post halacha vort to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.

R' Frand mentioned that although you don't need to cross the ocean to learn Torah, he was very impressed with a vort he read in a journal published in England in connection with what I believe was a kollel dinner. (I am a little fuzzy on the details of the event). The vort was written by R' Aryeh Masher (sp?) on Manchester and discusses the piyut Shoshanas Ya'akov which is said after the Megillah is read.

R' Frand said that the statement "shekol koivecha lo yevoshu" - that all who have faith in You will not be humiliated and will not come out wanting --this he said is the main message of the megillah.

R' Frand remarked that it is not so simple to see how the Jews put their faith in Hashem. One could say that after Haman's decree came out the Jews fasted and went into mourning and that this was a show of faith in Hashem. But R' Masher stated that it is more pronounced in the megillah. He noted that earlier in the megillah, Esther is chosen to be the Queen, although she was not the prettiest. But once this happened, the Jews did not say --OK, we have one in the palace, we will be saved. But the Jews did not rely on this and Mordechai in particular says something to Esther which demonstrates that he is putting his faith in Hashem.

When Mordechai comes to Esther and tells her to go to the king, she is hesitant as even she could not visit the king without permission. When says this to Mordechai, he does not respond with the statememt "you are our only hope --you have to do this and without this we will all be destroyed." But Mordechai did not push the proverbial panic button. Instead, Mordechai tells her "if you don't go, the Jews will be saved from another source." Mordechai in effect is saying, if you don't want to be the one that saves the Jews, there will be another way.

R' Frand said that this is the lesson of "shekol koivecha."

R' Frand said that this applies to our every day life as well. A business opportunity may come your way and you feel that "this is it." This will make your business successful and it must go forward. But if a person has faith in Hashem, he will know that Hashem sets his income from Rosh Hashanah and whatever happens with this opportunity, the money you are supposed to have will come to you.

R' Frand said that R' Masher tied it into the statement in davening - "baruch hagever asher yivtach b'Hashem, v'haya Hashem mivtacho" --blessed is the man who puts his faith in Hashem and Hashem will be his faith. The statement appears redundant. But the Malbim explains that the first part of the statement is the blessing to the person who believes that Hashem will save him, but the second is praise to the belief that the person has that Hashem will find the means to save him and its up to Hashem to determine how it will happen.

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, March 5, 2017

Sunday Night Suds - Malka IPA


This week's Sunday Night Suds takes a holiday spin by looking at Malka Brewery's Hindi IPA.

This is another of the beers which I picked up in the Beer Bazaar in Machane Yehuda in Jerusalem. I chose these beers without knowledge of their provenance and basically just chose IPAs and Pale Ales because those are my favorite styles. The proprietors of Beer Bazaar do offer a beer tasting which I have been told are two oz shots of ten beers for 20 shekel (approximately $5.25). However, since I was on my way out to meet the rest of the family for dinner, I did not have the opportunity to try it.

The name of the beer Hindi IPA is almost a redundancy as Hindi would be slang for someone from India and an IPA is an India Pale Ale. However unless you can read Hebrew, you would not know that the beer was actually called "Hindi".

The beer poured a dark copper and there was some hops which hit my nose when I raised the glass to my face. The carbonation was low and the alcohol backbone was a bit stronger than I expected for a beer with a 6.2% abv. As I consumed successive sips of this brew I did not notice a development of flavor as it was basically some hops together with a bit of breadiness.

The Malka Hindi IPA is certified kosher by Rav Shlomo Ben Eliyahu, Chief Rabbi of Mateh Asher regional  council and there is a certification mark on the label. To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about this brew (yes its on BA), please follow this link beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/32374/143829/.

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 check the label on the bottle you are purchasing (since the the kosher beers list link does not include beer brewed in Israel).

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, March 2, 2017

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Terumah

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

R' Frand's first vort began with a quote from the Medrash Rabbah which states that the world was not worthy of creating cedar trees and that they were only created for the Mishkan and Beis Hamikdash.

R' Frand quoted the sefer Menachem Zion which interpreted a Gemara in Ta'anis 20 which can explain the Medrash Rabbah. The Gemara says that a person should be soft like a reed and not hard like a cedar. The meaning of this Gemara is that a person can't interact with society or be in a relationship if their attitude is --its my way or the highway.

R' Frand said that when applying this to the Medrash Rabbah we see that a person should stand on principle and not compromise when it comes to aspect of religion. Because once a person (or a form of religion) begins to compromise on principles, its a slippery slope and they lose the appearance of their religion.

R' Frand developed this vort by quoting a Rashi which states that Ya'akov saw with Ruach HaKodesh that the Jews would eventually be travelling in the desert and would need the Atzei Sheetim to build the Mishkan. So Ya'akov took the cedar trees to Egypt and commanded his children that when they leave Egypt they should take the trees with them.

R' Frand observed that this did not start with Ya'akov, but actually began with Avraham who planted the trees in Be'er Sheva ("Vayeeta Eishel'). R' Frand quoted R' Avraham Bukspan who explained that Avraham Avinu was an iconoclast and stood separate from the rest of the world when he was the first to separate from idol worship and created the concept of monotheism. Avraham was unflinching and straight like a cedar and would not allow for polytheism. Ya'akov saw this and incorporated it into his thinking and the Jewish DNA.

R' Frand said a second vort in the name of R' Jonathan Sacks who asked why Terumah, Tezaveh, half of Ki Sissa as well as Vaykhel and Pikudei are all in Sefer Shemos? It would have made sense to put them in Sefer Vayikra which is dedicated to the laws of the acts of Kohanim in bringing sacrifices. Why are they in sefer Shemos?

He answered by looking back at the beginning of Sefer Shemos - its all about complaints - Shemos, Va'era, Bo, Beshalach, Yisro - the Jews are complaining about things - some rightfully, but all complaints. How does one make a nation out of a group of people who are constantly complaining?

Hashem says - I will give you a way to make a nation - have them all work together towards building a Mishkan - one will bring money, one will bring skill, one will bring strength - but they will work together towards a common goal. And once people start working together, the complaints fall away.

R' Frand quoted R' Ya'akov Kaminetsky who comments on the flags in Sefer Bamidbar. The Jews were told that they should travel in camps with certain flags. But this happened in the second year of the midbar. Why? Because flags can be a source of dissension. They could not have had the flags in year one, because they would be at each other's throats. But once there was a central force - the Mishkan that drew them together, then they could have some individuality. So first they needed the Mishkan in Sefer Shemos to bring them all together and stop complaining.

R' Frand closed by quoting a thought from R' Nachum Lansky who said that the end of Vayikra, Bamidbar and Devarim end with similar words - a discussion of how things occurred before the Jewish people. But the end of Shemos says that the events occurred before Bnei Yisrael - because they were becoming a nation.

He ended by telling a story about Mr. Goldberg who checked himself into the Cleveland Clinic with heart problems but checked himself out and went to a hospital in Brooklyn. The doctors in Brooklyn asked him - why did you come here? Were the doctors not treating you in Cleveland? No, he replied. Were the nurses inattentive? No, he responded. Was the food poor? No, that was not a problem. 

So why did you come to Brooklyn they asked him - he responded - because I needed something to complain about.

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!