Thursday, September 28, 2017

Thursday's Thoughts on Teshuva - The Rabbi Frand Teshuva Derasha 5778: Part I

The following is a summary of some of the thoughts said by Rabbi Frand in his teshuva derasha recorded at a Just One Life event in Brooklyn on Tuesday. 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 remarked that the shofar on Rosh Hashanah is like the gavel which starts a court proceeding and the shofar at the end of Yom Kippur it is the gavel at the end of the court case. We must make our case during those ten days as the line in the U'Nisaneh Tokef of who will live and who will die is not an overstatement. And no one can win this judgment on his own merits, as we know that our actions do not alone justify a positive verdict. Instead we ask Hashem for mercy.

But how do we get mercy? What is done to merit mercy? The gemara in Shabbos teaches that anyone who shows mercy to others, Hashem will show mercy --as He is merciful, you should be merciful. People come to R' Leb Schteinman (sp?) and ask --how can I convince Hashem to show me mercy? He says --be merciful to others.

At the end of Selichos every day we say a prayer called "Machnisei Rachamim" which sounds like a request for others to bring our prayers before the Merciful One. Who are the bringers? Some explain that it refers to angels, but we are not supposed to pray to angels. The Chofetz Chaim explains that it refers to the poor and unfortunate. We ask that those who we have helped, should bring our tefilos before the ultimate Merciful One.

R' Frand then began to develop the shiur as a message that if one is merciful to others, he can earn a bounty of mercy from Shamayim.

R' Frand's first example were the biblical characters - Dasan & Aviram. These men made Moshe's life miserable on many occasions. They ratted him out when he killed the Egyptian. They challenged him after Pharaoh made the Jews work harder. They tested Moshe's warning not to leave over the Manna until the following day. They joined Korach in his revolt, even though they could not even get the Kehunah.

R' Frand added another example in the name of the Targum Yonasan Ben Uziel. After the Jews left Egypt in the beginning of Beshalach, the Torah writes that Pharaoh said to "Bnei Yisrael." But the Jews had already left. Who was he talking to? The Targum explains that it was Dasan & Aviram.

So how did they get out of Egypt and not die in the plague of darkness? The Maharal Diskin explains that they were the kapos in Egypt. And when the taskmasters beat them because the Jews did not fullfil their quota, they suffered and did not take it out on the other Jews. When they complained to Moshe about the stink after the work got harder, they were talking about their own festering sores from being beaten.

And it was in the merit of their taking the beating on behalf of their fellow Jews, that these men merited life and being part of the travels in the desert. How did they get out of Egypt if they did not leave with the rest of the Jews? The Maharal Diskin and the Be'er Mayim Chayim explain that they had their own personal kriyas yam suf. There is even a suggestion of this in a pasuk in the Az Yashir. The pasuk states that Ki Va Sus Pharaoh --when Pharaoh's horses were entering the sea and Hashem made the sea come crashing down on them and the Jews were walking on dry land. The pasuk appears to be out of order. The Jews first walked on dry land and then Pharaoh entered and then the sea came down! The Maharal Diskin and the Be'er Mayim Chayim explain that after the Egyptians were swallowed up by the sea, then Dasan & Aviram came through on dry land in their own krias yam suf. The pasuk cannot be referring to the rest of the Jews, since they were already long gone. It is Dasan & Aviram who got these special miracles because they had empathy for their fellow Jews.

Why is this middah what causes a person to be saved? Because this is the middah that Hashem uses when he reveals himself to Moshe. He appears in a bush and not a high tree according to Rashi. Because He wants them to know that he is with them in their troubles.

R' Frand said that a person does not need to jump into the Hudson River or a burning building to show empathy or sympathy. He just needs to show people who are going through troubles that he cares.

When there was a fire in the city of Brisk that destroyed half of the city, R' Chaim slept on a bench in shul. Why? Because if half the city was homeless, he was not going to sleep in his bed. Rebbetzin Kotler would not put sugar in her tea during the entire WWII because Jews were suffering in Europe.

R' Frand told a story about R' Shach who during the first Gulf War slept with his head partway off the bed so that he would be woken constantly when he moved. His students told him that he needed his sleep and asked why he was doing this. He responded that American boys came to him before the war and asked whether they should go back to the USA. He told them no, they should stay and learn and the learning will keep them safe. But in America, their parents were not sleeping well. And if those parents were not sleeping well, then neither would he.

R' Frand told a story about the Tolner Rebbi who was walking home once late at night and saw a boy who was wandering aimlessly. He asked the boy why, and the boy said that mashgiach in his yeshiva had thrown him out. The Rebbi settled him in and gave him a bed...and then went out to find the mashgiach. He knocked and knocked until the mashgiach came down in his pajamas and bathrobe. The Rebbi said to him --you are sleeping in your pajamas? You may need to throw a boy out of the yeshiva, but how can you sleep comfortably in pajamas in your own bed? You should be sleeping in your own clothes in a chair.

R' Frand said that you don't need to be a gadol to show you care. He made reference to all the chessed being done over the last month for the people of Houston and Florida. People said tehillim, gave money, sent food and supplies and gave up their time to fly down and tear out wet carpet and dry wall to help out those who were suffering. [Ed note --I know two incredible kids from my neighborhood who recently lost their mother in a tragedy, but less than five weeks later they flew down to Houston to help in this recovery process. Its a testament to their level of rachamim and chessed].

R' Frand told the story of R' Leibowitz of the Houston Kollel which is situated in a part of Houston which was not flooded. That neighborhood was serving 2,000 meals a day to the people who were flooded. The OU raised $1.2 million for Houston in a matter of weeks. And when South Florida was hit, the Jews of Atlanta took in 1,000 families. R' Frand remarked that the Jewish Community in Atlanta is a nice sized community, but its not Brooklyn. And yet they took in all these families and gave them floors to sleep five or six people.

R' Frand supposed that Hashem must be looking down from Shamayim and saying "look at My children."

R' Frand then told a story about a Jew who walked into a shul in Jerusalem and he sees Jews saying tehillim with fervor. He asked what happened? Was there a terrorist attack? He was answered that they are saying Tehillim because there is a tsunami in Texas. The man said, I don't know what a tsunami is and I don't know Texas, but if there is a Jew in trouble I need to pray for him.

There was much more to the shiur and I will iyh try to finish the summary in a Motzei Yom Kippur post.

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 24, 2017

Sunday Night Suds - Samuel Adams Double Bock


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

As explained by the experts at BA
Bocks--you know, those beers with goats on the label--are relatively strong German lagers. Doppelbocks--as the name might suggest--are typically even stronger and contain enough malty goodness that they've been considered a meal in a glass for centuries. Generally they have a very full-bodied flavor and are darker than their little Bock brothers and sisters and a higher level of alcohol too. They range in color from dark amber to nearly black, and dark versions often have slight chocolate or roasted characters.
The Double Bock is a dark brown beer which poured with above average lacing and decent carbonation. Its rich, almost as full bodied as a barley wine and the alcohol is present behind the malts. The beer is high on the abv scale, even for a dopplebock as it is 9.5% abv. But the alcohol flavor is not off putting and the beer would go well with rich meat dishes such as brisket or cholent.

The Samuel Adams Double Bock is under the Kosher Supervision of the Star-K and has a Star-K certification mark on the bottle. To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about this brew, please follow this link - beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/35/44785.

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.

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!

Sunday, September 17, 2017

Sunday Night Suds - Samuel Adams Honey Rye Pale Ale


This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Samuel Adams Honey Rye Pale Ale.

With Rosh Hashanah around the corner, what better time to review a "honey" beer. I use the quotes around honey since this beer is not actually brewed with honey as the honey is the species of malt. (If you are looking for a beer which is actually brewed with honey, pick up some Blue Moon Summer Honey Wheat --reviewed here http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2008/05/sunday-night-suds-blue-moon-honey-moon.html).

The Honey Rye Pale Ale poured a deep maize (for those who remember that Crayola crayon color). There is some sweetness in the foam and in the beginning of the sip, but there is considerable rye bitterness which gives this beer an interesting after taste. There is a bit of citrus and hop bite which reminds you that this is a Pale Ale, but its certainly not a strong Pale Ale. The beer has a 5.8% abv, which is about average to low for the style.

The Honey Rye Pale Ale is a seasonal limited release and there are two bottles of it in the Beers of Fall Variety Pack. I swapped my other to my good friend and home brewer Dan R, and picked up some other interesting Sam Adams products which I will iyh review over the newxt few months.

The Samuel Adams Honey Rye Pale Ale is under the Kosher Supervision of the Star-K and has a Star-K certification mark on the bottle. To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about this brew, please follow this link - beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/35/279354.

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.

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 14, 2017

Thursday's Rosh Hashana Tidbits

The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand on Rosh Hashanah 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 did not speak on Parshios Netzavim - Vayelech this week and instead said a vort which was linked to the moadim as mentioned in Parshas Emor. In Vayikra 23, the Torah recites laws related to the various festivals, starting with Pesach and continuing to the Omer and Shavuous and then to Rosh Hashanah followed by Sukkos and Shemini Atzeres. But in between the laws of Shavuous and Rosh Hashanah, the Torah interjects the law of Peah in Vayikra 23:22.

R' Frand next quoted the gemara in Rosh Hashanah 32 which asks --from where do we know that we are to say Malchios in Mussaf of Rosh Hashanah? The gemara answers by quoting the end of 23:22 which states that Peah should be given because I am Hashem your G-d and immediately thereafter 23:23 states in the Seventh Month on the First Day...

R' Frand observed that this connection appears to be a bit tenuous. Why is this the source for saying Malchios?

R' Frand also quoted the gemara which asks why Peah appears smack in the middle of the chagim, for which Rashi explains that anyone who sets aside Peah, it is equivalent to building a Beis Hamikdash and offering the sacrifices for the holidays therein. 

But there are many mitzvos in the Torah, so why is this the mitzva which generates such a reward?

R' Frand answered that the mitzva of Peah is different than any other form of tzedakah. In general when a person gives charity they have a sense of accomplishment and a feeling that they are benefiting someone else which can add to the ego. The person looks at the recipient and feels pride that he is helping the person with the gift that he chose to give. Even when the charity is a matanah b'seser - a charitable donation where both the donor and recipient are not aware of each other's identity, there is still a feeling of pride for giving the donation.

However, when one leaves the corner of his field as Peah, the person does not actively give any donation. Instead, the poor man comes on the property and takes the crop from that corner. The donor does not feel that he is giving anything of his own and is forced to admit that this portion of the field does not belong to him. 

R' Frand observed that there is a difference between one who fails to give maaser ani and one who does not give Peah. A person who fails to give a required donation to the poor is labelled someone who steals from the poor. But one who does not set aside the corner of the field as Peah is simply a thief.

R' Frand told a story he heard from R' Avraham Ozbant (sp) who is the Rosh Yeshiva of Telshe in Riverdale, NY.  He said that when the yeshiva first opened, the Rav would pay his rebbeim twice a month and often had issues making payroll. Baruch Hashem he had a group of donors who would lend the yeshiva money when needed to make payroll.

But one week all of the donors had legitimate excuses and could not help the yeshiva. The Rabbi was torturing himself and did not have a settled mind in order to learn. The night before the payroll was to be paid, he put his arms up in the air and said to Hashem --this is not my yeshiva, its Yours. I have done all I can to raise the funds to make payroll, now I need Your help.

He returned to the Beis Medrash with a clear mind and began to learn, knowing that he had done all that he could. After Ma'ariv that night he was approached by a stranger who asked if the Rabbi could speak with him. Yes, the Rabbi replied, but I need this to brief as I want to continue my learning. The man gave the Rabbi an envelope with a $20,000 check inside.

Peah tells us that the world is Hashem's and that the section of the land to be harvested by the poor man does not belong to the landowner. This is why the Peah law appears in the middle of the holidays and the mitzva has a comparison to building the Beis Hamikdash and offering the Rosh Hashanah sacrifices. Because by accepting the obligation to give Peah a person crowns Hashem as king by recognizing that He is in control of the world.

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 10, 2017

Sunday Night Suds - Ronen Brewery Birah Hodit


This week's Sunday Night Suds beer review looks at Ronen Brewery's Birah Hodit (loosely translated as Indian Beer).

Ronen is a division of the productive Israeli Brewery called Srigim which produces beer under various lines including Fat Cat (my daughter Tali's favorite beer logo --click here for the review  http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2017/02/sunday-night-suds-beer-bazaar-fat-cat.html) as well as Beer Bazaar and Emek Haella (reviewed here http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2017/03/sunday-night-suds-emek-haela-irish-red.html). A link to the main brewery website can be found here www.srigim-beer.co.il/emekhaela.

The beer poured a dark gold with lots of foam and lacing which lasted more than twenty minutes after the pour. There are some hops forward in the brew and the coppery, piney taste was somewhat reminiscent of the (formerly certified kosher) Redhook LongHammer IPA. There is more than a decent amount of bitter in each sip, but the flavor seems a little too heavily influenced by the alcohol content (its 6.5% abv).

The Birah Hodit is certified kosher by the Rabbanut of Mateh Yehuda. To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about this brew, please follow this link beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/34175/115358.

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).

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 7, 2017

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 began the vort by quoting some of the pesukim in the Tochacha where the Torah states in Devarim 28:45 that the curses will come because you failed to observe the mitzvos and commandments that Hashem commanded you. The following pasuk then states that "they" will be a sign and a wonder on you and your offspring forever.

R' Frand quoted the Maharil Diskin who stated that if the second pasuk was taken literally, it would be the worst of the curses. All of the horrible events such as the Inquisition, the Pogroms and the Holocaust had an end to the curses. But this seems open ended.

R' Frand explained that the Mahril Diskin reads these two pesukim differently. The first part of the pasuk says that they will come on a person until he is destroyed and that it comes because you did not keep the mitzvos in a way that it had an impact on your children. The impact will be for generations because you did not do mitzvos in a way that your children will want to do them too.

The Tolner Rebbi links these pesukim to the following pasuk (28:47) as one long pasuk. The first pasuk states that these will come upon you because you did not observe the mitzvos and commandments, the second pasuk explains that it will stay as a sign and a wonder forever, but the third pasuk explains that this results from a failure to serve Hashem with happiness. If a person shows their children that the mitzvos are meaningful to us, it will inspire them. But if the mitzvos are by rote and the holidays are just great meals, the curses will come, because your children will c'vs reject the mitzvos and not follow through with them.

R' Frand then linked the thought to the pasuk in the end of the parsha (Devarim 29:3) wherein Moshe tells the Jews that Hashem has not given them the heart to know, the eyes to see or the ears to hear "until this day." R' Frand explained that Moshe was telling the Jews, "now, I see that you get it."

How did Moshe see that they got it? Rashi explains that this day Moshe wrote a sefer Torah and gave it to the sons of Levi. All the Jews then came to Moshe and said to him ---we also accepted the Torah at Sinai, so why do they get the sefer Torah and tomorrow they will say to us that it was given to them and not us! Upon hearing this, Moshe was happy ---because the Jews were complaining that they wanted the Torah.

R' Frand quoted R' Olshan who cited R' Wachtfogel who explained that the use of the word tomorrow ("machar") was a code word, much like the word "machar" used in the description of the sons statement at the seder ("mah ha'avodah hazos lachem) --its referring to the kids. The tribes were not specifically upset that the sefer Torah was given to the tribe of Levi, they were upset about machar -- tomorrow the tribe of Levi will say, we got something to give over to their children and we don't have anything to give over to our children. We need something to give to them and to have a continuity to religion.

When Moshe heard them complaining that they had nothing to give to their kids, then he knew that today, the Jews were an understanding nation.

R' Olshan also tied it to the gemara in Nedarim which discusses Yirmiyahu's statement about why the churban came---because the Jews abandoned the Torah. The gemara explains that this was because the Jews did not make a beracha before learning Torah. The Mefaresh on that gemara explains that the Jews were learning Torah and said the beracha, but did not say the part of the beracha which says that the Torah should be passed to "tzetza'inu."

This was the curse, that these came upon you because you did not inspire your children to want to continue to do the mitzvos.

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 3, 2017

Sunday Night Suds - Samuel Adams Golden Hour Helles Lager


This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Samuel Adams Golden Hour Helles Lager.

I'm not generally a fan of the Munich/Helles lagers as I often find them to be mild, but this beer was an exception. It poured a creamy darker yellow than I was expecting and did not have the scent of a eurolager which I was expecting. There was some malt, but also a citrus (mostly lemon) which I was not expecting and I found myself thoroughly enjoying the brew.

The only Golden Hour Helles Lager that I have seen came in the summer mix box which also included a tropical beer called "Golden Yuzu" which is not under kosher supervision. I would have considered buying more of the Golden Hour Helles Lager if I could have found it in six packs as it would be a nice accompaniment to lighter Rosh Hashanah meals.

The Samuel Adams Golden Hour Helles Lager is under the Kosher Supervision of the Star-K and has a Star-K certification mark on the bottle. To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about this brew, please follow this link - beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/35/263942.

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.

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!