Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Shemos

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

In Shemos 2:21, the Torah writes "Va'Yoel Moshe" which is simply explained as Moshe agreed to marry Tzipporah. However, R' Frand quoted a Medrash from the Mechilta which states that when Moshe asked Yisro for permission to marry her, Yisro asked him to agree that their first born son would be given over to be a priest for idol worship and Moshe agreed!  Then Yisro asked Moshe to promise that he would do so, and Moshe did as well.

R' Frand asked two questions - why would Moshe even consider marrying the daughter of the priest of Midyan and how could he possibly agree to the condition that he would give over a child to be an idol worshipper?

R' Frand quoted R' Elya Svei who explained this Mechilta based on two Targum Yonasan Ben Uziel Medrashim. One of the Targum Medrashim was that when Moshe came to Midyan, Re'uel (Yisro's father) heard that Moshe was wanted by Pharaoh. In order to avoid potential punishment, he had Moshe thrown in a pit for 10 years. During this time, Tzipporah came and fed him daily. 

The second Targum Medrash involved the staff of Ya'akov which had been buried in Yisro's garden. When Moshe was released from the pit, he came to Yisro's garden and saw the staff which was inscribed with the acronyms Dtzach Adash B'Achav. Moshe was aware of the power of the staff and he miraculously removed it from the earth. 

Based on these Targumim, R' Svei explains that Moshe married Tzipporah as a hakaras hatov for what she did for him by feeding him all those years. And he had no concern about the promise that Yisro wanted him to make, because he knew that once Yisro saw the miracles that he would accomplish with the staff, Yisro would rescind the promise.

R' Frand also said a second vort on Shemos 5:4 when Moshe and Ahraon are told by Pharaoh to go to their own burdens. Rashi explains that when Pharaoh said this, he meant that they should go home and cry about their burdens. But this is difficult to understand, as the tribe of Levi did not have to work. In fact the Chizkuni explains that the exemption from work was based on a conversation between the sons of Levi and Pharaoh when they were working side by side, early on during the time the Jews were in Egypt. The sons of Levi said to Pharaoh - Ya'akov gave us a blessing that we will carry the Mishkan - we cannot carry secular things on our shoulders. To this Pharaoh responded, OK.

But why did Pharaoh willingly allow the tribe of Levi not to do the heavy lifting?

R' Frand quoted the Tolner Rebbi who explained that Pharaoh wanted to break the Jews spirit and he thought that if he could separate Levi from the rest of the Jews, they would be jealous of Levi and there would be infighting. R' Frand remarked that this was the same playbook utilized by the Nazis in using Jews as kapos.

However, Pharaoh did not realized that even though Levi did not do the heavy work, they still suffered as they went out into the fields every day to comfort and cry with their brethren. R' Frand explained that they learned this from Moshe himself.

R' Frand closed the vort by noting that Levi knew that this would be the case in Egypt and that this is why he named his sons the way that he did. He explained that Merrari is bitterness and that Levi presciently told his children - there will be bitterness in Egypt and you need to be a shoulder for your cousins.

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Sunday Night Suds - Saranac Clouded Dream IPA

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Saranac Clouded Dream India Pale Ale.

The Clouded Dream IPA is one of the two new beers in the Beers of Winter Mix box. Along with winter staples Seasons Best (reviewed here  https://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2009/05/sunday-night-suds-saranac-brown-ale.html) and Big Moose Ale (reviewed here  https://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2009/11/sunday-night-suds-saranac-big-moose-ale.html), Saranac has also introduced the Oatmeal Stout (reviewed here https://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2018/11/sunday-night-suds-saranac-oatmeal-stout.html) and Clouded Dream IPA.

The Clouded Dream IPA is an American IPA absolutely bursting with floral hops and citrus. Saranac brews this with Centennial, Citra, and Mosaic Hops and the resulting beer is one of the better new IPAs I have tried in years. The beer is a bit low at 5.50% abv, but it does not take away from the flavor or the medium mouthfeel. As of now you cannot purchase this in six packs, but I'm hoping that will change soon.

Saranac Clouded Dream IPA is under the Kosher Supervision of the Va'ad of Detroit as is every other beer produced at the Matt Brewery plant in Utica, NY. Keep in mind, Saranac has begun to brew many different varieties off site, so check bottles for kosher certification from the Va'ad of Detroit.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about the brew, please follow this link https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/99/381152.

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).

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's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Vayechi

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

In Parshas Vayechi there is a discussion of the blessings that were given to the shevatim, including Yosef's sons - Ephraim and Menashe. In Vayechi 48:20, the Torah states that Ya'akov blessed them saying "Becha" - by you, shall the Jews bless, saying you should be like Ephraim and Menashe. The Targum Yonasan Ben Uziel explains that we learn from the word "Becha" that it is because of Yosef that we as Jews bless our children by Ephraim and Menashe.

R' Frand asked - what does Yosef have to do with the blessing? When we bless our children with these words we are thinking about Ephraim and Menashe, not Yosef!

R' Frand answered by quoting R' Weinberg ztl of Ner Yisroel who explains that Ephraim and Menashe are unique in that in each generation there is a reduction in the level of greatness. However, Ephraim and Menashe were on the same level as the tribes. The beracha that we give our children is that they should be the same level as our generation and no further away from Sinai.

But how was Yosef able to achieve this in his children? R' Frand answered by quoting the pasuk in Vayechi 47:37 wherein Yosef responds to his father's request to bury him in Israel with the phrase - I will do "K'dvarecha." The simple explanation of this word is that Yosef said I will do as you have said. But the Da'as Zekeinim M'Ba'alei Tosafos explains that Yosef said that he would do the same for himself - he will command his brothers that they should bury him in Israel as well.

R' Frand quoted R' Elya Baruch Finkel who explains that when Yosef said this to Ya'akov, he was saying he will live his life like Ya'akov. I will do things the way that you did and embody your message. Because Yosef lived like Ya'akov and there was no reduction of kedusah from Ya'akov to Yosef, Yosef was similarly zoche that his children were on his level as well.

R' Frand also said a vort on the blessing of Ephraim and Menashe. R' Frand commented that every father wants to see that his children do not have strife or fight with each other. When Ya'akov put his hands on Ephraim and Menashe and had his right hand on Ephraim even though Menashe was the elder son, there was no protest from Menashe. How did Yosef have the zechus to have this occur?

R' Frand answered that Yosef himself was not jealous of anyone, despite all the troubles that he went through. He linked this to the pasuk in Mishlei that jealousy causes bones to rot. There is a constant reference to Yosef after death by the term "Atzmos Yosef"  - the bones of Yosef. Whereas when a person dies the person is usually referred to as "the body" or just by name, Yosef's body was called Atzmos Yosef - because his bones did not decay --all due to the absence of jealousy.

Since Yosef lived his life without jealousy, his sons picked up the trait and there was no jealousy when Menashe saw that Ephraim received Ya'akov's right hand.

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

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Vayigash

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

In Bereishis 45:1-3 the Torah states that Yosef could not hold himself back and that after he ordered everyone to leave he told his brothers that he was Yosef and asked if his father was still alive and the brothers were embarrassed (as explained by Rashi). Thereafter in 45:4, Yosef told his brothers to come forward and he again told them he was Yosef who they sold into Egypt.

While it would appear that the second mentioning of being Yosef (and being sold down to Egypt) might seem like twisting the knife, Rashi explains that when Yosef told them a second time that he was Yosef it was not done to make them feel at ease and was said softly. But how could saying that he was the one "who you sold down to Egypt" be any form of consolation to the brothers?

R' Frand answered by quoting the Sfas Emes who explains that when Yosef first revealed himself to the brothers they were taken aback by his purity. Indeed, the brothers were convinced that if Yosef had been in Egypt, he would have been sullied by all of the tumah in Egypt. Instead, they saw that Yosef was a pious man and they could not believe he was not impacted. They said to themselves - if this is how he turned out, despite all that occurred to him, imagine what a great man he could have become if we had left him with our father!

To this, Yosef responded - I am Yosef who you sold down to Egypt and all the events of my life have made me the tzaddik that you see. You should not think that I could have been different had I stayed with Ya'akov. On the contrary, my enduring all of these troubles is what made me the person that I am.

R' Frand also quoted a different statement of the Sfas Emes in which he compared this to the limud on Shemos 34:2 where Hashem says to Moshe to carve new luchos to replace those "asher shi'barta" - that you broke. Chazal teaches that Hashem said to Moshe "yasher kochacha that you broke the luchos." The Sfas Emes equates this to the words that he says to the brothers "asher machartem" - that you sold me. In effect, Yosef says to the "yasher kochachem that you sold me."

R' Frand also said a vort from the sefer Abir Ya'akov (not the grandfather of the Baba Sali - a Rav from Lakewood) who explains that Yosef was rebuking his brothers when he said that he was Yosef. In so doing he said - you thought that I was evil and that you were doing the right thing to get rid of me. But I am Yosef and everything that I said about my dreams was not for your detriment. While you thought that I was evil, this and everything that occurred was good.

R' Frand closed with a discussion of the Targum Yonasan Ben Uziel which states that Sarach Bas Asher lived forever because she told Yaa'akov that Yosef was still alive. But why is this a middah k'neged middah? He quoted R' Elya Finkel who explains that when a person reinvigorates another person and gives him hope, he gives that person life. Prior to hearing that Yosef was alive, Ya'akov was depressed, but hearing that Yosef was alive refreshed him. By giving her grandfather spirit and a reason to live, she was blessed with eternal life.

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

Thursday's Thoughts on Chanukah

This week R' Frand did not speak about the parsha and instead said divrei Torah about Chanukah. The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.

R' Frand quoted a Medrash Rabbah on Bereishis which states that the Greeks commanded the Jews to write on the horn of an ox that they had no place among the G-d of the Jews. Many meforshim ask - why specifically were they told to write this on the horn of an ox?

As an introduction, R' Frand first quoted the famous gemara which discusses the commands of the Greeks to not keep certain mitzvos - Milah, Shabbos and Kiddush Hachodesh. The gemara explains that these were chosen because they are mitzvos which differentiate the Jews from the non-Jews. From time immemorial, the Milah was a sign that a man was Jewish. Similarly, Shabbos is an Os - a sign that a Jew is different from his Muslim neighbor who keeps Friday or his Christian neighbor who keeps Sunday as his day of rest. The concept of the new moon and the lunar calendar is a further differentiation as Jews track their holidays and year based upon the moon, whereas most of the rest of the world follows the solar calendar.

R' Frand then quoted the gemara in Bava Kamma which discusses how certain royal leaders (which according to one meforesh were Greeks) approached the Jews and wanted to learn the Torah. They learned the Torah in its entirety three times and then stated that they believed that the entire Torah was true...except for the rule of damage caused by an ox. If an ox of a Jew gores the ox of a kusi, there is no requirement to reimburse. However if the reverse occurs, there is a requirement to pay. They expressed that this rule could not be true.

R' Frand quoted R' Elyah Finkel who bridged these two gemaras with the original medrash. He explained that the reason that the Jews were told to write this on the horn of the ox was because the Greeks wanted the Jews to feel that the law of an ox who damages another ox is no different by the Jews and that they themselves are no different.

R' Frand closed the vort by quoting R' Kolefsky (sp?) who quoted R' Guervitz (sp?) of Gateshead who had visited the Royal Museum in London and saw a portrait of a woman using a horn to nurse a baby who refused to nurse from his mother. He remarked that apparently this was the method that was used at the time to nurse a reluctant baby. R' Frand theorized that this could also be why it was written on the horn - because the Greeks' message was that if they wanted to impact a Jew they needed to start when he was a baby.

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 Night Suds - Uinta Grapefruit Hop Nosh IPA

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Uinta Grapefruit Hop Nosh IPA.

I've been a long time fan of the Hop Nosh line since the very beginning when they called it Hop Notch (see review here https://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2012/07/sunday-night-suds-uinta-hop-notch-ipa.html). Since then, there has been a tangerine flavored Hop Nosh (reviewed here https://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2016/07/sunday-night-suds-uinta-hop-nosh.html) and now, the Grapefruit Hop Nosh IPA.

Of all the iterations of the Hop Nosh, this is the most fruity and yet the most bitter. The Grapefruit Hop Nosh is made with white grapefruit juice but the added fruit flavor works well with brew and does not taste artificial. The beer also is on the high end of the alcohol scale as its 7.5% abv. But the alcohol flavor is not overpowering either and the beer tastes well balanced. It may not be easy to find on the east coast (I bought mine in Chicago), but its worth making the trek if you know where to find it.

Uinta Grapefruit Hop Nosh IPA is under the Kosher Supervision of the OU and there is an OU on the side of the can. Keep in mind, not every brew produced by Uinta is under kosher supervsion, so be sure to check the bottle/can and the OU website.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about the brew, please follow this link https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1416/291893/.

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).

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'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.

The parsha contains a discussion of the story of the wife of Potiphar's attempts to seduce Yosef, his resistance to her advances and her attempt to frame him. R' Frand quoted a gemara in Yoma which discusses three people who came for judgment after 120 - a wealthy man, a poor man and a wicked man. They ask the poor man why he did not learn Torah and he said because he was poor and was trying to earn a living. To this they respond - you were not more poor than Hillel. They then ask the rich man who also says that he was too preoccupied with wealth and they respond to him - you were not more wealthy than R' Eliezer ben Charsom. They then ask the rasha and if he says that he was too beautiful to fight off his temptations, they tell him that he was not more handsome than Yosef. The gemara then proceeds to tell the story of Yosef and his resistance. After that, each of the paradigms demonstrates the fallacy of their answers.

R' Frand then asked on this gemara - if they ask the rasha and compare him to Yosef, the built in answer is - I'm not a tzaddik! There are very few people called tzaddik and I am not Yosef. To rebut this, R' Frand quotes from the gemara in Sotah which quotes a machlokes Rav and Shmuel about why Yosef was in the house. One says that he was there to do his work and the other says that he was there with bad intentions.

R' Frand asked a question from the Teshuva Maharlbach (sp?) - why do we need to bring an opinion that Yosef came back with bad intentions, since he didn't do it? He answers that we learn this to show that Yosef was human and normal. He reached the point that he could not resist anymore and he had the intent to act. But this is not a flaw, because it shows that he was just like everyone else and had a yetzer hara. So by mentioning this it is not a detraction. In fact, the greater the person, the greater the yetzer hara. But still he resisted ---and this is why he is an indictment of the rasha - he is like everyone else in that he had an evil inclination, but he held out and so should have you.

R' Frand said that this does not completely wrap this story. Because the gemara states that when Yosef was going to act he saw the image of his father. R' Frand asked - but if what saved him was the miracle of seeing his father (and not in a dream) then what was his great resistance? It came because of the miracle!

R' Frand said that he asked this question 50 years ago and he had not heard an answer which satisfied him until recently. He quoted R' Bukspan from Miami who quoted the Divrei Shaul who explains that it was not a miracle. Yosef did not actually see his father, he conjured up in his own head the image of his father to deter him from acting. R' Frand also quoted Mr Wolpert who when he first came to America when everyone was being forced to work on Shabbos, was able to resist working on Shabbos because he conjured up the image of R' Boruch Ber who he had learned under in Europe.

R' Frand also quoted the Dubner Maggid who explains that Yosef held out as long as he could...and when a person does all that he could until he finally breaks down, Hashem helps him to reach the finish line. Yosef fought all he could and when he could fight no more, Hashem gave him the image of his father. R' Frand said that the Dubner Maggid explained that Hashem helps everyone who gives their all, regardless of who they are. The problem is that people give up so quickly that they never reach that point.

R' Frand also quoted R Gifter who used a parable of how there was a pot of gold on top of the roof and if a person climbed the ladder they could reach it. But as the person climbed the ladder the rungs got further and further apart until the top rung which was physically impossible to reach. People would try and then give up. But one man kept going, even as the rungs got further. When he reached that top rung, he tried to reach higher, even though it was impossible...and then a magnet pulled him to the top. This is the lesson of Yosef, he tried and Hashem helped him when he could not do any more.

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

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas 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.

In Bereishis 34:7 the Torah mentions the reaction of Ya'akov's sons to the news of Shechem's raping of their sister Dina. The Torah uses the words "Nivalah Asah" - an abomination took place as well as the language "V'Chen Lo Ye'aseh" - and this should not be done.

R' Frand quoted the Beis HaLevi who took note of the two seemingly different negative statements about the act. He observed that if Shechem was asked how he could have done this to the daughter of a great man like Ya'akov, he could have responded that he did not know that this was Ya'akov's daughter. Thus the pasuk is saying - this should not be done to any woman, and even though you may have not have known the stature of the family, you are being held fully responsible for your actions.

The Beis HaLevi brought a proof from a Gemara in Bava Kamma which discusses a person who was given a coin to watch. The person was told that it was a silver coin, but in reality it was a gold coin. When he was negligent and the coin was lost, he was only required to reimburse the owner for the value of a silver coin. But if he actively damaged the coin, he must pay for a gold coin, even though he was told it was only silver. Why? Because once someone intentionally acts, he is held accountable even for things that he was unaware of. This is why Shechem's protest that he did not know is disregarded. He may not have known that she was Ya'akov's daughter, but she was someone's daughter and should never have been violated.

R' Frand linked this to an actual story involving the Beis HaLevi. He was once travelling incognito and needed to stay at an inn. When he arrived, the inn keeper did not know that he was anything other than a stam Jew, so he gave him a simple room. Some time later a Chassidish Rebbi shows up with his entourage. The inn keeper did not have enough room for all the people travelling with the Rebbi, so he told the Beis HaLevi that he would need to find another inn. The Beis HaLevi left and begin looking for alternate lodging, but was unsuccessful. He returned to the inn and the inn keeper begrudgingly allowed him to sleep in the hallway.

The next morning, the Rebbi wanted to make a minyan, but was short. He asked the inn keeper who remembered that there was a stam Jew in the hallway. When the Beis HaLevi walked into the minyan, the Rebbi rose and gave him an especially honorable welcome. The inn keeper was aghast and begged the Beis HaLevi's forgiveness. The Beis HaLevi admonished him - you did not know that I was the Beis HaLevi, but you should never have treated any Jew that way. Thus, while you were unaware that you were dishonoring a Torah scholar, you are still held liable for showing disrespect because you never should treat a fellow Jew this way and you are therefore on  the hook for things you did not know 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!

Sunday Night Suds - Saranac Oatmeal Stout

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Saranac Oatmeal Stout.

The Oatmeal Stout is one of the two new beers in the Beers of Winter Mix box. Along with winter staples Seasons Best (reviewed here  https://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2009/05/sunday-night-suds-saranac-brown-ale.html) and Big Moose Ale (reviewed here  https://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2009/11/sunday-night-suds-saranac-big-moose-ale.html), Saranac has also introduced the Oatmeal Stout and Clouded Dream IPA.

The Oatmeal Stout style is one of my favorite winter beers but there have only been two which have been under kosher supervision (at least by my memory) - the Stockyard Oatmeal Stout (reviewed here https://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2010/08/sunday-night-suds-stockyard-oatmeal.html ) and Blue Moon's Cappuccino Oatmeal Stout (reviewed here  https://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2015/12/sunday-night-suds-blue-moon-cappuccino.html) which has not been produced in recent years.

As explained by the gurus at BA:

The addition of oatmeal adds a smooth, rich body to the Oatmeal Stout. This beer style is dark brown to black in color. Roasted malt character is caramel-like and chocolate-like, and should be smooth and not bitter. Coffee-like roasted barley and malt aromas are prominent. This low- to medium-alcohol style is packed with darker malt flavors and a rich and oily body from oatmeal.

The Saranac Oatmeal Stout is true to form in color as it poured jet black with a bit of tan lacing which was still present an hour later. The stout character was there and I could taste a little bit of the oatmeal, but I wanted more. I did not pair this with dinner as Mrs KB and I had a program to attend after dinner and I did not have my brew until after we returned. But with three of each style in the box, there is a cholent waiting for this brew.

Saranac Oatmeal Stout is under the Kosher Supervision of the Va'ad of Detroit as is every other beer produced at the Matt Brewery plant in Utica, NY. Keep in mind, Saranac has begun to brew many different varieties off site, so check bottles for kosher certification from the Va'ad of Detroit.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about the brew, please follow this link https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/99/26619.

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).

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'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.

R' Frand began the vort by quoting the famous Medrash in Eicha in which the patriarchs individually prayed that Hashem would end the galus. This began with Avraham praying and saying that in the z'chus of his sacrificing Yitzchak, Hashem should end the galus and Hashem said, no. Yitzchak then prayed and said that the galus should end in the z'chus that he did not challenge his father over the akeidah and Hashem said, no. Ya'akov too prayed and asked for the end of galus in the z'chus of his actions in the house of Lavan and Hashem said, no. Even Moshe prayed and asked that the galus end in the z'chus that he led the Jews in the desert for 40 years and Hashem said, no. Until Rochel prayed and said that the galus should end in the z'chus that she gave her sister the signs and helped her trick Ya'akov so that Leah would not be embarrassed, and for this Hashem agreed that there would be an end.

Although I had heard this Medrash from R' Frand before, he added a little more to his discussion of Rochel's plea. He mentioned that Rochel said to Hashem - I loved my husband and we made signs so that my father would not be able to trick Ya'akov. But I had rachmanos on my sister and gave her the signs so that she would not be embarrassed. And I am flesh and blood and I had rachmanos on my sister. You are not flesh and blood, but You are jealous of the idol which was brought into the first Beis Hamikdash? Hashem responded - I will have rachmanos and there will be an end to the galus.

R' Frand quoted R' Elya Baruch Finkel who asked - if Akeidas Yitzchak was not enough to convince Hashem to end the galus, why do we pray on Rosh Hashanah that the Akediah should be remembered with mercy? Instead we should pray that Rochel's giving the signs to her sister should be remembered!

R' Frand gave an introduction to his answer by first noting that Rochel was answered because she was m'vater. And a person does not get credit for being m'vater if they are wrong, they get rewarded for remaining quiet when they are right.  This was why Rochel was answered, because she brought a tzarah - a rival - into her house and was m'vater on her husband. R' Frand observed that a tzarah is a difficult situation to deal with and it was for this reason that R' Gershon banned multiple wives for Ashekenzic jewry. 

Furthermore, by allowing Leah to marry first, Rochel put herself in the vulnerable position of being the first wife's sister. According to post Sinai law, a man is not allowed to marry sisters and must divorce the second. The meforshim are bothered by how Ya'akov who kept the entire Torah could have married sisters, and the Ramban answers that he kept the entire Torah inside the land of Israel...which is why Rochel died as they were approaching the land of Israel. By giving the signs to her sister, she hastened her own death and even caused herself to be buried separate from her beloved. 

R' Frand also observed that in the story of the duda'im flowers, when Leah says to her in Bereishis 30:15 - that "you have taken my husband", Rochel again is quiet when she could have said - how do you have the nerve to say "my husband." The Ba'alei Musar learn that Leah did not even know that she was being taught the signs which were the code words uttered in their marital chamber of nidah, challah and hadlakas ha'ner. These were taught to her surreptitiously by Rochel, who kept the true purpose from Leah as to not embarrass her. 

R' Frand stated that this is the reason that we don't mention Rochel and we do mention the akeidah. The akeidah itself was a greater zechus for klal yisrael, but the act of being m'vater was parallel to the situation that Hashem was k'vaychol dealing with. Rochel said to Hashem - this idol cannot be a greater tzarah to You then me allowing my sister to marry by husband and Hashem responded yes, you were merachem and so will I.

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Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Toldos

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 27:9 the Torah recites Rivka's instruction to her son Ya'akov to take two goats to be used as the food for Yitzchak. The Medrash Rabbah writes that this instruction from Rivkah included the added component that the goats would be good for him now and in the future. It would be good for him now because he would receive the beracha from his father and good for the Jews in the future as they will bring two goats on Yom Kippur.

But what is the connection between the berachos that Ya'akov received here and the avodah on Yom Kippur?

R' Frand next quoted another Medrash Rabbah on the pasuk in Bereishis 27:37 which states that when Eisav heard that Ya'akov had received the beracha, he let out a terrible and bitter scream. The Medrash Rabbah quotes R' Chanina who states that anyone who says that Hashem is a Vatran is mistaken, since Ya'akov's descendants were punished for his causing Eisav to have a terrible scream as Mordechai was caused to let out a bitter great scream in Megillas Esther.

Again, what is the connection? Additionally, the Torah states in Bereshis 27:37 that Yitzchak trembled greatly when he realized what had happened. So why was Ya'akov not punished for this?

R' Frand answered by quoting the Netziv who states that there is nothing that Hashem creates and no middah or aspect which is truly and completely bad. By way of example, radiation is deadly and one needs protection from radiation. Yet, radiation in certain controlled settings can cure cancer. Similarly, the powers of Tumah have a specific place and are even the subject of a sacrifice on Yom Kippur (the Se'ir L'Azazel). While no one can independently sacrifice to Tumah, on Yom Kippur there is a direction to do so. 

Ya'akov was directed by his mother to do an act of deception. By linking this to the Sei'r L'Azazel, of Yom Kippur, Rivka was instructing him that this is good for you now and you should know that sometimes there is a time and a need for the Kochos Ha'Tumah. 

So why was he punished? Because when a person does an Aveirah Lishma it must be done without personal gain or the slightest ulterior motive. A person is required to be truthful when asked about a potential shidduch, but that does not mean that he should expose and humiliate the candidate. Although we don't understand how, apparently Ya'akov's act was not 100% lishma and for this reason, Mordechai was caused to let out his own great scream thousands of years later. However, Ya'akov had no intent in any way to harm his father or personal gain from causing him fear, thus he is not punished for causing his father to tremble.

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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.

At the tail end of the 67 pesukim in which the Torah tells the story of Eliezer' quest to find a bride for Yitzchak, the Torah recounts the blessing which Lavan gives his sister. In Bereishis 24:60 Lavan blesses his sister and says that she should be "L'alfei Rivava". But even beyond wishing that her offspring multiply, he adds that they should inherit their enemies.

R' Frand noted that Minhag Yisrael has developed that the father of the bride gives this blessing to his daughter at the badekin (although the Kitzur writes that the elders of the city give the beracha, the concept is the same). But the meforshim struggle with why this beracha is given. Lavan is certainly not a good guy, why are his words the beracha that is given on this joyous day? R' Frand noted that the Mahashal would not say Mah Tovu when entering a shul because those words were uttered by Bila'am Harasha. So why is this our minhag?

R' Frand offered a solution that perhaps it has to do with Lavan offering the beracha of multiplying, even though he was not happy about the shidduch. He theorized, what would be the reaction of a secular man who saw his sister marrying a chassid and entering that lifestyle? And yet with that, and the pain which he felt at seeing this, he still gave her this beracha for success.

Perhaps this is the reason that we use this beracha. because if Lavan could look past his personal feelings and wish his sister (prophetically) that her offspring would inherit its enemies, we hope that our children will only have the best for them as well.

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Sunday Night Suds - Samuel Adams Octoberfest

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Samuel Adams Octoberfest Lager.

As I mentioned last week when reviewing the Samuel Adams Spruce Lager (reviewed here http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2018/10/sunday-night-suds-samuel-adams-spruce.html) I was shocked when I realized that I had never reviewed the Octoberfest, even though I have had more than a few of them over the last twenty or so years that they have been making it. But somehow I must have missed it, so no time like the present. Especially while it is still October!

Octoberfest beers fall in the Marzen category which used to mean that before refrigeration they would brew these beers in March and then put in what passed for "cold storage" through the spring and summer. B'H that's not the process any longer, but the style of beer which leans on the malts for its flavor is still going strong. This beer is no exception and the caramel notes of the malt are prominent. The alcohol content at 5.3% is on the low end of the scale for an Octoberfest, but the beer does not taste "light."

The Octoberfest 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/35/102.

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).

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'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 this week's Parsha, the Torah repeats Avraham's conversation with Hashem, wherein he davens to save the people of Sodom. The Medrash Rabbah ties the prayer to a pasuk in Tehillim 45:8 which reads "You love righteousness and hate wickedness, therefore has Hashem, your Hashem anointed you with oil of joy from among your peers." The Medrash Rabbah states that the subject of the love of righteousness was Avraham who prayed for Hashem to save Sodom. In so doing Hashem was saying even though Avraham himself loves what is right and hates what is wrong, when Avraham petitioned on behalf of the people of Sodom, you love to give a zechus to save My creations and hate to discuss their evil deeds.

R' Frand opined that one would think that since Hashem was about to destroy Sodom, he would say to Avraham - what are you doing? But even though that was Hashem's decree, he praised Avraham for trying to save His creations. And when a person tries to teach a zechus for Klal Yisrael, Hashem truly appreciates.

R' Frand mentioned a story involving R' Levi Yitzchak M'Barditchev. He once passed by a Jew who was oiling a wagon while wearing tefillin. While other people looked on in disgust, saying how can he oil the wagon, while wearing tefillin, R' Levi Yitzchak said - who are like Your people, even when they oil the wagon they wear your tefillin. Hashem appreciates this limud.

R' Frand also told a story about R' Yosef Chaim Zonnenfeld who once walked by a Chiloni school and saw children playing in the playground. He gave a beracha - that Hashem should multiply them by a thousand. The people who were with him asked how he could say this? He responded that he was talking to Hashem, but when talking to them you give them mussar. But there is no contradiction. To them, we want change. But Hashem loves when we praise His children to him.

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Sunday Night Suds - Samuel Adams Spruce Lager

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Samuel Adam Spruce Lager.

The Spruce Lager is one of the two new beers included in the Samuel Adams Beers of Fall 2018 mix box, which also includes the flagship Boston Lager (reviewed here https://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2013/04/sunday-night-suds-samuel-adams-boston.html); annual entries Octoberfest (surprisingly never reviewed); Black Lager (reviewed here https://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2009/01/sunday-night-suds-samuel-adams-black.html); a reintroduced old friend in Pumpkin Ale  (reviewed here https://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2014/03/sunday-night-suds-samuel-adams-harvest.html); the Spruce Lager and a new Coffee Pale Ale.

The Spruce Lager indicates on the label that it is a beer which is brewed with "spruce tips." I'm not sure what spruce tips are, but if even if they are part of the tree, they have not imparted a pleasant taste to this beer. If the folks at Boston Beer were looking to hop up this lager they have not succeeded. The beer has the look of a lager when poured, but the spruce has added a syrupy flavor which was not welcome. I also tried this with some grilled chicken which usually is an easy pairing, but the flavors did not work together. Well, at least I only have two bottles of this in the mix box.

The Spruce Lager 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/35/348243.

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).

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'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.

R' Frand started the vort by quoting a pasuk in the discussion of the war between the 4 kings and the 5 kings. In Bereishis 14:12 it states that while they captured Sodom, they also captured Lot and his possessions, the son of the brother of Avraham. But the diagram of the sentence is curious, as R' Frand said that it has a "misplaced modifier." Why is the fact that Lot is the son of the brother of Avraham placed after the mention that the kings took his possessions?

R' Frand first gave an introduction about Lot before answering the question. He said that a good Shabbos table discussion is - whether Lot was a Tzaddik. The Gemara in Berachos recites that if someone sees Lot and his wife he would make two blessings. On seeing Lot's wife, one would say "Baruch Dayan Ha'Emes" and upon seeing Lot one would say "Baruch Zocher HaTzaddikim."

R' Frand also quoted a Chazal about the angels saving Lot in Sodom. Lot responds to the angels when they want to save him and he asks them to stop. The Gemara in Shavuous states that Lot stopped to daven on behalf of the City of Mitzor because it was created a year after Sodom and had not committed the same number of sins. R' Frand cited to R' Yerucham of the Mirrer Yeshiva who observed that Lot was running for his life at the time, yet he stopped because he wanted to pray for the city - this is an act of Tzidkus. 

R' Frand quoted the Targum which observed that Sarah did not want to leave her homeland to go with Avraham, but she went with her husband. But Lot had no problem to leave everything behind to go with Avraham. And Avraham repaid this kindness by travelling to save Lot.

But with all this, when Lot decided to leave Avraham, Avraham threw him out! Why did he change his heart about Lot? And why did Lot say that he did not want to be with Avraham or his God? Because Lot was a Rasha at his heart and this came out in the fight between the shepherds. Avraham muzzled his cattle so that they would not eat other's foods and Lot said why bother doing this? Avraham looked at this and said - Lot has yetzer hara for money and that was why he picked Sodom to begin with. This desire for money altered Lot's view of the world and Avraham said, I can't live near this person because it will rub off on me. I love you, but I can't live near you.

To this Lot said, I don't want to live near him. R' Schwalb explains that this gives color to why the fact that he was Avraham's nephew was mentioned at the end of the pasuk. Because Lot's money and possessions literally came between him and Avraham.

R' Frand also noted that when Lot and Avraham separated from each other, the pasuk states in Bereishis 13:6 that they could not live together because they had a lot of money and they could not live together. R' Frand explained that the reason that they could not live together was mentioned twice was because the feeling was mutual. Avraham did not want to live near Lot and Lot did not want to live near Avraham. But while it was fairly obvious why Avraham did not want to live near Lot, why was Lot not interested in staying near Avraham?

R' Frand answered that Lot did not want to live near Avraham because he felt guilty when he saw him. A person does not want to be reminded of his flaws and seeing Avraham muzzle his livestock just reminded Lot of the wrongs he was allowing to be committed. So Lot went to Sodom where people were like him and no one cared about the possessions of others.

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Sunday Night Suds - New Belgium The Hemperor HPA

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at New Belgium's The Hemperor HPA.

No, HPA is not a new style of beer (yet), but The Hemperor HPA is an interesting combination of beer and Hemp seeds. As discussed by the New Belgium brewers

With the popularity of hoppy beers, our brewers are always on the lookout for different hop varieties and the complexities and flavors new strains can bring. That’s where hemp comes into the picture. Without getting too nerdy, we found a unique way to recreate hemp terpene flavors in a beer, which complement the inclusion of hop flavors and hemp hearts (seeds) in a brand new, delicious way—not to mention this beer is extremely dank! The flavors and aromas are so unique that it’s a style unto itself, hence HPA.

I can't remember if I picked this up at the Total Wine & Liquor outlet in Westbury, NY or Oliver's in Albany, but one way or the other I did buy it in New York...which means that there is no THC in it. Also, given that the beer is kosher certified by the Vaad of Denver (which I verified with the mashgiach who also recommended the beer) I am doubly certain that the beer does not have any plant derived hallucinogen properties.

What I can tell about the beer is that it has an interesting twist on the traditional IPA. You can definitely taste the hops and some alcohol bite from the 7% abv, but there are some other floral notes which I was unfamiliar with and even a little breadiness which I was not expecting. At 10.99 for a four pack the beer is a little pricey and I think I paid 3.99 for a single, but if you are looking to try an off the beaten path IPA it might be worth your while.

The New Belgium The Hemperor HPA is under kosher supervision by the Scroll-K/Va'ad of Denver, and their symbol is on the bottom of the six pack holder. However, not every brew produced by New Belgium is under kosher supervision.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about The Hemperor HPA, click here https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/192/326798.

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

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

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

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas 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.

In Bereishis 10:25 the Torah states that Eiver had two children, one of which was Peleg and the other Yaktan. R' Frand commented that this is the kind of pasuk which a person reads in Shnaim Mikra and forgets immediately when he moves on to the next pasuk. The following pasuk then lists (by name) all thirteen of Yaktan's sons. R' Frand quoted Rashi who stated that the reason that Yaktan was zoche to have 13 sons because he was a humble person and he used to minimize himself.

R' Frand joked that apparently Rashi is teaching that being humble is a segulah to have children. But then he asked - what does his being humble have to with having children?

R' Frand next quoted the Rabbeinu B'Chaye who observes that in the Tenth Perek there are 70 names of people and that these 70 people were the ancestors of the 70 nations of the world. But if this is the case, not only did Yaktan have 13 sons, he also had roughly 20% of the nations of the world, since his 13 children were 13 out of the 70 nations of the world. 

R' Frand also observed that each nation is different from other nations. So how did Yaktan's children wind up so markedly different than they resulted in thirteen different peoples?

R' Frand then asked if Yaktan's zechus was because he humbled himself, why was he not called Katan?

R' Frand answered these questions by quoting the Tolner Rebbi who explained that the way to raise children is not to view them as extensions or clones of himself. Furthermore, according to the Tanna Dvei Eliyahyu the way to be successful as a person is to be an Anav, but even more so in the house, that a person should not act as the master of his children and order them around.

According to the Tolner Rebbi, the message of Rashi is that if a person wants to be a successful parent he needs to be a Yaktan, allowing his children to grow individually without being domineering.

R' Frand finished the vort by stating what he called a Chassidish view of why Yaktan was called Yaktan instead of Katan. He observed that the use of the Yud in front of a word transposes the verb from past to future. What Chazal is saying is that Yaktan's entire direction, today, tomorrow and the next day was to be an anav. In this way he was zoche to 13 nations.

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Sunday Night Suds - Joseph's Brau Drive Thru Red Dry Hopped Red Ale

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Joseph's Brau Drive Thru Red Dry Hopped Red Ale.

For the uninitiated, Joseph's Brau beers are the Gordon Biersch brewed beers sold at Trader Joes. They usually run 6.99 per six pack and there is no upcharge for buying singles. Many of the Joseph's Brau are under the Vaa'd of Detroit including the Drive Thur Red and some other quality brews such as the Black Toad (reviewed here https://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2010/09/sunday-night-suds-josephs-brau-black.html) and Stockyard Oatmeal Stout (reviewed here https://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2010/08/sunday-night-suds-stockyard-oatmeal.html).

Although the TJ beers are usually above average quality...this one was not.

In fairness, I was unable to tell if this just happened to be a skunky beer due to poor storage in my home or at the local TJ's, but this tasted like a beer which was at least six months past its prime, even though the expiration date was January 2019.

I went on the beer advocate website looking for other people's thoughts on this, at least in the hope that someone had a positive experience with it, but the most recent reviews were uniformly poor. So at best I can tell you that it's 7.2% abv and, well, that;s about it. If you had a better experience, please post it in the comments below.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about the brew, please follow this link www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/10707/295797.

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).

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'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 quoted the pasuk in Bereishis 2:18 where Hashem said that it is not good for man to be alone and Hashem said He will make him a mate. Rashi explains based on a Pirkei D'Rebbi Elazar that there is only one Hashem in the heavens and if there is only one man below, people will think that there are two in control - one in the heavens and Adam controls life below.

R' Frand remarked that the problem with the vort is that the pasuk does not say that. If this was the case, the pasuk should have said that Hashem was making a second to the pair. Instead, the pasuk says that Chava was a helpmate - she had this as a job.

R' Frand quoted R' Elya Baruch Finkel who cited R' Chaim Shmulevetz based on a gemara in Avodah Zarah that R' Chanina Ben Tradyon had a gezera against him because he uttered the Shem Hamiyuchad in another language. How did he do this, especially since the gemara in Sanhedrin says that one who does this loses his place in the World to Come! They answer that this was for teaching purposes, but Hashem is midukdak with Tzaddikim. The gemara in Avodah Zarah teaches also that his wife died as well. But why? R' Frand supposed - should R' Moshe Feinstein's wife have told him he was wrong? Why is she condemned to death for not arguing with her husband.

R' Chaim answered that we see that women have an intuition of the smell test. It may be right halachically, but it just does not look right. And when you are on that high a level, you have a wife that can intuit it as well. We find this in Tanach by the wife of On ben Peles in Parshas Korach. Or where Rivkah engineers that the bracha should go to Yaakov, instead of Yitzchak's intent to give it to Esav.

This then answers the question which started the vort. Rashi says that people should not have the mistake that just as there is One above there is one below and therefore there is a helpmate. Why? Because her role is to make sure that people dont make mistakes about who is in control and to make sure that her husband does not make a mistake. Her role is not merely to do chores or help with the kids, it is to help him avoid mistakes.

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Sunday's Sukkos Thoughts and Musings on Ha'azinu

With Sukkos almost here and the beer still chilling for the Sunday Night Suds in the Sukkah, I will obviously be unable to post the beer review for this week. However, I heard a vort yesterday in Mikor in Chicago from R' Schechter which really struck a chord with me and I would like to try to summarize it here. 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' Schechter.

I heard this vort after davening of Shabbos Parshas Ha'azinu and it has an interesting connection between the parsha, the Chag and the noble figures of Moshe and Aharon. In Devarim 32:48-52 the Torah repeats Hashem's instructions to Moshe about Moshe's death. Specifically, in Devarim 32:50, Moshe is told "U'Mus" to die on the mountain where he will then be gathered ("He'Asef") in to his people (a symbol for death), just as Aharon dies and was gathered in to his people.

R' Schechter first quoted Rashi who notes that Moshe desired to die the same way that Aharon died through Missas Neshika. Rash actually goes through a step by step recount of how Aharon dies, although this is not discussed discussed in detail at all in Parshas Chukas where the Torah merely states that Moshe removed Aharon's priestly garments and dressed Elazar in them before stating that Aharon died on the mountain.

Instead, in Ha'azinu, Rashi explains that after the priestly clothing was removed, Aharon was told to put out his hands, and he did, to put out his legs and he did, to close his eyes and he did and to close his mouth and he did. It is an interesting focus on the process which to my knowledge is not discussed in any gemara.

R' Schecter then asked - why the double language of Mus and He'Asef? He answered that Moshe and Aharon wanted to have a connection to Sukkos and the concept of the Ushpizin in the Sukkah. He quoted the Dumbrovner Rav (I have nothing on this other than him being a Rav from the City of Dumbrov). He explained that the death of Aharon and Moshe are eternally linked to Sukkos - the Chag Ha'Asif, by their roles as Ushpizin. Both Moshe & Aharon have nights, which by most minhagim are ordered as Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Moshe, Aharon, Yosef and then Dovid. (As my father pointed out to me today, there are some who have Yosef before Moshe, so this vort wont work for their tradition, but oh well).

Under this traditional schedule, Moshe is the 4th day of Sukkos and Aharon is the 5th day. This year that means that they will be on Thursday and Friday since Sukkos starts on Sunday Night/Monday as day 1. As told by the Dumbrovner, the day of the week that they are in the sukkah as the Ushpizin for that night is the same day of the week as their yahrtzeit. We know that Moshe dies on 7 Adar which this year was on a Thursday. And we also know that Aharon died on Rosh Chodesh Av which this year was a Friday. Sure enough, their days to visit the Sukkah are Thursday (Moshe) and Friday (Aharon).

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Monday's Musings on Teshuva - The Rabbi Frand 5779 Teshuva Derasha - Part II

The following is a second installation of a summary of some thoughts said by Rabbi Frand in his teshuva derasha shown last week in Baltimore. (The first summary can be found here http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2018/09/thursdays-thoughts-on-teshuva-rabbi.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 then gave another way to increase emunah which he called more profound. To do so is to be more dependent on Hashem and He will respond in kind. Because we need to realize that its not up to me, its up to Him and the more that I rely on Him, the more He will help. A person needs to do his hishtadlus, but after that he needs to put it in Hashem's hands.

R' Frand quoted a Gra on Tehillim which discusses the relationship between a nursing mother and a baby. The more baby is willing to nurse, the more the mother will give the baby. This is what David HaMelech says in Tehillim where he says that his soul is connected to Hashem like a nursing baby. The more that I am dependent on Hashem, the more that he will respond in kind. But the opposite is true as well. R' Frand quoted the Chovos HaLevavos who writes that the more dependent a person is on a man, be it his boss or a doctor, the less that Hashem will respond. We all say that Hashem provides the paransah and the doctor heals with Hashem's permission, but do we really believe it?

R' Frand quoted a story from R Yechiel Tauber's sefer on Emunah. R' Tauber's grandparents had a soda factory in Czechoslovakia. They had a policy that they would not fill orders after noon on Friday. One Friday a massive order came in on a Friday afternoon and his grandmother begged his grandfather to take the order. He said, no - we have a policy. She said that the factory was struggling and that the order would really help, it was a bracha from Hashem! He responded that Hashem would not be sending this if the order required them to work on Friday afternoon. R' Frand remarked that was putting his money where his mouth is.

R' Frand told another story about R' Belsky who was rushed to Maimonides Hospital and was diagnosed with a ruptured abdominal aorta. They found him a Jewish surgeon who was going to perform the surgery. But then, the askanim of Boro Park decided that he could be better treated at NYU and they located the best cardiothoracic surgeon to do the surgery. When they told R' Belsky he was being transferred he adamantly opposed to being transferred. He said that it was an issue of kavod habrios and they could not make this Jewish surgeon feel insufficient. As long as he had a competent surgeon -- that together with kavod habrios would be good enough because you dont embarrass another person. That is putting your life in Hashem's hands.

R' Frand quotes the baruch hagever and asked what does mifatcho mean? He answered that is making Hashem your insurance, as this is the common word for it in modern Hebrew.

R' Frand remarked that we all want to be like that and to be serene without being consumed with worry. We daven for this three times a day in Shemoneh Esreh. People know what Barech Aleinu and Shema Koleinu and Refa'einu are about. But we don't think about what the Al HaTzaddikim beracha means, where we talk about those who have bitachon in Hashem and we ask "V'sim Chelkaynu Imahem" --we want to be like those people. We wish for less worry and to have that level of bitachon.

R' Frand noted that if a person can achieve that balance between hishtadlus (underscoring that a person can't sit back - they need to do due diligence, be it checking out the business opportunity, or shidduch or doctor) and reliance.

R' Frand quoted a sefer by Esther Stern about R' Michel Feinstein whose daughter was having an asthma attack. They looked high and low for the child's nebulizer but could not find one and the child died before the ambulance could get her to the hospital. In preparing for the funeral they found 3 nebulizers under the child's bed and were inconsolable. How could they have missed it? R' Yaakov Galinski, the maggid of Yerushalayim came to be menachem avel. He reminded him of what they had learned together in the Lamzer Yeshiva - a person is required to do hishtadlus about the future. But after something has transpired a person should not feel remorse about the past. And to say what if I had done this or this (what he called coulda, shoulda, wouda) is heresy. For whatever His reason is, Hashem said that it was time for that girl to die and sometimes Hashem gives people the sechel to make the wrong decision. This gave R' Michel Feinstein solace.

R' Frand told a story of R' Mendel Futerfass who survived Siberia and made it to Israel. They asked him the secret of how he survived. He answered that he grew up in a small town in Russia and once a tightrope walker came and he walked one way on a rope between mountains. He then asked should I go back again and people said no! But he did. He did it again with his child in a wheelbarrow. They asked the kid, are you afraid and he said - If father is taking care I know it will be OK. Then R' Mendel asked the tightrope walker how he did it? The man responded, I just concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other and taking the next step. R' Mendel said that he concentrated on that when he was in Siberia and just looked at the next step.

R' Frand told an additional story from R' Tauber's book. When R' Tauber was celebrating the Shabbos Sheva Berachos of his youngest daughter, it was Shabbos Shoftim and in speaking he quoted the pasuk Tamim Tehiyeh Im Hashem Elokecha. Rashi states on this - just accept it and don't try to figure out the future, accept what comes. R' Tauber then turned to his father - do you remember the night in the bomb shelter in Budapest. Do you remember when it was you and me and my three brothers in the bomb shelter? Their mother had been deported to Auschwitz and they had been hiding pretending to be non-Jews. The younger brothers did not even know their Hebrew names. Then a blast hit the shelter and his father fell to the ground, unconscious.  When he awoke he told R' Yechiel who was then six years old what he believed what his last will and testament. Your mother has gone to Auschwitz, but dont worry as Hashem takes care of orphans. Your brothers Hebrew names are...  R' Tauber then turned to his father and said that if a prophet came to you in the bomb shelter and said that you and your wife would survive the war and have 5 more children and that 50 years later you would be sitting in Monsey, NY at the Shabbos Sheva Berachos of your granddaughter would you have believed it? And his father replied with an emphatic- NO. But it happened and that was what Rashi means by dont try to figure out the future.

R' Galinski was at his grandson's Sheva Berachos in Jerusalem and gave the following speech - I never understood the pasuk in Tehillim my salvation is far from my pleas. When I was in Siberia I was punished for keeping Shabbos and they made me stand out in the cold. I saw the dogs had dog houses and I crawled in to huddle with the dog to try to stay warm. And the next morning they threw bread to the dogs and I prayed that I could have a piece of dog bread- that was all I wanted. And now, my salvation is so far from my prayer - I am in Jerusalem at my grandson's Sheva Berachos.

R' Frand told a story about a person in Baltimore who lived her life that way. Mrs Jacobowitz had stage 4 cancer for 11 years and her children did not know that she was undergoing treatment. Anyone who knew her knew that she was vibrant and always going here and there and doing for other people. Meanwhile raising 10 children and she never let on and she never looked sad or worried. R' Frand asked Dr Jacobowitz - did you ever see this Rashi? He responded that when he first saw the diagnosis he showed them to another doctor who said that she only had months. How did she do it? She took one day at a time and lived it to the fullest. This was a woman who lived among them on Yeshiva Lane and she had emunah and that is what we daven for.

R' Frand said that if we work on that emunah, then after 120 years we can answer the question - Yes, we did work on our emunah.

Gmar Chasima Tova.

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Sunday Night Suds - Saranac Belgian White 100 Calories

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Saranac Belgian White 100.

After reviewing a light beer that did not taste like a light beer over Labor Day weekend (https://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2018/09/sunday-night-suds-shiner-light-blonde.html), this week 's post looks at a light beer which definitely does taste like a light beer.

The Saranac Belgian White poured a cloudy white with some phenols and coriander scent, but that's where the similarity to a true Belgian White ends. This beer is thin and has virtually no body or hops. Its almost like a seltzer with spices and food coloring, but there is no alcohol kick or taste. I shared some with Mrs KB as part of her b-day dinner, but she was not very enthused. At least the food was good...

Saranac Belgian White 100 is under the Kashrus Supervision of the Va'ad of Detroit as is every other beer produced at the Matt Brewery plant in Utica, NY. Keep in mind, Saranac brews many different varieties off site, so check bottles for kosher certification from the Va'ad of Detroit.

While this would normally be the juncture in the post where I would suggest that you click on a link at Beer Advocate to see their reviews, for some reason its not listed there. (If you can find a review on BA, post it in the comments below).

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).

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's Thoughts on Teshuva - The Rabbi Frand 5779 Teshuva Derasha - Part I

The following is a summary of some of the thoughts said by Rabbi Frand in his teshuva derasha shown live this evening from Baltimore. 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 began the shiur by noting that this year on Rosh Hashanah, we look around the room and see some empty seats which were previously filled by beloved members of the community. We realize that the previous Rosh Hashanah, Hashem decreed that these people finished their mission on this earth this year. And when they leave this world they face a Yom HaDin which is much scarier than the earthly Rosh Hashanah. would not make it to this year's Rosh Hashanah...

R' Frand made reference to the U'Nesaneh Tokef tefillah which contains a sentence "U'Malachim Yechafeisun." According to some poskim, the language of this sentence are actually describing the test which is given after 120 years and it is a "final exam" much scarier than our school tests. But unlike the tests given in school, we have been given the questions in advance. This test has only six questions and we can prepare for them. One would think that we can "ace" the test because we know the questions in advance, but that is not possible.

R' Frand quoted the Gemara in Shabbos which contains the 6 questions and recited 4 of them, albeit with the caveat that he would only focus on one question. The questions are Nassata v' Nassata B'Emuna which is commonly explained as - were you honest in business. The next question is did you set aside time for learning Torah. Another questions is were you involved in having children. R' Frand remarked that fulfilling this aspect is not dependent on having children as some people are biologically prevented from doing so. But instead the question asked is - did you try, and if you were unsuccessful did you donate money to organizations such as Bonei Olam or ATime which help infertile couples, or did you try to make shiduchim. The final question R' Frand mentioned was - were you eagerly anticipating Moshiach.

R' Frand focused on the first of these questions, albeit with an "unconventional" (my word, not his) view of the question. He quoted R' Menachem Mendel of Riminov (sp?) who explained that the question is not about business --it is whether you did anything to improve your emunah during your lifetime? Is your emunah the same as it was when you were 6 or 16?

R' Frand remarked that his grandson asked his mother - Who is Hashem's Tatty? This is a child's view, but our view of emunah must advance beyond that stage.

R' Frand observed that everyone in the audience at the live showing in Baltimore (and by extension everyone at the 60+ TCN sites viewing on-line) must be a ma'aman - a believer in Hashem, because otherwise what are they doing here? They would be watching the Ravens (who are playing in tonight's Thursday Night football game). But even though the people are ma'aminim, there is more to work on.

R' Frand gave the following scenario - are you ever driving in the car on  the highway when you see a state trooper behind you? You gently tap on the brakes and hope that he won't notice you are slowing down. And when the lights come on, does your heart skip a beat...until you see that he is speeding past you because he has bigger fish to fry? If this is your thinking about a Maryland State Trooper who at most will require you to pay a few hundred dollar speeding ticket and cause you a few points on your license, what is your thought when you know that Hashem is beside you in the car and is aware of your every action? Since Hashem is always watching us and always there, how do we ever sin? Because even though we know He is there, we are unable to translate that emunah that he is there into a cognizance that He is there and observing our activities. 

And the question of Nassata V'Nassata B'Emunah is what did you do to work on your emunah to be aware that Hashem is there? 

R' Frand compare this to the playing of piano or golf. In order to succeed, you need to work on and repeat the actions in order to internalize them. This can be seen in the word Emunah which comes from Imun - to work on something. Because Hashem is not able to be simply perceived by our sense of touch or smell or sight or hearing. You need to work on seeing Hashem in your daily light as we see from the pasuk "U'Bikashtem...Ki Sidreshenu" - that a person needs to seek Hashem out. It wont come on its own, you need to so something.

R' Frand quoted a Rebbi who compared it to hide and go seek. A child will hide behind a tree and think, I found a good hiding place. But after a few minutes of hiding, you start to realize that the person isn't looking for you. And that is how Hashem feels when we are not looking for him in our daily lives.

But how does one work on their emunah? R' Frand proposed three ways to do so, and I will do my best to summarize them below.

The first suggestion is to be actively involved in being aware of the Yad Hashem in our daily lives. This makes us aware of the reality of Hashem. When a person sees something, he should write it down in a diary, because over the course of a year, the person will realize all that Hashem has shown Himself.

R' Frand said that every Friday Night he and his wife sit down and discuss how they saw Yad Hashem in their lives that week. For him, its the same - he did not know what he was going to be speaking about, or needed  ma'aseh and suddenly he got an e-mail out of the blue or a call, or someone discussed something with him, and the shiur came together.

R' Frand discussed a family that every year has a Seudas Hoda'ah -- and not on Thanksgiving. At this meal the father reads from a diary in which he wrote down in a notebook over the course of the prior year all the times that he saw Yad Hashem, be it as (seemingly) trivial as a child fell off a bike and was not hurt, to events which were more obviously significant.

R' Frand quoted R' Michel Twersky of Milwaukee who has a slightly different take on this. He quoted the Gemara in Erchin which talks about Yissurin. But these are not only big events and the Gemara discusses what seem to be small events which are still Yissurin. The Gemara first proposes that a person buys new clothes and has them tailored and they don't fit. The Gemara then says that there is even a lesser version which is still Yissurin - when you make a hot drink and the temperature is off and you need to start again. But even lesser still, the Gemara states that when you reach into your pocket to take out one coin denomination and the wrong coin comes out. This is Yissurin and when they come, its Hashem's way of giving a potch and we should be happy that it is a small event such as the tea being cold, or the suit not fitting exactly or needing to reach back into the pocket for a few more dollars.

R' Frand next made reference to a parable to a son of a king who committed a capital crime with a punishment of stoning. The king was in a quandry, he could not stone his son, but he could not let him off the hook either. So his advisers told him to break the boulder that would have been used for stoning into little pebbles and throw them at his son one by one periodically until the boulder was exhausted.

R' Frand remarked that we don't recognize that small inconveniences such as the car not starting or the computer crashing or more tragically not being able to find your cellphone are Hashem's way of giving us these small pebbles instead of much larger tzoros/tzrroros (my pun, not his) and these are for the best. Don't view these as aggravations, Hashem is doing us a favor.

R' Frand said that he tries to employ this, but events do occur...

R' Frand told a story about is recent trip to Barcelona. He mentioned that he flew out of Philadelphia because there are no direct flights from BWI. He was able to sign up with a service that allows you to drive your car to the airport and they then take it from the airport to the garage and watch it for you. For an additional 14.95 the person who drives for you will not even need to be dropped off afterwards and R' Frand sprung for this perk as well.

When R' Frand flew back from Barcelona to Philadelphia he had been flying on very little sleep and he was happy he had signed on for this service. He followed the instructions from the agency and did not call for his car until he had his bags and was at the curb. They told him that it would be 5 minutes, R' Frand stood at the curb in the 91 degree & humid weather and began to wait. Five minutes turned into ten and he said to himself, Hashem must be saving him from something greater and he was thinking of this vort from R' Michel Twersky.

But then fifteen minutes went by and soon twenty. At that point, R' Frand lost his patience. He called the number again and asked where his car was and was told that they would check and put him on hold. They came back and said that they "had to junk the car." He could not believe it, what was the point of the service to drive the car for him if they could unilaterally "junk" the car. He asked again why and they said that it would not start so that they had to "junk" it. R' Frand went back into the terminal and again asked why did they "junk" his car? At this point the service rep's diction improved and he heard that they needed to jump the battery because it would not start.

R' Frand remarked that he tries to be conscious of these small stones, but it is a constant effort.

There was much more to the shiur and I will iyh try to finish the summary in a weekend 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!