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.

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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!