Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Ki Sissa

During the winter months, this post is generally a brief summary of some of the thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha. As R' Frand was travelling this evening, the Thursday Night shiur was given by R' Dovid Heber. I have attempted to reproduce R' Heber's vort to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to the maggid shiur.

R' Heber quoted the Sefer V'Dibarta Bam which notes that the Rama on Shulchan Aruch begins Shivisi Hashem L'Negdi Tamid and the Rama on the last siman of Shulchan Aruch (697) which contains the laws of Purim Katan, ends with the statement - "V'Tov Lev Mishte Tamid." We see from this that the Shulchan Aruch begins with the concept that we should have yiras Shamyaim constantly and ends that we should be happy in our worship of Hashem constantly. The life of the Jew should be tamid in this line - Yiras and Ahavas Hashem.

R' Heber more fully developed this thought by explaining that a Jew has certain mitzvos that are tamid, like mezuzah or issurim such as not eating certain foods. However, there are other mitzvos that are infrequent - such as those related to the holiday. This shows that there are certain mitzvos that come once in a while to reinvigorate us, but we cannot live as Jews as once in the while observance, so we have daily mitzvos as well.

R' Heber next quoted the Chasam Sofer on Gemara Megilla 6b which discusses whether it is better to jump to do mitzvos or to wait and do them in a more honorable fashion. The question arises in the context of Purim in a leap year where we see that we could observe Purim in Adar I, but instead it is kept in Adar II -- so that the redemption of Purim will be close to the redemption from Egypt which is celebrated on Pesach. The Chasam Sofer explains that even though Purim is celebrated in Adar II, there is a jumping to do the mitzva in Adar I as we do not have fasts or eulogies on Purim Katan.

R' Heber then quoted the Arguas HaBosem who asks - how is this keeping the miracle and observance of Purim? All we are doing is refraining from fasts and eulogies, but there is little to differentiate it from the day before when we also did not fast or have a eulogy, although the day itself was not anything special.

The Arugas HaBosem answers by noting that there is a minhag to have a little extra in our meal on Purim Katan and we see this in the language of the Rama who says eat the extra food and "Tov Lev Mishte Tamid." A Jew is happy all the time, so what is done on Purim Katan? The extra is a little extra food which is consumed to celebrate Purim Katan.

R' Heber then tied this into this week's pasha through a vort from R' Mordechai Rogoff (sp?). The Torah notes that the luchos were written the same on each side (mizeh u'mizeh haim kesuvim) - this teaches that a Jew must be the same in the house and on the street. The person who is careful to keep kosher at home must carefully keep kosher outside. And the person who makes sure to have a proper self image outside of the home should not disregard his obligations to do mitzvos when he is home and he thinks that no one is looking.

R' Heber also tied this to the megillah where Esther says to Mordechai "Ladas Mazeh V'al Mazeh" - Esther says to Mordechai that inwardly the Jews were keeping the mitzvos, but when they went out they were compromising their religion to impress the Persians, by taking part in Achasveros' feast. 

The Megillah closes with the phrase that the Jews had Orah Simcha Sasson V'Yikar - the gemara learns that the mitzvos including bris millah and tefillin were kept. These were mitzvos that were very private and unseen (millah) and very public (tefillin). The Jews were saved based on mitzvos that were done publicly and privately.

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Monday's Musings on Sports - Does the Price of the Ticket Include a License to be Rude?

A few years back I was driving on a highway near my office when I provoked the ire of the driver of a Mercedes. When I merged from the Clearview Expressway onto the Grand Central Parkway, the Mercedes driver did not feel that he needed to yield to traffic coming on from another highway, but I merged anyway. The driver then pulled along side my car and tried to get my attention. For some reason, I obliged by rolling down my window. After he finished his harangue, I said to him - "nice car, does it come with an option for manners?" The guy turned red in the face and I quickly closed the window.

For fairly obvious reasons, people seem to think that if they pay more money for something, they have the right to be rude. This principle manifested itself (again) this past weekend when a 50 year old fan at a college basketball game allegedly called a student athlete the n-word, and the player reacted by shoving the fan. The player has since been suspended by the NCAA for three games, but the concept that because a fan pays big $$ ticket prices he can be as rude as he desires is the untreated root of the problem. Although a fan would never, ever, say certain things to the athlete if the two of them were alone in a room, when the fan is in the pricey seats at the arena, all rules of civility are broken.

In fairness, these problems are not unique to the high $$ seats. I can recall sitting with my kids in the bleachers at Wrigley Field and cringing every time a fan who was wearing non-Cubs merchandise walked by. The fans were absolutely ruthless and I felt like I needed to either cover my kids' ears or have a serious talk with them about how this conduct was unacceptable. Still, it seems that the problem is more significant and the (non-intoxicated) fans feel more justified when they are paying higher prices for their seats.

The concept that a person's morals can be corrupted based on their sense of entitlement can be seen in the story of Korach. The gemara teaches that Korach was very bright as and also very wealthy. Chazal teach that there were two incredibly wealthy people, Korach and Haman. There is even a yiddish expression "Rich as Korach." Rashi states that Korach even had prestige as he was one of the carriers of the aron kodesh.

But Korach's wealth and power led to his downfall as he challenged Moshe with silly questions because he felt a sense of entitlement to more. As a result of his arrogance and over inflated sense of self worth, Korach harangued Moshe to the point that Hashem caused the Earth to open and swallow him alive.

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Sunday Night Suds - Blue Moon Crimson Crossing

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Blue Moon Crimson Crossing.

I first heard about the Blue Moon Vintage Ale Collection a few years back when the Miller/Coors people began to experiment with adding grape juice to beer. At the time it presented some interesting kashrus and marketing problems for Miller/Coors because they had been making serious efforts to producing kosher products, but the addition of the grape juice meant they were considerably limited with sourcing their ingredients. 

Because Miller/Coors could not meet their need for kosher grape juice when they made their first production run, the original Vintage Ale collection brews were not certified kosher. However, starting in 2013, some of the Vintage Ale products were produced with kosher grape juice and had an OU on their labels.

As I have been mentioning in prior SNS posts, our Yeshiva Week family trip took us through Buffalo and into Canada. Prior to venturing into Canada, we needed to stop at a Redbox to return the entertainment portion of our trip, so I stopped at a Wegmans in Amherst. Since I remembered from my Camp M days that the Wegmans in Binghamton had a decent beer selection, I took a quick recon trip through the beer aisle and came across two Vintage Ale collection beers - the Crimson Crossing and Golden Knot. Although every previous time that I looked at a Vintage Ale bottle I could not find an OU, I looked again, and this time, both were certified kosher. Even though they were $7.99 a bottle, I knew that I had to buy them. Besides, since the bottles are 25.4 oz, you are getting the equivalent of two bottles of beer in each bottle. (Ok, maybe that was not part of my equation, but still...)

This past Shabbos, we had occasion to eat lunch with some friends who appreciate good beer, so I brought the Crimson Crossing to the meal. It was interesting to see how each of the adults who tried it had different takes on what is a unique brew. To me, the beer tasted more like Joyvin Red, a relatively inexpensive sparkling red wine. I tasted a little bit of the trademark Blue Moon essence, but to me there was a very significant flavor from Merlot grapes that were added to the brew. Another guest at the meal thought that the beer was the strongest flavor, while our host Shalom G thought that he could taste the wine at the back end of each sip. Surprisingly, no one commented on the alcohol taste, even though the beer is 9.5% abv.

I cannot really recommend a pairing for this beer because the flavor of the brew really is not beer. I would try this beer again if it came my way, both to see if I developed more of a handle on it and whether it would work with some food pairing.

As discussed above, the Blue Moon Crimson Crossing is certified kosher by the OU, however, prior year's production and other Blue Moon Vintage Ale products may not be kosher, so check the label carefully. For the experts take on the Blue Moon Crimson Crossing, please click here beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/306/97463.

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 Tezaveh

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

Towards the beginning of the parsha, Hashem commands Moshe in Shemos 28:1 to bring Aharon and his sons close to Moshe. It is at this point that Aharon's family becomes designated as the Kohanim who will serve Hashem in the Mishkan and eternally.

R' Frand quoted a curious Medrash Rabbah on a pasuk in Tehillim that when Hashem told Moshe that Aharon's family would be the Kohanim, Moshe was bothered.  Hashem then said to Moshe - why are you upset? I gave you the Torah and without the Torah the world would be destroyed.

R' Frand identified two problems with the Medrash: (1) why was Moshe upset? How could he be jealous of Aharon, especially since Moshe was reluctant to be the leader when the Jews were leaving Egypt because Moshe was worried about hurting Aharon's feelings!

R' Frand's second question was on Hashem's answer to Moshe - how can this make Moshe feel better? And besides, the Torah was given to more than just Moshe!

R' Frand answered by quoting the Sefer Yismach Moshe which R' Frand had been alerted to by R' Avraham Bukspan of Miami. The Yismach Moshe explained that Moshe was upset because he thought that the reason that he was not named Kohen was because there was something wrong with him. Hashem's answer to Moshe was - no because there is nothing wrong with you, you cannot be the Kohain.

R' Frand cited the Yismach Moshe which explained that the Kohain assists those who sinned and have come to do teshuva and bring sacrifices to atone for their mistakes. Hashem said to Moshe - Aharon is better to serve this job because he can say "been there, done that" since Aharon had sinned at the Golden Calf.

This also explains Hashem's answer to Moshe. The gemara describes how when Moshe went up to shamyaim to receive the Torah the angels said - how can a man get the Torah. Hashem then said to Moshe - give them an answer. Moshe responded to them - the Torah says I am Hashem who took you out of Egypt - were you enslaved in Egypt? The Torah says don't worship other gods - do you have access to other gods? The Torah says keep Shabbos and don't work on Shabbos - do you work?

Hashem's answer to Moshe was - you received the Torah because you were able to say to the angels - I was there, I have been there and done that. But that is also why you cannot be the Kohain, because you cannot empathize with those who sinned. But Aharon can.

R' Frand closed the vort by making reference to a pasuk in Shemini (Vayikra 9:7) where Moshe told Aharon to come close to the mizbayach. Rashi on this pasuk explains that Aharon was embarrassed to come near the altar because Aharon had sinned. Moshe then tells Aharon - it was for this reason that you were chosen. In so doing, Moshe demonstrated that he was aware of the reason that he and his brother had their respective positions.

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Monday Musings on Sports - Cheering on your team - give or take?

I have often heard Rabbi Frand discuss how sports is a great unifier, in that it often gives a person common ground to something to speak to a common stranger about. But I recently heard a shiur that explains why people become so heavily invested in their teams and become, dare I say, fanatical sports fans.

In the very beginning of Parshas Terumah, the Torah instructs Moshe to tell the Jews - V'yichu Li Terumah -  "take for me a donation". Many meforshim question why the Torah uses the language of "take", when what the Jews actually are being instructed is to give.

In the recorded shiur that I heard from R' Eli Mansour (available for download on www.learntorah.com), he explains that the language of take was used in order to allow the Jews to have more of an emotional investment in the mishkan process.

Many people like to do for their families, friends and communities. R' Mansour explained that giving is not only about making the other person feel good about the gift they receive. Giving to another person allows the donor to feel good about himself, because he becomes emotionally invested in the other person.

This concept manifests itself in the way that people become fans of a team. By following the team in the media and buying their apparel, the fan becomes invested in the team. Often times, you will hear a caller to a sports radio program use the term "we" or "us." The caller is a not player on the team nor officially affiliated with the management of the organization. But his emotional and often times financial investment gives that person a connection to the team.

This was the purpose of the Torah's language of "take for me" the terumah. By becoming actively involved in the collection and organizational process, the Jews felt closer to the building of the mishkan.

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Sunday Night Suds - Flying Bison Rusty Chain

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Flying Bison's Rusty Chain.

Last week, our winter vacation took us through Buffalo, New York, one of the great (but largely unknown) beer towns of the East Coast. I stopped in a few of the stores which received superior reviews on Beer Advocate and I was not disappointed with the selection and the prices at Consumers and Premier Gourmet. But even the supermarkets have impressive beer selection and I was wowed by the variety of beer at the local Wegman's in Amherst.

When I popped into Wegman's on our way up to Canada, I saw that the beer available to mix your own six pack included Flying Bison Brewery. Flying Bison is only available in the Greater Buffalo/Erie County area, but they are certified kosher and I had always wanted to try them, but I had never seen them before. Given that tonight's Super Bowl is being played between the Seahawks and Broncos, I figured that a brewery which called itself Flying Bison would be the perfect beer to accompany our family's pre-Super Bowl supper.

I chose the Rusty Chain beer for tonight's beer review because it had the quirkiest name of the Flying Bison beers that I purchased. Although the gurus at BA have labelled this beer an American Amber/Red Ale, the beer label indicates that it is a Vienna style beer. This initially gave me pause as I have tried Vienna Lagers and with certain very limited exceptions, I have found that I am not particularly fond of that style. Luckily for me, the Flying Bison was not a Vienna Lager, although I would not say that it reached all the way to Red Ale category either.

The Flying Bison Rusty Chain poured a rich amber with a decent amount of foam which quickly settled back into the glass. There was a decent amount of malt up front, but I did taste some spiciness which could be attributed to the hops. This beer was quite drinkable and did not clash with the chili and hot wings that Mrs KB made for our pre-SB feast. If I could get more of this down here, I would probably buy it by the six pack and experiment with poultry or lightly grilled meats.

Flying Bison Rusty Chain is certified kosher under the Va'ad of Detroit and there is a kosher symbol on the side of the bottle.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about the Flying Bison Rusty Chain, please follow this link www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/702/47193.

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!