Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Emor

The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts on the parsha that R' Frand spoke about in his shiur tonight. 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 Vayikra 21:12 the Torah states וּמִן־הַמִּקְדָּשׁ֙ לֹ֣א יֵצֵ֔א - that the Kohain Gadol should not leave the Beis HaMikdash. R' Frand quoted the Rambam in Hilchos Klei HaMikdash who writes that the Kohain Gadol had a room in the Beis HaMikdash which was established for his honor and glory as he would stay in the Bais HaMikdash for up to 20 hours at a time. Furthermore, even when he was not in the Bais HaMikdash, he was required to live in Jerusalem.

R' Frand quoted R' Chaim Shmulevitz who connected this with the story of Shimi Ben Gera. When Dovid HaMelech was about to die, he instructed Shlomo on how to "take care" of Shimi for cursing him. The instruction was not to simply kill him, but use your wisdom to do so. Implementing his father's instruction, Shlomo instructed Shimi to build a house in Jerusalem, but you cannot leave it. And on the day that you leave it and pass Nachal Kidron, you will be killed as one who rebels against the king. Shimi swore that he would obey.

Shimi stayed in Jerusalem for three years, but then when his slaves ran away, Shimi chased after them and left Jerusalem. The word got back to Shlomo and he reminded Shimi of his swear and then had him executed. 

The question that R' Chaim asked was - there are many people who live in Jerusalem today who have never left. Its one of the nicest places in the world to live, so why did he leave? Couldn't he have sent someone else to chase down the slaves?

R' Chaim answered that people can stay in one place, as long as they are not required to stay. But if a person is instructed that he can't leave, then he is itching to go.

R' Frand quoted R' Shimshon Pincus who asked - why does the Kohain Gadol not have this problem? Why is he also not itching to leave? He answered that the Kohain Gadol is given this instruction as a badge of honor and the room in the Beis HaMikdash is a sign of prestige.

R' Frand compared this (l'havdil) to the President of the United States. He can't go shopping at Walmart if he wants to get out - he can send the Secret Service to get things for him.

If a person is required to stay because of his honored role, he does not fight it. But if he feels its a burden then he wants to leave.

R' Frand said that there is a take home lesson for us as parents. We give our children rules and they always ask - why am I different? The answer needs to be - because you are special and you have different rules.

R' Frand quoted R' Weinberg who told the story about how the Kohain's son was told he could not play ball with his friends when they were playing on a field next door to a graveyard. But why? Because the ball may wind up in the cemetery and you can't get it. You are special.

If we can convince our children that they are special, they won't feel restricted when told that they cannot do something.

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Sunday Night Suds - Shiner Weisse N'Easy

 

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Shiner Weisse N' Easy.

The Weisse N'Easy is hard to find in a six or twelve pack of its own and I found this in the annual Shiner Brewery Tour 6 pack. Although it seems to be marketed in other areas of the country in small cans (boasting 50 calories per serving), the version in the Brewery Tour is a full sized bottle albeit still low-cal at just 95 calories.

The base of this brew is a wheat beer which is unfiltered. But much like light vanilla ice cream, a little added flavoring can go a long way. For this brew, they add something called "Texas Dewberries" (along with other unspecified natural flavors). I don't know exactly what a Dewberry is, but it tastes like a blackberry which on the rare occasions I have sampled in beer, has worked out nicely. (One of the best was the short lived Blue Moon Blackberry Tart Ale - reviewed here back in 2013 - https://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2013/05/sunday-night-suds-blue-moon-blackberry.html). 

This beer is not something that you would have with pizza, or any super savory meat dish. But if you are looking for something light to have with fish or pasta at a Shalosh Seudos or on Shavuous, this would be a good choice, especially as the beer is only 4.0% abv. 

The Shiner Weisse N'Easy is under the Kosher Supervision of the Va'ad of Detroit although there is no symbol on the the bottle (I did verify with the Va'ad that it was under hashgacha as it was not on the LOC). To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about this brew click here beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/143/464131.

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 - Parshios Acharei Mos-Kedoshim

The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts on the parshios that R' Frand spoke about in his shiur tonight. 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 Vayikra 19:17, the Torah states - לֹֽא־תִשְׂנָ֥א אֶת־אָחִ֖יךָ בִּלְבָבֶ֑ךָ. R' Frand gave an interesting take on the rationale for this mitzva, based on the sefer Milchamos Yehuda, which explained that its instructing you not to hate another because of your sensitive heart.

R' Frand gave an example of someone whose heart feels close to Hashem and it bothers him when he sees someone acting inappropriately towards Hashem. He painted a picture of someone who comes to davening early and dressed in proper attire and he sees someone walk into shul wearing shorts and a tee shirt and baseball cap. He thinks to himself - would this person walk into Court or a business meeting this way?

The limud from the Milchamos Yehuda is that just because you have an elevated level of serving Hashem, dont hate another for not being on your level.

R' Frand tied this into to a pasuk in Divrei HaYamim which states that Hashem seeks and wants all hearts and He understands all people. So don't hate a person who is not on your high level, because Hashem understands all.

R' Frand also tied this into the ma'amar chazal - Havey Dan Es Kol Ha'Adam L'Kaf Zechus - judge all of the person (not every person) to the benefit of the doubt. Because you need to see the whole picture.

R' Frand then told a story about the Chofetz Chayim who was once at an inn where he had a meal. While he was there, another Jew came in and ordered a meal in a gruff manner and looking quite rough around the edges. After he continued to behave in this manner, the Chofetz Chayim was approached by the innkeeper who explained that the man had been conscripted into the Russian army as a small child and this was the result. Many Jews who went through this process converted out, but he had stayed Jewish, albeit with certain rough edges. Armed with this knowledge, the Chofetz Chaim went over to the man and told him that he envied his Olam Haba. Over time the man became close with the Chofetz Chaim and was chozer b'tseshuva.

R' Frand told a more recent story involving a boy who was found smoking in the Ponovich Yeshiva on Shabbos. When they came to R' Shach to ask him to throw the boy out, he asked - do you know his chavrusa, or who his parents are? There must be something going on.

R' Frand then connected this with R' Akiva whose well known statement was V'Ahavta L'Reacha Camocha. R' Frand noted that R' Akiva had the incredible ability to see the good in every sitiuation and perhaps this allowed him to see the good in other people. R' Frand quoted the Gemara in Berachos where R' Akiva could not get a room at the inn and he was forced to go into the field for the night with his candle, chicken and donkey and after losing each item he said Gam Zu L'Tova and he later learned that he had survived a tragedy because of this.

R' Frand tied it into the Gemara which discusses how R' Akiva laughed when he saw the fox leaving the ruin of the Beis Hamikdash - again based on his ability to see the positive in each situation.

R' Frand next quoted R' Yosher Ber Soloveitchik who explained the last mishna in Yoma wherein R' Akiva said Ashreichem Lifnei M'i Atem M'taharim and M'i Mitaher Eschem. R' Akiva had seen what a true Yom Kippur was, complete with the Avodah of the Kohain Gadol on Yom Kippur and he also saw the post Churban Yom Kippur. By saying the Ashreichem, he was telling the Jews - you dont need a Beis HaMikdash to get tahara - because Hashem will be M'taher you Himself.

R' Frand said that this comes from the essence of R' Akiva - he saw 24,000 of his students die, but he did not give up. He took five students and they restarted the learning of the Torah, because he always saw the good and could see the good in every person.

R' Frand quoted the R' Gershom on Bava Basra 12b who said that there was never a person like R' Akiva. R' Frand said that was because R' Akiva always saw the good and could love every single Jew.

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 Irish Golden Pils

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Saranac Brewery's Irish Golden Pils.

This beer is one of three new beers in Saranac's spring Irish Roots mix box, which includes old standard Irish Red (reviewed here - https://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2009/02/sunday-night-suds-saranac-irish-red.html), the Always Hazy Peach IPA (reviewed here -https://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2021/02/sunday-night-suds-saranac-always-hazy.html) as well as Irish Coffee Cream and the Irish Golden Pils.

This beer is a typical pilsner, albeit with Saranac's trademark great carbonation. The beer does not have any noticeable hop bite, nor is there any citrus. There is the usual expected breadiness/malt and as pilsners go, the beer does not taste as weak as a macrobrew. The beer claims to be 5.1% abv, but I can't say that the alcohol content was present, but still was not a lite beer by any means.

The Irish Golden Pils 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 brews some varieties off site, so check the cans/bottles for kosher certification from the Va'ad of Detroit.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about the brew, click you can search on  https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/99/529646/. 

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 - Parshios Tazria-Metzorah

The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts on the parshios that R' Frand spoke about in his shiur tonight. 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 by noting that Tzaraas comes as a result of speaking loshon hara and quoted "the seforim" which teach that the pasuk in Vayikra 14:2 stating זֹ֤את תִּֽהְיֶה֙ תּוֹרַ֣ת הַמְּצֹרָ֔ע should be learned as this is the Torah of one who is Motzei Shem Ra.

R' Frand also quoted the Rashi in Shelach which states why did the story of the Meraglim follow the story of Miriam speaking lashon hara about Moshe and receiving Tzaraas? Because they did not learn from Miriam's punishment.

R' Frand then quoted Rabbi Weinberg who asked why they should have learned from Miriam? They spoke about an inanimate object with no feeling. Why should they learn from someone who spoke about a person?

R' Frand asked a second question related to the punishment for the Meraglim of spending 40 years in the desert as equivalent to the 40 days they were in the land of Israel. But they did not speak loshon hora for 40 days - it probably took only a few minutes! They were only in the land for 40 days.

R' Frand quoted R' Nissim Alpert who quoted the gemara about the peddler who asks people if they want the elixir of life and then quotes from Tehillim - מִֽי־הָ֖אִישׁ הֶֽחָפֵ֣ץ חַיִּ֑ים אֹ֘הֵ֥ב יָ֜מִ֗ים לִרְא֥וֹת טֽוֹב.  R' Frand asked where is the question mark? Is it in the middle of the pasuk or at the end of the pasuk? He answered that the question mark should be in the middle and that the answer is that the person should live his life as אֹ֘הֵ֥ב יָ֜מִ֗ים לִרְא֥וֹת טֽוֹב - a person needs to live his life seeing the good and it will prevent him from speaking evil.

This brings us back to the question raised about the Meraglim not learning from Miriam. Their problem was that they did not see that Miriam's problem was that she did not look at Moshe with a positive outlook and they did the same when speaking about the land.

This also answers the second question - they were punished one year for one day because when they walked around the land they viewed the land negatively. Chazal tell us that they had a negative view and said אֶ֣רֶץ אֹכֶ֤לֶת יֽוֹשְׁבֶ֨יהָ֙ הִ֔וא (Bamidbar 13:32) based on all the funerals they saw. However they could have looked at the positive - because the people of the land were so preoccupied with the funerals, they did not keep an eye out for the Meraglim.

R' Frand closed the vort by quoting from the end of Parshas Tazria and the discussion of Tzaraas HaBeged. At the end of the inspection and cleansing process, the pasuk states in Vayikra 13:55 וְרָאָ֨ה הַכֹּהֵ֜ן אַֽחֲרֵ֣י | הֻכַּבֵּ֣ס אֶת־הַנֶּ֗גַע וְ֠הִנֵּ֠ה לֹֽא־הָפַ֨ךְ הַנֶּ֤גַע אֶת־עֵינוֹ֙ וְהַנֶּ֣גַע לֹֽא־פָשָׂ֔ה . R' Frand said that the pasuk can be learned al pi derush - that the nega did not change the person's eye - his negative eye did not change as a result of the Tzaraas, that is why the nega is still there.

R' Frand quoted the Chidushei HaRim who notes that nega and oneg are both spelled the same way. What is the difference between the two words? Its where you put the ayin.

R' Frand said a second vort on the purification process from Tzaraas where the Torah states in Vayikra 14:28 that the Kohain took from the blood of the Asham and applied it to the person's earlobe and pinky. Why? The Meshech Chachma explains based on the gemara which states that the reason the pinky is made the way that it is, is so that you can put it in your ear and prevent yourself from hearing loshon hara. And the person did not do so. But there is another way to prevent it - as the gemara also teaches that the earlobe is malleable so that you can use it to prevent yourself from hearing loshon hara.

R' Frand then quoted the Maharal in Nesivos Olam who asked why you need two protections. Although the Chofetz Chaim states that its to be a complete protection, the Maharal states that its due to the rules of tumah in the morning. When a person wakes up they are not supposed to put their fingers in any orifice until the hands are washed. So if a person hears loshon hora before getting to a place where he can wash, he can still put his earlobe into the ear to prevent himself from hearing loshon hara.

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 - New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Captain Dynamite IPA

 

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at New Belgium's Voodoo Ranger Captain Dynamite IPA.

In honor of the recent addition to the KB family and the "geshmach" energy that he brings to our Shabbos table, I chose the New Belgium Captain Dynamite as the first Post-Pesach beer for Sunday Night Suds.

Devotees of the fine craft brews originating from New Belgium are aware that they keep pumping out new varieties in the Voodoo Ranger series. This brew was included in a six pack can box which $11.99 in the better priced stores. By my count, this is the twelfth Voodoo Ranger that New Belgium has released. Previously reviewed Voodoo Ranger brews include:

Higher Plane IPA (reviewed at https://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2020/12/sunday-night-suds-new-belgium-voodoo.html);

1985 IPA (reviewed at https://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2020/11/sunday-night-suds-new-belgium-voodoo.html);

Xperimental IPA (reviewed at https://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2020/08/sunday-night-suds-new-belgium-voodoo.html); 

Starship IPA (reviewed at https://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2020/05/sunday-night-suds-new-belgium-voodoo.html); 

American Haze IPA (reviewed at https://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2020/03/sunday-night-suds-new-belgium-voodoo.html); 

Hop Avenger IPA (reviewed at https://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2019/12/sunday-night-suds-new-belgium-voodoo.html); 

Juicifer IPA (reviewed at https://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2019/11/sunday-night-suds-new-belgium-juicifer.html); 

Juicy Haze IPA (reviewed at https://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2018/02/sunday-night-suds-new-belgium-voodoo.html); 

Imperial IPA (reviewed at https://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2017/10/sunday-nigh-suds-new-belgium-voodoo.html); 

Atomic Pumpkin IPA (reviewed at https://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2017/10/sunday-night-suds-new-belgium-voodoo.html); and 

the first - the Voodoo Ranger IPA (reviewed at https://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2017/02/sunday-night-suds-new-belgium-voodoo.html).

This is a very juiced IPA with alcohol content towards the higher end at 7.7% abv. This beer styles itself as a New England IPA, which means juicy hop but not that much bitter, all deriving from late dry hopping. The flavors seem to float between grapefruit and tangelo, but the alcohol flavor is noticeable as well. I would not say that there is no bitter or bite, but the flavor profile is enjoyable. 

The New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Higher Plane IPA is under kosher supervision by the Scroll-K/Va'ad of Denver, and their symbol is on the bottom of the mix twelve pack can box. However, not every brew produced by New Belgium is under kosher supervision, so look for the Scroll K on the six pack holder or box when considering purchasing any NBB product. Many of the "sours" such as the Peach Kick which was released over the summer cannot be certified kosher.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Higher Plane IPA, click here https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/192/509381.

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 Shemini

The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts on the parsha that R' Frand spoke about in his shiur tonight. 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 the first pasuk of this week's Parsha, the Torah states וַֽיְהִי֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁמִינִ֔י קָרָ֣א משֶׁ֔ה לְאַֽהֲרֹ֖ן וּלְבָנָ֑יו וּלְזִקְנֵ֖י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל - that on the eighth day Moshe, called to Aharon and his sons and the elders of the Jewish people. Immediately thereafter, the Torah writes that Aharon was told to bring an Egel as a sacrifice and then in the next pasuk, the Jews were told to bring and Egel and a Sa'ir.

Rashi writes that the reason that Aharon brought the Egel was to atone for his involvement in the Egel HaZahav. The Sifra (as quoted by the Ramban) writes that the Jews brought an Egel to atone for their involvement in the Egel and a Sa'ir to atone for the sale of Yosef.

R' Frand quoted the sefer Be'er Yosef by R' Yosef Salant who asked what the connection was between the sale of Yosef and the Egel? He also asked another question - why did the elders of the Jewish people need to be present? Rashi states that they were there because it was to make clear that he was not choosing Aharon on his own volition. but this was already made clear in Parshas Tzav!

R' Frand next quoted the Medrash Rabbah which links the parsha to a statement of R' Akiva that the Jews are compared to a bird. Just as the bird cannot fly without wings, the Jews cannot succeed without their elders. But how does this connect to the parsha?

The Be'er Yosef explains that the common thread of the Egel and the sale of Yosef was the actions of people who did not ask questions of their leaders. The Jews made the Egel because they felt that Moshe was not coming back and they wanted an intermediary, although the end result was that the Egel was worshipped instead. However, their original thought should have been brought to Aharon to ask - is this appropriate. Instead they went forward and Chur was killed when he stood in their way. When they came to Aharon he could not stand up to them because he knew that if they killed him they would have committed an even greater sin of killing a Kohain and Navi.

Similarly, the brothers thought that Yosef had sinned and wanted to bring him to justice. But they did not ask whether they were right. They could have asked Ya'akov - and even if they felt he could not be impartial due to his being their father, they could have asked Yitzchak who was still alive. Furthermore, even if they felt that Yitzchak would be influenced by the familial connection, they could have asked in Yeshiva Shem V'Ever. But they chose not to ask, and their atonement in this parsha is linked by R' Akiva to the Jewish people's need for the zekeinim to guide them.

R' Frand finished the vort by noting that Nadav & Avihu were killed in a public way on one of the happiest days. Why? Because they chose to bring a sacrifice which was unsanctioned and again, without asking whether their action was appropriate...on the same day that the Jews sought atonement for their acting without asking.

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!