Tuesday's Thoughts on the Daf - Bava Basra 81

Bava Basra 81 is one of those dapim of gemara that come as a breath of fresh air in the middle of monotonous, hyper technical sugyos. The daf begins by quoting a mishna about whether the person who buys two trees in a field has purchased the field, or just the trees themselves. As explained by the Rashbam, the Tanna Kamma holds that the purchaser merely has bought the two trees and it is as if once the trees have borne their fruits for the year the buyer can cut them down and take them away. Meanwhile, Rav Meir holds that the buyer has purchased the land under the trees as well.

This is familiar territory as the sugya itself has made its appearance numerous times in the mesechta. But then the gemara in interpreting the mishna opens up the once monotonous fact pattern by seeking to compare the mishna to the law of bikkurim. The gemara quotes a mishna in Bikkurim wherein the Tanna Kamma states that the purchaser brings the fruit of the two trees up to Yerushalaim to be brought as bikkurim, but does not read the vidui bikkurim. R' Meir (who consistently follows his line of reasoning from our mishna) states that he does read the vidui bikkurim. Shmuel then says that according to R' Meir anyone who purchases fruit in the marketplace can use them for bikkurim as one does not need to own land to bring bikkurim.

The gemara then begins to bring pesukim dealing with bikkurim in an attempt to disprove Shmuel. One of these attempts asks the question - well what about the pasuk in Ki Savo which states that the bikkurim are brought from your land ("asher tavi me'artzecha"). The gemara answers that this is meant to exclude fruits from land outside of Israel as not falling within the law of bikkurim.

Tosafos d'h Hahu (one of the many fascinating Tosafosim on today's daf) asks why we need a pasuk to teach this - don't we already know from a gemara in Kiddushin that all mitzvos which are connected to the land of Israel are only kept in Israel? The gemara answers that bikkurim are mentioned in the pasuk in conjunction with the law of meat and milk (Shemos 23 - Reishis Bikurei Admasecha Tavi Beis Hashem Elokecha Lo Sivashel G'di BaChalev Imo) and there was a thought that people will believe that just like the people keep the separation of meat and milk outside Israel, so too would the laws of bikkurim apply there.

Tosafos also brings the opinion of the Rashba that bikkurim is not a mitzva which is unique to the land of Israel since the mitzva of bikkurim falls on the person, not the fruit. He explains that by teruma, ma'aser and challah, the unapportioned fruit is tevel and cannot be eaten until the portions are taken off. However, the law of bikkurim only applies to the person as he can eat any other fruit from the land prior to bringing the bikkurim up to the Beis Hamikdash.

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Monday's Musings on Sports - Just a Regular Joe?

As regular readers of this blog are aware, the Monday post was usually devoted to sports with highlights and analysis of the Max Kellerman show which formerly aired on 1050 ESPN Radio. As Max has resigned from 1050 and has not yet resurfaced on the NY area radio waves, I have decided to continue the tradition of linking sports to Torah which I believe was an undercurrent of the Max Kellerman show.

Much as I dislike saying it - the Yankee$ must be given their "props" for buying, I mean winning the World Series. But rather than dwelling on the World Series, I would like to talk about what happened after the Yankees won the World Series.

About three hours after the Yankees won the World Series, there was an accident on the Cross-County Parkway - a somewhat twisty parkway about 15 minutes away from Yankee Stadium. The driver of the car was involved in a one car accident and she collided with a wall. This particular stretch of highway can be quite dangerous at night as news reports quoted the police that drivers regularly go around 80 mph at this blind curve.

A man dressed in a casual shirt and jeans pulled his car off the road and attempted to help the stranded motorist. He then jumped and down to flag down a police car to stop and help the stranded motorist.

The man never identified himself to the woman, who did not know the true identity of her benefactor. But the police officer who was stopped by the man knew exactly who it was - Yankee manager Joe Girardi.

Normally when you read stories about sports figures who were involved in something happening after 2 AM its usually not a good thing. I can recall a guest on the Mike & Mike show on ESPN saying once that "nothing good ever happens after 2 AM." Having said that, this event was the exception which proves the rule.

The Gemara in Eiruvin 13(b) teaches that one who runs after greatness (in the eyes of others) the greatness will run from him. One who runs away from great public stature, it will run after him. In this case, Joe Girardi was proving the concept perfectly. He had just won the World Series as manage of the Yankees. But in pulling over to help the stranded motorist he did not identify himself as the Yankees' manager, he was just a Joe trying to help someone out. By not revealing his identity, Joe Girardi made an ever greater name for himself when the police alerted the media that this Joe had done this selfless act without seeking honor for himself.

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Sunday Night Suds - Shiner Light

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Shiner Light lager.

When I was in high school Budweiser ran a series of commercials where someone asked for a light and then received something other than a beer at which point he said, but I wanted a Bud Light. Why do I mention this when I am not reviewing Bud Light? Because some people cannot seem to tell the difference between a good beer and just a beer.

I was talking to a co-worker the other day who was telling me that when they went out to eat and asked for a Blue Moon the waitress brought a Corona. When another person at the table asked for a Yuengling they brought a Harp. Now its one thing when the restaurant tells you that they don't have something and offers you a similar beer as an alternative. Its completely different when they don't have a clue what they are serving. For example, when we took my brother out to a steak place in NYC before his wedding I asked for a Heineken. The waitress told me that they did not have any Heineken but offered me a Stella Artois instead. Of course, I wound up liking Stella better than Heineken, but that's not the point. If you have a liquor license you should have some understanding about the liquor you are serving beyond the fact that the item is an ale or a lager (or a whiskey for that matter).

Which bring us to Shiner Light. Yes, it is a light beer so there is some tradeoff of less taste in exchange for fewer calories. The beer claims to be 120 calories and 4% abv. It does not have a strong lager taste and if consumed by itself does not really seem to have any alcohol content. I had mine tonight with some burgers and it was like drinking a beerlike soda - you can drink it with your meal and not get filled up, but still have a beer flavor. On the other hand, its miles ahead of the Silver Bullet and other macro light beers.

One other interesting quirk about the Shiner Light. The label on the back of the bottle mentions that the residents of Shiner take pride in the Shiner beers and the bottle was actually signed by a resident of Shiner, Texas (population 2080). I took another Shiner Light out of the box and surprisingly it was signed by a different resident of Shiner Texas. I wonder how many different residents have put their names on the beer.

Shiner Light is under the Kosher Supervision of the Va'ad of Detroit, although the brew does not bear the Va'ad symbol on its label. If you would like me to e-mail you the Va'ad LOC for Shiner Light, send me an e-mail and I will gladly oblige.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about Shiner Light, please follow this link http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/143/12415.

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).

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Thursday's Torah Tidbits - Parsha Vayera

The following is a brief summary of a thought said over by R' Frand in his shiur this evening. I have attempted to reproduce this 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 R' Frand.

In Bereishis 19:29, the Torah recites that when Hashem destroyed the cities of the plain (S'dom and Amorrah) that Hashem remembered Avraham, so he sent Lot out from the upheaval when he overturned the cities.

Rashi asks why does the pasuk say that Hashem remembered Avraham since it was Lot who was remembered and saved? Rashi answers that Lot knew that when Avraham went down to Egypt (in Parshas Lech Lecha) that Sarah was really Avraham's wife and not his sister and he did not reveal the secret, therefore Hashem remembered his connection with Avraham and saved Lot.

Rabbi Frand then quoted the Maharal (Sefer Gur Aryeh) who asked why not just say that Lot was saved because of Hashem's love for Avraham rather than because of Lot's staying quiet? Additionally, if we were to discuss Lot's significant act we should mention that he followed Avraham out of Haran in the beginning of Lech Lecha.

Rabbi Frand said that the Maharal answers that the z'chus for Lot's being saved is a great "sod" and that Lot's staying quiet formed a connection and bond with Avraham. R' Frand prefaced that he did not truly understand the concept and was translating the Maharal's answer. He urged those listening to look up the Maharal inside and stated that he wanted to give the answer from the Tolner Rav instead.

The Tolner Rav began his answer by citing to Pirkei Avos 5:22 that a person who has the following three attributes is a talmid of Avraham - Ayin Tova (gives charitably to others) Ruach Nemucha (humble spirit - not being self impressed) and Nefesh Shefeilah (not being too materialistic). He quotes the Maharal that every person is born stingy wanting to have it all and for others to have less. One must fight their very nature to be happy that someone else has the same as you. The Mishna does not state that anyone who has emunah is a talmid of Avraham - rather the person must modify his natural inclinations and be like these character traits of Avraham in order to be a talmid of his.

The Tolner Rav then states that Lot was connected to Avraham based on his not revealing Sarah's identity because Lot also fought human nature to hold back from speaking. A person who hears a secret feels compelled to tell the secret. While knowledge is power, being the one who reveals the knowledge is the way to achieve greater stature.

Rabbi Frand then offered the following hypothetical scenario - Avraham and Sarah come to Egypt and are greeted by the King. Everone is talking about Avraham and his "sister." Meanwhile Lot is in a bar and hears the people talking. He could have opened his mouth in order to appear important and say "I know the real dish on Avraham's sister..." But Lot conquers his nature and does not reveal the secret.

Rabbi Frand then mentioned that the Tolner Rav said that Lot was the gilgul for Yehuda and that the neshoma then came back again as Boaz. Lot started the process of conquering his yetzer to speak out when he kept quiet about Sarah. This was later refined when (as Yehuda) he quashed the need for self-preservation and opened his mouth to say that Tamar was right. All of this culminated with Boaz where he could have rationalized to himself that since he and Ruth were single there was no problem with them being intimate. Instead, Boaz conquered his yetzer and was only with Ruth after they married.

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Tuesday's Thoughts on the Daf - Bava Basra 74

Bava Basra 74 continues the stream of aggadita stories which began on Bava Basra 73. I would like to summarize of a few stories, and offer some thoughts and questions about them.

One of the stories recited in the gemara involves an individual who asked Rabba Bar Bar Chana if he wanted to see Har Sinai. He took Rabba Bar Bar Chana to the site where he observed that it was surrounded by scorpions which were as large as white donkeys. He also heard a bas kol which stated "Woe to me that I promised and now that I promised, who will revoke my vow for me?"

The Rashbam states that the vow referred to above was Hashem's vow to exile the Jews from the land of Israel. This was not Rabba Bar Bar Chana's understanding.

When Rabba Bar Bar Chana returned and told the story to the Rabbis they called him a fool since he should have said I revoked the vow. He replied that he was concerned that the vow was that Hashem had promised never to destroy the entire world by flood and he did not want to revoke this vow for Hashem. The Rabbis pointed out the flaw in this reasoning as if this case, Hashem would not have used the word "Woe" as it would be a good thing that the vow was made that the world would not be destroyed.

Tosafos asks the obvious question - why can't Hashem be mefer his neder and brings a proof from a gemara in Chaggiga 10(a) that Hashem can be mefer the promises made in anger. Tosafos does not offer an answer and I neither can I.

Another interesting story told on Bava Basra 74b involves a precious stone which was observed in the sea by R' Yehuda Hindua. The stone was being guarded by a sea serpent. They sent down a diver to try to get the stone and the serpent attempted to swallow the boat. Before it could strike, a large raven came and bit off its head. Then another serpent came and took the stone and put it on the dead serpent and it was revived. The (formerly dead) serpent then attempted to swallow the ship and again the bird intervened. This time the diver grabbed the stone and threw it in the boat. The stone landed on a pile of salted poultry which then came back to life and flew away with the stone.

Explanation? Not a clue. But I thought the story was cool so I repeated it in the post.

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Monday's Musings on Sports - Being Prepared for The Moment

As regular readers of this blog are aware, the Monday post was usually devoted to sports with highlights and analysis of the Max Kellerman show which formerly aired on 1050 ESPN Radio. As Max has resigned from 1050 and has not yet resurfaced on the NY area radio waves, I have decided to continue the tradition of linking sports to Torah which I believe was an undercurrent of the Max Kellerman show.

This year's World Series has not been without controversy. While Yankee pitcher CC Sabathia has made it known that he wants the ball on three days rest, Cliff Lee (the top Phillies pitcher) has not been willing to forgo the extra day of rest and will only be pitching twice in the World Series. Pundits have questioned whether this has to do with Lee's mettle, or whether he is being practical about his body's need to recuperate in order for him to pitch effectively.

The questions about the readiness for the big show have gone beyond each team's top pitcher. Tonight's game featured a rarity - both AJ Burnett and Lee were 1-0 in the series before game 5 started. Usually pitching matchups stay the same, but because Joe Girardi felt that only his top three starters (Sabathia, Burnett and Pettitte) were up to the task, he used Burnett on three day's rest as well. This move did not work out so well, as Burnett got pounded early.

Meanwhile a late breaking story came out about Cole Hamels, a Phillies pitcher who "could not wait to have the season end" and speculation abounded as to whether he would be used to start a game 7 given his attitude.

The speculation about whether the players could handle the big stage made me think about a shmooze I had heard from Rabbi Zev Cohen and the preparations athletes made for their one shot at the spotlight. Rabbi Cohen talked about how when he was in Virginia (I believe he said Berkley Springs) he was walking around the high school track and he heard a sound like a shot. The football team was practicing and the players would catch the ball and then get whacked with a chest protector to see if they could hold onto the ball.

Rabbi Cohen connected this with a mussar sefer which talked about being conscious of the day of death and preparing "tzedah l'derech." The twin concepts are not novel, but they are integral to mussar. One should be aware of his own mortality and treat each day like it may be his last so that he will be ready for judgment. In the same vein, taking tzedah l'derech meant would be doing the most possible mitzvos to take with him for olam haba.

L'havdil, these players are doing the same thing in being prepared for the moment. They are doing their best to be ready for the day that they will be on the stage. If we can harness the same type of energy and dedication as these players, who knows how many great things we could accomplish and how much of a kiddush hashem we could make.

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