Tuesday's Thoughts on the Daf - Shavuos 2

In the two plus years that I have been writing this blog, I don't recall ever having the opportunity to post a Tuesday Thoughts on the Daf which opened a mesechta, so to this I say shechiyanu!

Meseches Shavuous discusses the laws related to oaths. In Judaism there are four basic categories of oaths - a Shevuas Bittui which is an oath uttered that something will or will not be done or has or has not been done; Shevuas Shav which is a false oath; Shevuas Edus which is testimony given in Beis Din related to a case and Shevuas Pikadon which is testimony regarding an object which had been deposited with the declarant which has been lost or stolen.

Although the mishna begins by discussing the types of oaths which can fall in the Bittui category, it quickly digresses to discuss other non-oath related laws which also start as two categories and branch into four. Tosafos (d'h Shavuos) is bothered by the way that the mesechta commences (as opposed to discussing the actual language of the oath) but concludes that the mishna begins in this fashion because it is continuing a similar theme which was found in the mishna in the last perek of Makkos.

Towards the bottom of 2a, the gemara begins a discussion about the purpose of the seirim which were brought on Rosh Chodesh, Yom Kippur and the Shalosh Regalim. R' Shimon Ben Yehuda stated in the name of R' Shimon Ben Yochai that the seirim provide cumulative atonement - the seir for Rosh Chodesh atones for a person who forgot he was tamei and ate kodesh while tamei, the seir for the Regalim atones for the identical problem as well as for a person who a person who unknowingly ate kodesh while tamei and never learned that he had been tamei and the seir for Yom Kippur atones for the above two scenarios as well as person who did not know he was tamei, ate kodesh and later learned that he had been tamei while eating kodesh.

The question I heard asked was - why do we bring multiple seirim on holidays? If the one seir is michaper, that should be enough.

The answer that I heard to the question does not do the question justice, as my friend (quoting a sefer I do not recall) indicates that the second seir is brought because of gezeras hakasuv.

If you are aware of a different answer to the question, please email me.

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Sunday Night Suds - Coors Light

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks (by special request) at the Silver Bullet - Coors Light.

A staple at many a shalom zachor or backyard barbecue and the subject of what seems like one out of every four commericals during an NFL game, the Silver Bullet has established itself in Americana. This review will briefly examine whether Coors Light truly is a pale imitation of a beer, or something actually worth drinking.

Before looking at any beer, the first question that needs to be asked is - what kind of beer is this supposed to be? Starting with the ultimate beer resource, I turn to Beer Advocate which classifies Coors Light as a light lager, which BA defines as:

a lighter version of a breweries premium lager, some are lower in alcohol but all are lower in calories and carbohydrates compared to other beers. Typically a high amount of cereal adjuncts like rice or corn are used to help lighten the beer as much as possible. Very low in malt flavor with a light and dry body. The hop character is low and should only balance with no signs of flavor or aroma. European versions are about half the alcohol (2.5-3.5% abv) as their regular beer yet show more flavor (some use 100% malt) then the American counterparts. For the most part this style has the least amount of flavor than any other style of beer.

So with that introduction in mind, lets look at Coors Light and ask whether it has earned its reputation. It certainly is low in hops and flavor. It's alcohol content (4.2% abv) is close to the regular Golden Banquet beer. Seems like it fits the category well. So why do people hate it?

The simple answer to the above question is that people hate the Silver Bullet because they want a beer with flavor when they drink. The inverse is true as well. If you give a sold stout to a casual beer drinker, he will probably not finish it. Why, because he has a certain flavor profile for beer in his head and the stout goes too far over the top for his liking.

Which brings us back to Coors Light. Simply stated, if you want a beverage which is light on beer taste and calories, you have found what you are looking for. Just don't drink it if you are looking for a beer.

Coors Light is certified kosher by the Orthodox Union, as is every other beer produced by Coors.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about Coors Light, please follow this link - http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/306/837. As always, please remember to drink responsibly and to never waste good beer unless there is no designated driver.

Finally, 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 Balak

The following is a brief summary of a series of vorts said over by R' Frand in his shiur 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 first quick vort said over by Rabbi Frand related to the conversation between Hashem and Bilaam in Bamidbar 22:12. In this pasuk, Hashem tells Bilaam not to go with Balak, using the following verbiage "Don't go with them, don't curse the nation, for it is blessed." Rashi on this pasuk fills in the gaps in the sentence and explains that there was an ongoing conversation:

Hashem: Don't go with them to curse the Jews.
Bilaam: OK, then I will curse them where I am now.
Hashem: Don't curse the Jews.
Bilaam: OK, then I will bless them.
Hashem: They are already blessed.

After repeating the back and forth between Hashem and Bilaam, Rabbi Frand asked the famous question - why did Bilaam want to bless the Jews? Rabbi Frand answered that Bilaam knew that there were two possible ways to destroy the Jews. The first path to destruction is the obvious one - that a nation would come and wipe them out. However, Bilaam was also aware of another possible derech - if the Jews had it too good they could decide that their wealth was of their own doing and that there was no need to thank or recognize Hashem for his role. Thus his potential blessing could also be a manner of curse.

The next vort said over by Rabbi Frand this evening related to Bilaam's conversation with Balak's henchmen in the next pasuk. In Bamidbar 22:13 Bilaam tells Balak's henchmen that they should go to their land because Hashem does not want Bilaam to go with them.

Rabbi Frand asked on the pasuk - why did Bilaam only tell half of his nevuah from Hashem to Balak's men? Why did he not tell them that Hashem also told him not to curse the Jews? Rabbi Frand quoted R' Chayim Shmulevitz who explained that Bilaam did not intentionally omit the second half of the command. Rather, Bilaam (like most people) only heard what he wanted to hear. When Hashem told Bilaam not to go with them, Bilaam assumed that meant that he was not to accompany them because they were low level help and he should have been escorted by the king himself. In so doing, Bilaam conveniently ignored the rest of the command (which is seen later in the parsha when he does attempt to go and curse the Jews).

The third vort that Rabbi Frand said related to the conversation between Bilaam and the donkey. The parsha repeats their conversation wherein the donkey says to Bilaam why are you hitting me and Bilaam responds because you embarrassed me.

Rabbi Frand asked on this strange scene - why did Bilaam not fall off the donkey in amazement and ask why and how are you speaking to me? Indeed, this was the first time in creation that an animal spoke to a person, yet Bilaam did not act surprised at all! Rabbi Frand analogized this to a person who tries to get his car to start and is unsuccessful. The man then tries to tinker under the hood and when the car still will not start, the man kicks the car. If the car then says to the man - why did you kick me, would the man first answer the car back - because you did not start? Of course not.

Rabbi Frand answered the question by quoting R' Luban who said that this shows how a person can fail to win an argument. When a person has a dispute with another and wants to convince the other person he is right, the last thing a person should do is tell the other person he is "dead wrong." Instead, he should say to the person, I see your point, however... and then destroy the other person's argument. Bilaam was insulted and tied up with feeling embarrassed over the donkey's actions. As such, he could not think clearly when the donkey was talking to him and his gut reaction was to lash out at the donkey.

Rabbi Frand's final vort related to the language that the donkey used in complaining to Bilaam that he was struck three times. In Bamidbar 22:28, the donkey does not say to Billam you struck me three pa'amim. Instead, the donkey uses the language regalim. Rashi explains that the donkey was saying to Bilaam - you think you can curse the nation which observes the shalosh regalim?

The obvious question is, why mention the shalosh regalim? What is the symbolism. To answer this question, Rabbi Frand quoted the Imrei Baruch who cites the gemara in Chagiga which teaches that the tanner and the metal smith were exempt from the mitzva of being oleh regel. The gemara explains that these people smelled foul because of the work they did and other people would not want to stand near them. The purpose of being oleh regel was to join as a nation and not to alienate others due to a foul stench.

Rabbi Frand then mentioned the Brisker Rav who notes that the mi shebeyrach on yom tov is "veyizke l'alos haregel im cul echav" a person should be zoche to go up with all his brothers.

This was the message the donkey was trying to give to Bilaam - you can't attack a nation which is together as one.

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Monday's Musings on Sports - Do you vuvu? I sure hope not.

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. Although Max resigned from 1050 more than a year ago, I have tried to continue the tradition of linking sports to Torah which I believe was an undercurrent of the Max Kellerman show.

Last Friday I was sitting at my desk in the office when I turned on the radio so that I could listen to the US v. Slovenia game. I am not a big soccer fan, but the World Cup is a major international event and I have some national pride, so I figured - why not have the game on in the background?

After a few minutes of the game I had to turn the radio off. The infernal buzzing of the vuvuzelas was driving me nuts. As anyone who has heard them must know, the "instrument" sounds like a swarm of bees. Rather than listening to the game, I turned the radio on periodically just to hear the score and then turned it off rather quickly to get away from the bees.

I have since done a little research on the "instrument" and quite frankly, the more I know, the less I understand. The horn is incapable of being used to play a tune as the sound is a monotone. The sound produced is nearly 120 decibels and can cause hearing loss to those exposed to it for sustained periods of time.

I have also read that the players in the soccer games have problems communicating with their teammates because of the sound of the horns.

With all this, I can't understand why the World Cup organizers allow these "instruments" to be brought into the arenas. If the sounds emanating from the horn are dangerous to the ear, disruptive to the game and are a turn off to the casual fan, why on earth are they allowed into the arena?

I honestly can't say that I know the answer to the above question. But the use of the horn reminds of the story of Dovid Hamelech's death as told in Gemara Shabbos 30. King David knew that he was destined to die on Shabbos, but also knew that so long as he was learning Torah, his soul could not be taken. For this reason, Dovid would sit and learn all Shabbos long so that he would continue to live. When the true date that Dovid was destined to die arrived, the Malach Hamaves was unable to take Dovid's life until he made a noise which distracted Dovid and caused him to stop learning. At that very instant, Dovid passed away. The power of distraction wins again! Now if only there was a way to kill off the vuvuzelas...

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Sunday Night Suds - Saranac Black & Tan

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Saranac Black & Tan.

Originally I had another beer which I was going to review this evening, but when my cousin and her husband had the good sense to bring cold Saranac to our Father's Day BBQ, I quickly shelved the other brew and broke out the Saranac Black & Tan.

Ok, in fairness Black & Tan is not one beer, even if it comes "pre-mixed" in a bottle. It is my understanding from my personal beer guru Charlie H that Black & Tan began in the UK with a mixture of Guinness and Bass Ale. As instructed by Charlie, one begins the mixture by filling a glass halfway with an ale. The next step is to pour the stout over an inverted spoon so that it does not splash and the layers don't mix. If mixed properly, the finished product allows for a taste of both beers in the same swallow.

I have tried on many a Purim to fashion my own black and tan, either with Guinness and Bass or Guiness and Smithwicks (pronounced "Smiddicks") and more recently with Saranac Irish Red and Irish Stout. Unfortunately, I cannot get it just right.

The Saranac Black & Tan is not the first domestic Black & Tan in a bottle that I have tried, as in my early beer days I used to buy sixers of Yuenging Black & Tan. While I find the Saranac superior to the Yuengling, I just can't shake the feeling that this is not what a Black & Tan is supposed to taste like.

So what does the Saranac Black & Tan taste like? Since it mixes lager with a stout, the beer picks up the coffee-like flavor of the stout but also has some dryness to it. My aishes chayil Mrs KB was really liking the flavor, its a shame that the Adirondack Trail Mix pack only has one of these in the pack.

Saranac Black & Tan is under the Kosher Supervision of the Va'ad of Detroit, as is every other brew produced by Saranac. To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about Saranac Black & Tan, please follow this link http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/99/906.

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).

Finally, if you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click http://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 Chukas

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 Parshas Chukas the Torah teaches the principle of Tumas Ohel, which in simplified manner can be explained as - if a Jewish person enters a room in which there is the dead body of another Jew, the living person contracts Tumas Ohel, even though he has not touched the dead body.

The gemara learns this out from the pasuk in our parsha (Bamidbar 19:14) "This is the Torah, a man (Adam) who dies in a tent (Ohel)..." The gemara then teaches that "atem nikrayim adam" - Jews are called Adam, therefore being in the ohel with the dead Jewish body (as opposed to that of a non-Jew) can cause tumah to be transferred.

Rabbi Frand offered an explanation for why Tumah can be contracted from the dead body of a Jew. He stated that just as nature abhors a vacuum, the body does as well. When a Jewish person is alive, he is imbued with holiness by virtue of his neshoma. When he dies, the holiness departs and the spiritual vacuum is filled by Tumah.

Rabbi Frand then gave many examples of similar situations to the Ohel/vacuum scenario. The first example (said over by the Shem M'Shmuel in the name of the Kotzer Rav) dealt with Tumas Leyda. We learn in Parshas Tazria that a woman who gives birth (even without seeing blood) contracts Tumas Leyda which varies in duration based on the gender of the baby. Why is there Tumah if it is such a positive thing to deliver the child? The Kotzker Rav explains (citing to the Gemara in Ta'anis) that Hashem does not allow any angel to possess the key to giving birth and that He alone is involved with the process of pregnancy and childbirth. Since the key is uniquely in Hashem's hands, He is a partner in the creation and birth of the child. Once the child is born, the Schechina departs - thus creating the vacuum which is filled by Tumas Leyda.

Rabbi Frand brought another proof from R' Ruderman in (sefer Sichas Levi) about the punishments for eating neveila or creating piggul or nosar (which are also the topic of today's daf yomi!). If a person eats neveila he gets makkos for transgressing a lav, while one who creates piggul or nosar gets kares. Why? Because the animal which was made holy as it was being brought as a karban has now lost its holiness because of the action or inaction of the makriv. This void of holiness is filled by spiritual Tumah.

Rabbi Frand next brought a proof from the Haftorah of Devarim where it states in Isaiah 1:21 that Jerusalem was formally a city where justice dwelled, but now it is occupied by murderers. Again, the location of the holiness (in this case justice), once left empty, was filled with the other extreme (murderers).

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