Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Nasso

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.

Tonight R' Frand said two connected vorts in relation to the parsha's discussion of the nazir. R' Frand started by quoting a gemara in Nedarim which recounts that Shimon HaTzadik never ate from the karban asham of a nazir other than one specific nazir. Shimon HaTzadik explained that he had seen a particular nazir who was quite handsome and Shimon HaTzadik asked him, why are you going to become a nazir and cut your hair? The man responded - I was a shepherd and saw my reflection in the water and I was overcome by my yetzer hara which wanted to cause me to lose my place in this world. I said to myself, evil one, why do you want to take me out of this world? So I became a nazir.

R' Frand asked - if this boy saw his reflection and decided that he wanted to fight his yetzer hara, why did he become a nazir? A nazir has to allow his hair to grow for thirty days! If he thought that the beauty of his hair was the cause of his problems he should have run to the barber and had all his hair cut off immediately!

R' Frand answered by quoting the Steipler Rav who explains that the shepherd said to his yetzer hara - evil one, you are being arrogant about something that does not belong to you. He was haughty because of his looks and thought that he was special because of his appearance. This is the root of the yetzer hara for ga'avah - thinking that the blessings of Hashem that he received, be it looks, or wealth or intelligence are all because of him. 

Had the shepherd cut off his hair he would have been treating the symptoms and not the problem. The way to solve the problem is to become a nazir and in so doing recognize that the hair and the beauty are all from Hashem. At the end of the process, the nazir cuts off his hair and burns it under the pot which is cooking his karban. This is the ultimate declaration that it all comes from Hashem.

The second vort said by R' Frand related to a pasuk in Bamidbar which states that at the end of the process the nazir brings a chatas and an asham. The gemara in Nedarim asks - why does he bring a chatas, what did he do wrong? The gemara answers that the nazir created a new issur for himself by barring wine. Since he had to add another issur for himself when it was not needed, he brings a karban chatas.

R' Frand next quoted a Ramban who explains that the reason why the nazir brings a karban is because the nazir will soon be returning the mundane life and leaving the higher state of being a nazir. 

R' Frand then said in the name of R' Simcha Zissel Brody that the Ramban seems to be at odds with the gemara. How can the chatas come for adding an issur and also for leaving the higher state and returning to his old ways?

R' Frand quoted R' Brody's answer - it is precisely because of this that he brings the chatas sacrifice. When the man became a nazir, he took on unnecessary additional issurim. But once he did so, he raised his spiritual level and changed himself. When the nazir finishes the cycle and returns to being a regular person, he abandons the new level and goes back to his old ways. This too requires a chatas.

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Sunday Night Suds - Shiner White Wing

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Shiner White Wing.

Every few years, Shiner debuts a new beer and associates it with a number. Some of the more recent numbered brews include: Shiner 100 (one of my favorites) which was also called Commemorator (reviewed here kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2009/05/sunday-night-suds-shiner-commemorator.html); Shiner 102 which was also called Double Wheat (reviewed here kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2011/05/sunday-night-suds-shiner-102-double.html) and Shiner 103 which was also called Wild Hare (reviewed here http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2013/08/sunday-night-suds-shiner-wild-hare-ipa.html).

This year's Shiner numbered brew is the 104 also known as White Wing. I have been told that this beer was not intended to be distributed in 6 and 12 packs, but that due to its extreme popularity the marketing pros widened its distrbution (I even saw an ad for it on Hulu while watching 80s TV with my kids).

The Shiner White Wing is a Belgian White, brewed with coriander and orange peel. It has some similarity to Blue Moon, but the citrus is somewhat more subtle and subdued.

Mrs KB and I sampled this brew with our pre-Memorial Day BBQ dinner and we both enjoyed its crispness and the way that it went well with char grilled steak (what a treat!).

Shiner White Wing is under the Kosher Supervision of the Va'ad of Detroit although there is no symbol on the the bottle. To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about the Shiner White Wing, please follow this link beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/143/105298.

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 Bamidbar

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.

The parsha contains the mitzva of counting the Jewish people. It is for this reason that sefer Bamidbar is called the book of the counting. Indeed, the sefer begins and ends with a census. It is also the reason that the English name for the sefer is Numbers and not In The Desert.

The Torah uses the language "Seu Es Rosh" (Bamidbar 1:2) which is curious. The Medrash explains that Hashem is telling Moshe - if the Jews listen to Hashem they will be carried on the top level, much like what Yosef prophesies to the Butler (Bereishis 40:13) that Pharaoh will lift up your head (Yisa) and return you to your position of power. However, if they don't listen, they could be punished like Yosef's prophecy to the Baker (Bereishis 40:19) that Pharaoh will lift your head from your body (also using the word Yisa). 

The message that Moshe is being given is that it is either all or nothing - if the Jews listen they will have it all. But if not...

R' Frand next quoted a gemara in Kesuvous where R' Yochanan Ben Zakkai saw a Jewish girl who was collecting barley kernels from the dung of the donkey. When she saw him, she stood up and said to R' Yochanan Ben Zakkai - support me. He responded to her, whose daughter are you? She responded that she was the daughter of Nakdimon Ben Gurion. He asked - where is the money? You were among the wealthiest families in Jerusalem! She responded that we did not use the money properly and it is gone.

The gemara gives more of the story as she says to R' Yochanan Ben Zakkai - do you remember my kesuva that you signed? It said that I would bring thousands of gold coins into the marriage!

Hearing this, R' Yochanan remarks - Ashreichem Yisrael - praised are you the Jews. But why is this praiseworthy? The Maharsha explains that the Jews are supported directly from Hashem - when they do the right thing they will have extreme success. But when not, the opposite is true.

This is what the Medrash meant - tell the Jews that if they do what they are supposed to do, they will be wildly successful. They will be carried! But if not, they will face the consequences.

R' Frand also quoted a vort from the Chida who notes that the Nasi from Gad has two different formulations of his father's name. Sometimes the father is called by Reu'el and sometimes as Deu'el. Why? His name actually was Deu'el but he had a claim that he did not make against Hashem and he was rewarded for keeping himself quiet.

The Chumash explains that the tribe of Gad and the tribe of Dan traveled together. The tribe of Dan is chosen to lead, but this is not without controversy as the tribe of Gad could equally have been the leader as both tribes were bechorim to their mothers (Bilha and Zilpa).

The Chida quotes the Imrei Noam who explains that as a reward for Gad not complaining about not being chosen to lead, he was zoche to have Moshe Rabbeinu buried in his tribal section of the land of Israel. Moshe Rabbeinu was a "friend" (Reyim) to Hashem. Therefore, after having his name first mentioned by his true name (De'uel) at the beginning of the parsha, the Nasi's father's name is changed to Re'uel to memorialize Gad's connection to Moshe, who was a friend to Hashem.

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 - Boulevard Brewing Co's Boss Tom's Golden Bock

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Boss Tom's Golden Bock.

As you can see from the picture above, Boulevard's Boss Tom's Golden Bock has some character and legend to it. I am not a scholar of Kansas City and my knowledge of the city does not go any further back than George Brett and/or the Scouts. However, the bottle label explains that the beer was named after "Boss Tom Pendergast" who was the leader of a political faction named the "goats" which was the rival of another political group which identified with rabbits. Since this beer is a "bock" it is aligned with the goats (for reasons I have never truly understood, the goat is linked with the bock style of beer).

Unlike many other breweries, Boulevard schedules their bock as a seasonal brew with a limited release in the late spring and early summer. The Boulevard website identifies the beer as a "maibock" which the gurus at BA explain is a "style of beer tends to be lighter in color than other Bock beers and often has a significant hop character with a noticeable alcohol around the same as a traditional Bock. Maibocks are customarily served in the spring and are oftentimes interrelated with spring festivals and celebrations more often in the month of May."

The Boulevard Golden Bock was true to the style as it was light in color, but there were no noticeable hops or bite. Although the beer claims to be 6.1% abv, I also did not notice much in the way of an alcoholic taste. Overall, it tastes like a slightly lighter version of a bock, but nonetheless refreshing as a spring brew. I would recommend this beer with light fare such as cheese or fish based salads.

Boulevard's Boss Tom's Golden Bock is under the Kosher Supervision of the Va'ad of Kansas City, but the bottle I purchased did not have the certification mark on the label. If you would like the LOC from the Va'ad, please let me know and I will email it to you.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about this brew, please follow this link -http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/423/56707.

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 Bechukosai

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.

The first pasuk of this week's parsha contains a curious choice of words as it states that if a person will walk after Hashem's laws. It would have seemed more logical to state if a person follows or obeys the laws. Why is it that the Torah uses the verb "teyleichu" or walk after.

The Medrash Rabbah links this pasuk to a medrash about David Hamelech wherein David said to Hashem, "every morning I wanted to go to this place, but instead my legs carry me to to the Batei Medrash and Batei Knessesses. 

R' Frand cited to the Ksav Sofer who had a different version of the medrash. This version states "every morning I wanted to go to the theaters and circuses, but my carry me to to the Batei Medrash and Batei Knessesses. 

This second version of the medrash is obviously confusing - why would David Hamelech want to go to these places instead of to learn or daven?

The Ksav Sofer gave an initial answer which cited the gemara which states that in the future all of the theaters and circuses will be transformed into halls of learning and davening.

The Ksav Sofer's second answer is based on a thought which struck a chord with me. The Ksav Sofer writes that David Hamelech wanted to observe the athletes and spectators and their devotion to the sport. 

R' Frand digressed to talk about how Olympic gymnasts and professional athletes spend 8-10 hours a day in training for competition. He mentioned how fans have become "fanatical" (my word, not his) and that there are sports radio networks where people can talk sports all day and night. He even observed that the recently concluded NFL Draft is now a "three day yom tov."

It was this fanaticism that David Hamelech wanted to observe and channel so that his love of Torah and tefillah was equally "fanatical,"

R' Frand closed the vort by quoting the Chofetz Chayim who explains the line in the "hadran" which states  - "we work and they work" and "we run and they run." Why is it that we should care about how people devote themselves to frivolity and race after trivialities? The answer is that if you want to see how someone works hard, look at what they are doing and then channel it and be inspired to use the same energy in your service of Hashem.

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Tuesday's Thoughts on the Daf - Rosh Hashanah 5

Today's daf continued a discussion which began on Rosh Hashanah 4 as to the issur of Ba'al T'Acher or pushing off the fulfillment of a mitzva. Within this discussion the gemara briefly pauses to discuss the Tashlumim, or makeup period wherein a person can bring a sacrifice if he fails to offer it on the holiday. 

As part of the discussion of Tashlumim, the gemara asks what the makeup period is for the holiday of Shavuous. The gemara cites R' Rabbah Bar Shmuel who notes that the period leading up to Shavuous is counted by weeks, therefore the makeup period is a week. But the gemara then asks, the period is also counted by days - why do we not say that there is only one day for the sacrifice. The gemara answers - we count both days and weeks, and besides, look at the name of the holiday - its the holiday of weeks.

The gemara's question reminded me of the famous question - why is the holiday called Shavuous when it is also significant that the Jews received the Torah on the holiday. It is curious that the holiday is called Z'man Matan Torateinu in the Mussaf for Shalosh Regalim, yet the Torah never calls Shavuous by that name. 

Many meforshim answer that the holiday of Shavuous was meant to celebrate the end of the omer period and that the Torah was actually given on the 51st day of the omer. The omer period is actually a time to prepare for the receipt of the Torah and the holiday celebrates the completion of the period which makes the Jews ready to receive the Torah. It is for this reason that one of the names in the Torah for the holiday is Atzeres.

I would also note the answer of the Imrei Noam who observes that the holiday is called Zman Matan Torateinu and not Yom Matan Torateinu, since the holiday was near the date the Torah was received and not necessarily on that date.

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