Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Shemini

The following is a brief summary of some of 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.

In Vayikra (10:1-11) the Torah discusses the death of Nadav and Avihu, two of Aharon's sons who died on the first day of the Miluim. The Torah then writes in Vayikra 10:12 that Moshe spoke to Aharon's sons who were "Nosarim" - the surviving sons.

Rashi explains that Aharon's sons were all supposed to die because of Aharon's participation in the sin of the Egel. However, the prayers of Moshe saved two sons of Aharon from dying. But this is why they are referred to as Nosarim - because without Moshe's prayers they would have died as well.

R' Frand quoted the Shemen HaTov (R' Weinberger) who explains that the term "survivors" has a special connotation for Jews. We use that term for the Jews who survived the Holocaust. However, the term is being under utilized because all Jews are survivors. R' Frand noted that Hitler's plan was not just to kill all the Jews of Europe, he wanted to kill all Jews on the planet, but b'h he was stopped. In a sense, we are all survivors because Hashem allowed us all to live and not be wiped out by Hitler's plan.

R' Frand further explained that some people who survive a traumatic event view themselves as being survivor who have been saved and therefore need to dedicate their lives for a special purpose. He remarked that this should not be limited to those who were saved from the Holocaust in Europe as all Jews should understand that Hashem saved them for a reason.

R' Frand next quoted the pasuk in Vayikra 10:17 wherein it is stated that Moshe was "Darosh Dorash" about the Se'ir  for Rosh Chodesh which was burned.

R' Frand quoted the Gemara in Zevachim which explains that three sacrifices were brought on that date - the Se'ir for Rosh Chodesh, the sacrifice of Nachshon Ben Aminadav as the first of the Nese'im and the Chatas brought in conjunction with the Miluim. Based on halacha - an Onen normally cannot eat Kodshim, but Moshe told Aharon that he and his remaining sons could eat the korbanos as a Hora'as Sha'ah - a special dispensation because of the times.

The Gemara further explains that Moshe came to Aharon and saw that one of the sacrifices was burnt and not eaten ("V'Hinei Soraf"). This was the sacrifice for Rosh Chodesh. So Moshe asks - why did not you completely follow my directions and eat from this sacrifice? To this Aharon responded - the special dispensation was to the sacrifices which were for the dedication of the Mishkan. However, the sacrifice for Rosh Chodesh was not one of the special korbanos - so Moshe - you are wrong, I can't eat from this.

In response to this Moshe could have said, I'm wrong, or I heard it and I forgot.

R' Chaim Shmulevitz remarked that for anyone else, it would have been better to say - I'm wrong, then to say - I forgot. Indeed, by saying that he forgot, he could open himself up to questions as to what else he may have forgotten. Still, this was Moshe's derech, because a great leader needs to be able to admit that he made a mistake.

R' Frand tied this in to the concept of Yehuda being given the role of Malchus, as the Targum Yonasan explains the pasuk Yehuda Atah Yoducha Achecha (Bereishis 49:8) as - Yehuda you are worthy to be king because you admitted you were in the incident with Tamar.

R' Frand completed the vort by quoting a story about Rav Chaim Soloveitchik. When he was named as Rosh Yeshiva in Volozin there were those who thought that he was not worthy. The community arranged that he would have to give a shiur as a probba in front of three gedolim. R' Chaim came and gave the shiur and had the room mezmoriezed, but then abruptly sat down in the middle of the shiur because he realized that the concept did not synchonize with a Rambam. 

The assembled Rabbonim remarked - by admitting that you were wrong you have demonstrated that you are worthy to be the Rosh HaYeshiva.

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Sunday Night Suds - Samuel Adams Crystal Pale Ale

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Samuel Adams Crystal Pale Ale.

Samuel Adams introduced the Crystal Pale Ale as part of the 2015 Spring mix box. I did not get a chance to try this beer last year and I can really say that I missed out.

This beer is reminiscent of the Latitude 48 brews that Samuel Adams introduced a few years back. The beer poured a warm orange with great lacing which left intricate designs on my glass. But what really struck me was the floral hops which wafted up from the glass and hit me right in the nose. There is a great deal of pine but it is balanced by some malt which together produces perfect citrus nose  (think Mineola Tangelo).

The alcohol content on this brew is 5.3% abv and there is a slight alcohol taste to the brew, but it is subtle and not offensive.

I would recommend pairing this brew with steak, preferably grilled in a grill pan or broiled. I would not say this about many beers, but this brew would stand up well to a rich steak.

The Samuel Adams Crystal Pale Ale is under the Kosher Supervision of the Star-K and has a Star-K certification mark on the label. To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about this brew, please follow this link - beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/35/130925. 

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 are reading this post more than six months after it was written, please note that it is possible that the product is no longer still certified kosher. To verify that the product is still certified kosher, please click on the kosher beers list link on the top left corner of the blog.

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 Tzav

Due to the Purim holiday, R' Frand did not give a shiur tonight. Rather than go without a parsha vort,  I have reproduced a vort on the parsha from R' Mansour, which I heard on www.learntorah.com . Same rules as usual apply. 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.

The parsha begins with a discussion of the laws of the Olah sacrifice. The Olah was brought twice daily, every day of the year. The Torah writes that the mizbayach was burning all night - it was never extinguished.

The Sefer Hachinuch explains that the miracle that the mizbayach burned all night was not an open miracle. The Kohen was commanded to put some pieces of wood on the mizbayach, even though they were not needed.

R' Mansour explained that this teaches us a lesson about how Hashem conducts the world. Very seldom are miracles truly open. When Hashem makes a miracle, He involves a natural component so that the skeptic can choose not to believe that it comes from Hashem. R' Mansour gave the example of the Krias Yam Suf. The night before the Jews crossed the Yam Suf, the Torah explains that there were strong easterly winds blowing - abnormal winds. The next day when the Jews crossed, Pharaoh said - its a natural phenomenon. In so doing, he disregarded the fact that the sea split into twelve corridors (one for each tribe) and that the floor of the seabed was marble. Would this have happened from wind?

Similarly, Hashem made a miracle that the mizbayach was lit constantly. The skeptic could look at it and say - the mizbayach is lit because its being fed by the Kohen. But if he paid close enough attention, he would realize that the fires were being fed by an independent source.

The gemara notes that when it rained on the mizbayach, the fires would not be extingiuished. But the question can be asked, why couldn't Hashem just make a miracle that the rain would never fall on the mizbayach?

R' Mansour answered the question by analogizing the mizbayach to the Jews. The Jews do mitzvos because each one of them has a motivating spark to do the right thing. However, there are many cynics who would like to pour water and drown out the excitement. These are the symbolic waters which are trying to extinguish the fires of the mizbayach. We can draw inspiration from Hashem's promise about the mizbayach -it will never be extinguished, even if rain falls on it. The lesson to us is that the symbolic water should not extinguish the fires in our neshamos.

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Purim 2016/5776 Kosher Beers List

As a community service, Kosher Beers publishes a list twice a year of the beers which are known to be certified kosher. The list will be updated periodically until the next edition (Labor Day 2016). For the Purim 2016/5776  edition, I will again be using scribd to upload and maintain list. All newly added beers are in bold.

  Kosher Beers List Purim 2016-5776

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Vayikra

The following is a brief summary of some of 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.

R' Frand first cited to the Medrash Rabbah which mentions a Medrash which states that even though Moshe had ten names, Hashem said that He would only call him Moshe which is the name given to him by Basya.

The Ksav Sofer explains the Medrash by making reference to a Gemara in Nedarim which states that Hashem only lets his Shechina dwell on someone who is strong willed, intelligent and humble and all of these traits can be found in Moshe. 

The Ksav Sofer asks - even though the middah of humility is extremely important and can be derived from Moshe - why is there a requirement of being strong willed?

R' Frand answered that a person who is humble because they have nothing is not on the same level as one who has everything. A person who has a weak will and no ambition will not amass wealth, It would not be shocking that he is humble, because he has nothing to be haughty about. But a person who is smart and strong willed and is still humble, shows great character.

R' Frand quoted the Be'er Yosef who quoted a Gemara which asks - where is Sarah found in the Torah - Sarah is Yiskah. The Gemara gives two reason that she was called Yiskah - either that she was beautiful or that she was covered with Ruach HaKodesh. But the Be'er Yosef explains that it is really one answer - even though she was beautiful, Sarah was humble and therefore was blessed with Ruach HaKodesh.

R' Frand then tied the vort back into Moshe being called Moshe. When he was in Pharaoh's palace he could have been haughty as he was treated as the King's son. However even though he was Moshe (as named by Basya) he was still humble.

R' Frand also said a vort in the name of the Bnei Yissaschar on Parshas Zachor. He began the vort by citing the Bnei Yissaschar who explains that Amalek is MiDor Dor, quoting Shemos 17:16. 

He next cited to the Gemara in Chullin 139b which asks where is Haman found in the Torah - in Bereishis 3:12 wherein Hashem questions Adam - HaMin Haetz (letters Heh Mem Nun) - did you eat from this tree?

The Bnei Yissaschar asked - why does the Gemara need a source for Haman in the Torah - he's in the Megillah? Also, there is a closer approximation of Haman's name as the Jews ate HaMan - the Manna. 

To answer the question, R' Frand quoted the Daas Zekeinim M'Baalei Tosafos which cites a Medrash that Hashem told Adam that the day that he ate from the tree he would die. But when Adam did eat, Hashem said to him - I will not kill you and hang you on the tree today, I will save it for Haman/Amalek.

With this introduction, we can understand the Gemara. It is not asking where can Haman be found in the Torah? Instead it is asking - where do we know that the evil of Haman/Amalek can be found in all generations? The Gemara answers  that it all begins with eating from the tree - when Adam disregarded Hashem's directives - and this continues to each generation which disregards Hashem.

R' Frand notes that the curse given to Adam in Bereishis 3:18 is that Kotz V'Dardar - thorns and thistles will grow. What is the difference between a Daled and a Resh - the Kotz at the end of the letter. The Torah later goes out of its way to underscore that there is a difference between the two letters when it comes to Hashem as the Daled in the word Echad in the Shema is oversized as is the Resh in the word Acher in KiSissa (Shemos 34:15).

Adam did not see the difference between the two and followed the Acher instead of the Echad. This sin follows man from generation to generation (MiDor Dor) in the form of the Yetzer Hara/Amalek. This is the battle which the Jews must have for their survival.

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Sunday Night Suds - Henry's Hard Ginger Ale & Coney Island Hard Ginger Ale

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Henry's Hard Ginger Ale & Coney Island Hard Ginger Ale.

This year has seen an explosion of kosher alcopop and with Purim right around the corner (the Purim 5776/2016 list will iyh be posted next week) I thought it would be appropriate two review two Hard Ginger Ales which recently were certified kosher.

The Henry's Hard Ginger Ale is a sugary sweet beverage which has mild ginger flavor which masks the alcohol in the product. Although the Hard Ginger Ale is 4.2% abv, it is unlikely that you will detect any alcohol taste, which if you don't like alcohol may not be a bad thing. If you are looking to consume something other than wine on Purim and are trying to stay on the low end of the alcohol scale, this would be the choice for you.  Similarly, if you are a person who generally drinks soda with dinner, you should do fine with this at your Purim seudah.

The Coney Island Hard Ginger Ale also has pronounced sugar, but this product has a much more complex flavor profile. There is a strong ginger scent and flavor, but not like drinking an ersatz sugared Ginger Ale. There also is a little bit of an alcohol bite in the background, which is slightly surprising given that the alcohol content in this product is 3.5% abv - roughly the equivalent of a lite beer. This product would go well with Thai or ginger flavored beef dishes (I paired one myself with Mrs KB's stir fry and it worked perfectly together).

Henry's Hard Soda is produced by the Blitz Weinhard Brewing Company, a division of MillerCoors. As with nearly all MilleCoors products, the Hard Ginger Ale is certified kosher by the OU and their is a small OU on the bottle label. If you require a copy of the LOC for the Hard Ginger Ale please let me know via email.

The Coney Island Brewing Company is a division of Samuel Adams and the Coney Island Hard Ginger Ale is certified kosher by the Star-K. The LOC certifying the Coney Island Hard Ginger Ale can be found on the Star-K website at http://www.star-k.org/#DivPEFQZ4N3.

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 are reading this post more than six months after it was written, please note that it is possible that the product is no longer still certified kosher. To verify that the product is still certified kosher, please click on the kosher beers list link on the top left corner of the blog.

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!