Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Ki Tseitsei

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 began the vort by noting that the maftir of Parshas Ki Tseitsei is the same portion which is read for Parshas Zachor and that if a person did not hear Zachor in Adar he can fulfill his obligation by hearing this week's parsha, provided that the Ba'al Koreh has this in mind.

He then quoted Rashi who asked why the issue of remembering Amalek comes immediately after the discussion of not having dishonest weights and measures. He answered that a person who cheats in his weights and measures should be worried that a foreign enemy will attack.

But this answer is not logical. There are many aveiros in the Torah, none of which carry with them a concern about being attacked by enemies as punishment!

R' Frand next quoted the Netziv, who asked three questions (including the question as to why enemies would attack due to weights/measures). The other two questions were: (1) why is the issue of weights and measures mentioned in the desert when people did not sell things in this manner anyway, and (2) why does the Gemara in Bava Basra state that the sin of weights and measures is more severe than the act of adultery?

R' Frand began the Netziv's explanation by first making reference to the Netziv's explanation for why the "big three" aveiros (Killing, Adultery and Idol Worship) hold the position of being yehareg v'al ya'avor (one must give up their life to observe). He explained that every sin has one of three sources--either desire, a denial of Hashem or is caused by a middah ra'ah - a bad trait such as jealousy, rage, or haughtiness.

Each one of these ties into one of the big three. A person commits adultery because of desire. A person kills because of a bad middah such as rage which sends him out of control. A person worships idols because he denies Hashem's existence. 

Which is the worst of the big three? Clearly it must be idol worship, because there is no rationalization for the act. A person may have been driven to kill or compelled by desire to commit an immoral act, but the only reason a person would engage in avodah zarah is because he rejects Hashem.

This is why the sin of having dishonest weights and measures is viewed so severely. He is not stealing because of desire, because the extra quarter that he makes on the sale of beef (even added up over a day) does not give him a windfall. A person who steals a car or a large sum of money does so because he desires the object. That would be why the sin of not stealing is not found next to Amalek.

But a person who cheats his customers to the tune of a few cents per pound does so because he does not believe that Hashem is control of the world and insuring that each person gets the parnasa he is due. 

R' Frand closed the vort by connecting it back to the mention of Amalek, for which the parsha tells us that Amalek attacks when one is not "Yirei Elokim", he has no belief that Hashem is in control of the world.

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 Dayblazer Easygoing Ale

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at New Belgium Dayblazer Easygoing Ale (in the 24 oz can!)

I had seen this beer for a few years, but for reasons I can't explain, I was never really motivated to buy it. I think partially it was the size of the can and the fact that I could never find it in loose six pack bottles. But when I saw the loose can in Albany at Oliver's I took the plunge.

The Dayblazer is an American Blonde Ale, which on the scale of beer education/growth is a few pegs above macrolager and not truly an ale. But that's not to say that it does not have redeeming qualities, or that you can't enjoy one on a hot summer's day after you finish tarring the roof (or doing a 13 mile bike ride).

The beer poured a golden yellow with good foam retention and some hop scent, if not bite. Its low on the alcohol scale for an ale (4.8% abv) but the flavor is not as mild as a macrolager. Not that it held its own with the veal stew that I tried it with, but it would do well with pizza. So the bottom line is if you are looking for a hop forward ale with lots of citrus and pine, this beer is not for you...but then again no American Blonde Ale would be either.

The New Belgium Dayblazer is under kosher supervision by the Scroll-K/Va'ad of Denver, but not every brew produced by New Belgium is under kosher supervision. For a list of the New Belgium brews currently under supervision, please click on the link on the left side of my home page for my latest Kosher Beer List.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about The New Belgium Dayblazer Easygoing Ale, click here beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/192/262695.

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).

Please Note - 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 Shoftim

Now that Elul has returned, R' Frand has begun giving shiurim again via TCN. 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 began the vort by noting that the laws of Ir Miklat (city of refuge) are mentioned in Shoftim, but were previously also mentioned in Parshas Mishpatim which states that a person who did not set a trap, but as he did kill Hashem set a location for him to go. (Shemos 21:12) The end words of the pasuk are an acronym for Elul and the Chachamim connect Elul with Ir Miklat.

What is the connection between the two? R' Frand noted that the person who killed unintentionally had to go to an Ir Miklat for what could be 70 years. But he did this unintentionally, so why is he exiled? R' Frand answered that if a person is makpid not to violate a mitzva and builds in protection from committing an act, Hashem will make sure that the person does not come into a situation where he might unintentionally violate the law. So too with the unintentional killer. A person may engage in dangerous activities, albeit without the slightest intent to kill. But by putting himself in that situation, there is a possibility that he might kill.

R' Frand linked this to the gemara in Avodah Zarah where R' Chanina Ben Tradyon was being taken out to execution. The executioner asked, if I hasten your death, will I get a place in Olam Haba? R' Chanina responded, "yes". So the executioner removed the moist materials which were meant to prolong the pain. R' Chanina died quickly and the executioner jumped into the fire and died as well. The gemara contained a statement that on this Rebbi cried, saying there are some who earn Olam Haba from a lifetime of action and others who earn it in one minute. The same statement is found in two other gemaras with similar stories.

But why did Rebbi cry? R' Frand explained that it was because he recognized what could be accomplished in a minute.

R' Frand quoted a shmooze from the Kelemer Maggid who told a parable about how the people in a graveyard were told that they would come back to life for an hour. Some people went and visited and assisted their parents because they felt that they had been lacking in this mitzva while alive. Others went and learned Torah, while still others did acts of gemilas chessed.

The Kelemer Maggid remarked that this is what can be done in an hour. But who knows if they even have an hour?

R' Frand then tied this back to the person who is exiled to Ir Miklat. He is sent away because he killed unintentionally, but it resulted from his lack of awareness of the value of human life. So he is sent to the Ir Miklat, a place where the Levites live. These are people who devote their lives to service in the Beis Hamikdash. These people re-educate the killer and show what a meaningful life is.

This is what Elul is about. The Ir Miklat is a physical place, but Chodesh Elul is a spiritual place where one can reflect on the meaning of time and take steps to make our time well spent.

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!

Belated Sunday Night Suds - New Belgium Fat Tire Special Edition Belgian White

This week's Belated Sunday Night Suds looks at New Belgium's Fat Tire Special Edition Belgian White. [Post is belated due to family road trip before school].

I found this beer in Oliver's in Albany, a beer store which I have come to believe may be the greatest beer store on the East Coast. I had never seen nor heard of Fat Tire experimenting with a witbier, so I picked up a six pack and split it with a friend.

The beer itself was unlike any Fat Tire I had ever tried, including last year's Fat Tire and friends series. After trying two of these, I still can't really tell what makes this a Fat Tire Belgian White, as opposed to a witbier produced by New Belgium Brewery.

This is not to say that the beer itself was unremarkable or weak. The beer poured a golden amber with good carbonation and lacing. There were phenols present, but they were a little more subtle then your average witbier and the citrus was a little more forward than I would have expected as well. The combined flavor and the low end alcohol content (5.2% abv) make this a beer which you can actually have more than one of at a meal.

The New Belgium Fat Tire Special Edition Belgian White is under kosher supervision by the Scroll-K/Va'ad of Denver, but not every brew produced by New Belgium is under kosher supervision. For a list of the New Belgium brews currently under supervision, please click on the link on the left side of my home page for my latest Kosher Beer List.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about The New Belgium Fat Tire Special Edition Belgian White, click here beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/192/275731.

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).

Please Note - 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 Re'eh

Since there are no Rabbi Frand shiurim on the Parsha until Elul, I would like to substitute a vort from other Rabbanim each week, rather than leaving the blog without a vort for shabbos. This week, I am attempting to repeat a vort heard from R' Eli Mansour as recorded on www.learntorah.com. Same rules as usual apply - I have attempted to reproduce the 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 the maggid shiur.

In Devarim 14:22, the Torah states the mitzva of giving tithes (Ma'aser). R' Mansour mentioned that in an agrarian society, the tithe came from wheat, but in our time it is from money. He also quoted the gemara which makes a play on the words used for the mitzva of ma'aser --aser ti'aser which is literally translated as you shall give tithe. However the gemara in Ta'anis uses the word become wealthy --give ma'aser so that you will become wealthy.

R' Mansour quoted the story in the gemara where a child coming out of school was asked what did you learn today? He said that we learned this pasuk. R' Yochanan then taught him, give ma'aser so that you become wealthy. 

The medrash on this states that the wise man goes to the right, but the imbecile to the left. But what does this mean and how does wisdom connect with charity?

R' Mansour explained that the fool prays, but is looking for how many pages are left in the book (on the left side of the siddur) while the wise man looks at the right to see how much he has accomplished. The same can be said about learning, where the wise man is happy about how much ground he has covered, while the fool says the book is so long...

R' Mansour developed this thought by drawing a parallel between the work of learning and the giving of charity. He quoted the Kedushas Tzion who cites a gemara which states that in divrei Torah a person can be poor in one place but wise in another. There may be scant commentary on a sugya when it is mentioned in one gemara, but the footnote tells you that it is also mentioned in another mesechta where there is more explanation. 

R' Mansour gave another explanation. He said that when one starts learning gemara, it can be very discouraging, quoting a medrash on Bereishis 1:2 where the Torah states that there was darkness on the surface of the deep, that the pasuk refers to the Talmud Bavli which is dark and challenging. But after one gets bearing, the brain clicks in and the gemara can be understood. 

Applying this to the gemara, when a person is a young man the Torah may be very challenging and he feels "poor" in knowledge, but when he has more background in learning and he can pick up more, he feels "wealthy."

There is also a gemara in Megillah which states that a person who states ya'gati u'matzati --I worked and I found, he can be believed. This applies in the case of Torah, a person who toiled in learning Torah and says that he benefited and retained, should be believed. It may be hard in the beginning when you are working hard. But every great Rabbi had a period of toiling before it clicks. And when the person finally does have a retention and deeper understanding, he feels like he has found something.

R' Mansour said that giving charity is the same thing. A person may only feel a loss when he gives the tithe. He may look at the recipient while looking at his own bills and say, I could use that money to pay my bills. In so doing, he only looks to the current state. To this R' Yochanan consoles --you need to see the long term, the giving of the tzedakah will lead to wealth. Don't be the fool that only looks to your own financial needs, realize that giving the money will have a return. In the same way, dont be discouraged that the learning is heavy and that there are so many pages in the book. Do the work and it will come back to benefit you in the long term.

 

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 - Samuel Adams Harvest Hefe

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Samuel Adams Harvest Hefe.

Although this beer is part of the newest fall seasonal mix box from Samuel Adams, I found it in the mix your own six refrigerated section of the Albany Colonie Price Chopper.

[Ed note--an anonymous commenter tipped me that it was not part of the variety pack. After I found it in the mix your six I checked the Sam Adams website and it clicked through the seasonal variety pack link, but its not part of the variety pack. Post a comment if you find it in sixers].

This beer is not your average hefeweizen. It starts with the phenols and then adds some levels of complexity with cinnamon and nutmeg. I'm sure that I must have had cinnamon spiced beer before, but this beer is unusual as it tastes like the offspring of a box of redhots and cloves.

The beer has a lower level of alcohol (5.4% abv) and could probably be used as a session brew. It worked well with chicken marsala and would probably match with other mild chicken dishes.

The Samuel Adams Harvest Hefe is under the Kosher Supervision of the Star-K and has a Star-K certification mark on the bottle. To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about this brew, please follow this link - beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/35/294588. (Keep in mind, this beer is so new, there are virtually no reviews as of today).

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!