Friday's Fantastic Pre-Pesach Vort

As those familiar with Rabbi Frand's Thursday Night shiur are aware, the first portion of the shiur (approximately 40 minutes) is spent on halachic topics and the second section focuses on the parsha . The Thursday's Parsha Tidbits post that I try to put up on Thursday nights is a summary of the vorts from the last twenty minutes of the shiur, but occassionally there are vorts said in the halachic section of the shiur which I can't resist writing about. Below is a summary of one of those vorts. Same rules as usual apply - I have attempted to reproduce the 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.

R' Frand quoted the Vilna Gaon who writes in the Divrei Eiliyahu about two pesukim in Parshas Bo (Shemos 13:6-7) that states that Shivas Yamim Tochal Matzos ... Matzos Yeachael Eis Shivas Hayamim. Loosely translated, the pesukim say - for seven days you shall eat matza ... matza shall be eaten throughout the seven day period.  However, the pesukim appear to be redundant and this needs to be explained. Additionally, the pesukim change grammatically from kal to nifal where it transfers from active to passive. Finally, the word matzos in the first pasuk is spelled without a vav but the second time it has a vav. 

The Gaon explains that there are two concepts - a person should eat matza, but he should also make sure that others can eat matza as well. Thus the pesukim are not redundant - a person is obligated to eat and to make sure others have matza to eat. This also explains the transition from active to passive since it is your obligation to make sure others have matza to eat as well. Finally, the reason that there is a vav in the second mention of matza is to teach that you should eat a matza, but you also need to ensure that others have the matzos that they need. 

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 Vayikra

The following is a brief summary 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.

As anyone who has ever opened a chumash knows, the aleph at the end of the word Vayikra which begins this week's parsha is diminutive  The Medrash teaches that the aleph is small because the word Vayikra shows Hashem's closeness to Moshe and Moshe did not want to give the impression that he was close enough to Hashem that he would be called by Hashem. 

R' Frand quoted R' Shach who cites the famous gemara that R' Akiva would teach many halachos from the crowns which are on the top of the letters of the words of the Torah. However, if there are limudim which can be made from the crowns on the letters, how can Moshe deprive the Jews of the ability to learn Torah from the crown which should have been on top of the aleph? 

R' Shach answers that to teach the middah of humility is a great lesson, so great that we can miss out on the other limudim which could be made from the crown on the aleph. 

R' Frand then stated that Moshe's humility can actually be seen throughout the Torah. The Medrash Tanchuma states in the name of R' Levi that Hashem argued with Moshe at the Sneh for seven days in order to try to convince Moshe to take the job. After Moshe was convinced to lead, Moshe went down to Egypt to talk to Pharaoh and was rejected by Pharaoh. The Medrash states that once Pharaoh rejected Moshe, Moshe said to Hashem - I have done what you asked me to do and I have been unsuccessful. I don't want/deserve the job - go find someone else. Again, Hashem had to convince Moshe to lead. 

R' Frand explained that Moshe is an example of the expression that all who chases honor, the honor will run from them. Meanwhile, all who run from honor, the honor will chase after them.

R' Frand next told a story from the Chofetz Chaim which illustrates the concept. There was a talmid chacham in Radin who never got the honor that he felt that he deserved. Eventually, the talmid chacham went to the Chofetz Chaim and asked - since I am so learned, why am I not receiving any honor?

The Chofetz Chaim answered the man with the above cited expression and then explained it as follows. In using the word for the one who runs from honor it says "kol" or "all". The language of all is a language which is ribui - it adds. This teaches that anyone who chases after honor, even if it is deserved, the honor will run from him. Similarly, the word kol is used for one who runs from honor. Anyone who runs from honor even if he does not deserve it, like me said the Chofetz Chaim, the honor will chase after him. 

R' Frand then quoted the Sfas Emes who asks - if a person runs away from honor because he sincerely does not want the honor and not out of false modesty, why does Hashem punish him with the honor that he really does not want? The Sfas Emes answers that in nature - things always return to their source. Hashem is the source for all honor, so honor will always flow back to the Melech Hakavod. A person gets to the level of running from honor because he realizes that he has accomplished things - but it is all due to a gift from Hashem which allowed him to accomplish what he has done. When the person runs from honor, he is running towards Hashem who he identifies as the source of his ability to accomplish. But while he is running towards Hashem, the honor is running back towards Hashem too.

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 Shift Pale Lager

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at New Belgium's Shift Pale Lager (in a can!)

Yes, I admit it. I am biased against beer sold in cans. Its not just the image of Bud in a six pack ring holder which I despise. Nor is it the thought of tall boy cans of lite beer being sold at bodegas to those looking to drink out of paper bags on street corners. I believe that it is born out of a belief which has been drilled into my head that nothing tastes good after it has been stored for an excessive period of time in metal cans.

Yes, this belief is hardly rational. During a special tour of the Saranac factory in 2009 with Mrs KB, I asked one of the brewery staff about their plans to start producing beer in cans and why it would not have a deleterious impact on the quality of beer. It was explained to me that they use specially lined cans which prevent the beer from acquiring the metallic taste which I always associated with poor quality brew.

And still, I cannot bring myself to buy beer in a can unless that is the only option available for that particular variety and even when that is the case, I will only buy a single can so that I am not forced to pour out or give away the remaining cans to unsuspecting victims.

All of this brings me to the New Belgium Shift Pale Lager. When I first heard about the "pale lager" I immediately thought - New Belgium has sold out and is now producing macrolager. Furthermore, I said to myself, if they only sell it in cans there must not be much to like about this beer. So when someone offered to pick this new style of beer up for me and transport it east, I knew that I would only be requesting a single can.

But a funny thing happened after I poured this beer from the can into my mug. I actually liked the brew. Don't get me wrong, I still would not want a case of this beer as lagers really are not my beer style of choice. But the Shift Pale Lager is pretty good for a ball game type brew. The beer is not that pale (see picture above) and there is no metallic can taste! Instead, it is a lager with a little bit of character which would go well with pizza or hot dogs or other generic american pop fare.

New Belgium Shift Pale Lager is under the Kosher Supervision of the Scroll-K of Colorado. Please note that 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 New Belgium Shift Pale Lager, please follow this link http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/192/79373.

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 - Parshios Vayakhel Pikudei

The following is a brief summary 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. 

There is a Medrash in Shir Hashirim which states that the central beam of the Mishkan was 32 amos. Where was the beam found? It was kept by the Jews from the time of Yaakov. 

his is a famous ma'amar chazal that Avraham planted trees Atzei Sheetim in Beer Sheva which were cut down by Yaakov and brought to Egypt. These trees were then brought out of Egypt when the Jews left. 

R' Frand quoted R' Mordechai Druk's sefer Darash Mordechai which relates a question which R' Druk's son asked him. Chazal praise Moshe for taking the bones of Yosef with him when the Jews left Egypt. The gemara states how great Moshe was since all of the Jews were collecting the bounty of Egypt and Moshe went and took the remains of Yosef.

R' Frand quoted the question of R' Druk's son - why is it that we only praise Moshe and not the men who shlepped the Atzei Sheetim which were used in the building of the mishkan? R' Mordechai Druk answers that the difference is what was going on at the time. The people were fulfilling a mitzva (to take the biza of Egypt) and getting rich at the same time. Moshe ignored the wealth and just worked on a pure mitzva of taking the remains of Yosef out of Egypt. It is for this reason that Moshe is praised for ignoring the easy, financial rewarding mitzva and doing the unattractive action of looking after Yosef's corpse.

R' Druk's son explained this by looking at the difference between doing mitzvos which are between man and man vs. between those between man and G-d. The shlepping of the atzei sheetim was an attractive mitzva which was viewed by others as being noble and worthwhile. In contrast, Moshe's work in retrieving the body of Yosef was a mitzva between man and man which was not viewed as all that attractive. Considering that Yosef had grandchildren and great grandchildren who could have been involved with this act, the retrieval of Yosef's corpse was not seen by the average person as special.

Because Moshe chose a mitzva between man and man which did not have the glory and attraction of carrying the wealth of Egypt, Moshe is praised.

R' Frand then quoted a story which is told in a sefer by R' Yitzchak Zilberstein about the mitzva of Bircas Ha'ilanos - the blessing on the trees in the month of Nissan. This mitzva can be accomplished by making the bracha on one fruit tree, but al pi Kabala, it is fulfilled on a great level by making the bracha on two trees.

The story is told about R' Shlomo Zalman Oyerbach was once about to make a bracha on a tree when he was approached by another person who said - Stop! There is another house down the street where there are two fruit trees and you can fulfil the mitzva on a greater level there.

R' Shlomo responded to the man - do you see this tree? It is owned by a widow who is watching me and hoping that I will make the bracha on her tree. It is better for me to give her the enjoyment of seeing me fulfill the mitzva by making the bracha on her tree and forego the possiblity of making the brocha on two trees.

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!

Monday's Musings on Sports - Moshe v Joshua and Kaleta v Pacioretty

In the current NHL season, player durability is at a premium. Due to the length of hockey's most recent work stoppage, the season is compressed into 48 games which are being played with few vacation days in between. As such, the loss of a player even for a week is significant, because the player could miss four games or 1/12 of the season.

Because teams did not have training camps, many players reported to their teams out of shape. Of course when players are out of shape, they also tend to get injured more easily. But another major contribution to player attrition is injury caused by careless or malicious acts by other players. To protect against injury and deter against dangerous play, the NHL's Department of Player Safety is charged with meting out punishment. The punishment can range from a fine to suspension without pay. Under the collective bargaining agreement which governs the current season, no suspension may exceed five games.

The task of determining the appropriate penalty is not an easy task and the NHL uses a system of review which also involves a video explanation of how the act was illegal and why the penalty determined is commensurate with the player's background (i.e. whether he is a repeat offender).

In yesterday's NY Ranger - Buffalo Sabres game, Patrick Kaleta shoved Brad Richards from behind when Richards was chasing the puck along the boards. The force of the hit propelled Richards head first in the boards and he stayed down for a considerable period of time. Kaleta was given a boarding penalty and the league reviewed the tape of the play to determine whether supplemental discipline. Although Richards was physically able to return to the game later, the Department of Player Safety suspended Kaleta for five games. In his video explanation, "dean of discipline" Brendan Shanahan explained that "Kaleta shoved a defenseless player from behind." He also added, that "Kaleta is in full control of this play, and has ample opportunity to make a better decision." Shanahan took into account that Richards was shaken up, but returned soon after. He also noted Kaleta had been suspended twice before in his career.

The determination in the Kaleta case was markedly different than a similar incident which occurred just one week before. In the NY Rangers game against the Montreal Canadiens last weekend, Max Pacioretty hit Ranger defenseman Ryan McDonagh near the boards. Much like Kaleta, Pacioretty was assessed a boarding penalty. Unlike Richards, McDonagh did not return to the game. However, the NHL did not assess any supplemental discipline against Pacioretty.

To me, the hit by Pacioretty on McDonagh seemed more vicious and deserved a greater penalty than the suspension given to Kaleta, but I am hardly the expert and don't get paid the big $$ to make those kinds of decisions.

The issue of proper awareness of actions and the motivation behind them was apparent in last week's parsha. After Moshe comes down from Mt Sinai the Torah records an exchange between Moshe and Joshua. Joshua tells Moshe that he hears the sounds of war. Moshe responds to Joshua that he is not hears the sounds of might or weakness, it is the sound of distress.

R' Yaakov Kaminetsky explains that Moshe was trying to deliver a message to Joshua. Joshua heard the sounds from the camp and thought that it was rebellion. But Moshe realized that the Jews had made the Golden Calf because they were scared. The Jews had been led out of Egypt by Moshe and he was the only leader that the previously enslaved nation had ever known. Moshe's message to Joshua was - this is the sound of a nation in distress - they built this calf because they were scared -much like a child might latch onto someone to substitute for the loss of a parent.

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 Single Wide IPA

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at a product of America's newest kosher certified brewery - Boulevard Brewery's Single Wide IPA.

As I first mentioned in a SNS post last month (http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2013/02/sunday-night-suds-samuel-adams-norse.html) effective January 31, 2013, Boulevard Brewery became certified kosher by the Va'ad of Kansas City. This does not apply to every beer produced by Boulevard, but there are more than 20 varieties which are certified kosher. To see the Va'ad of KC press release and list click here - http://www.vaadkc.org/index.php/news.

I picked this beer up at a Total Wine outlet in Towson, Maryland. As I have written previously, Total Wine is a great shop if you are looking to try out singles - on my most recent foray I bought eight singles for about $15. On the flip side, you do need to pay attention to the upcharge. While some stores will charge an extra 20% on a single, the Total Wine store in Towson had widely varying upcharges. I thought about buying some other Boulevard varieties, but the upcharge for many Boulevard styles was 40% or more.

The Single Wide IPA poured a hazy copper and was more cloudy than I would have expected from  an IPA. The label indicated that they add additional yeast to the brew process which also allows for the beer to continue to age and improve in the bottle. The other striking difference in this brew was the amount of the foam and its consistency. When I poured the beer into my Samuel Adams perfect pint glass there was about two inches of foam with the consistency of latte foam. It was surprising, but also delicious.

The Single Wide IPA had a hop bite which was true to its style, although it was milder than I expected in the beginning. However, once the foam settled and I was drinking straight beer, the floral hops started to come out. I enjoyed this so much,  I wish that I had spent the extra coin on the Double Wide IPA so that I could try it next. Maybe after Pesach when we are iy'h leaving Chicago I will try to pick some up.

As mentioned above, the Boulevard Brewery Single Wide IPA is under the Kosher Supervision of the Va'ad of Kansas City, but the bottle I purchased did not yet have the certification mark on the label.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about this brew, please follow this link - http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/423/46606.

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!