Thursday's Parsha Tidbits and Pesach Crossover

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.

Rabbi Frand began the vort by quoting the first of the four questions which asks that on all other nights we eat "Chametz U Matza" but on Pesach, only Matza. The first question is usually translated as "on all other nights we can eat Chametz or Matza, but on this night it is all Matza." Rabbi Frand remarked that this is not quite accurate as the actual language would lead to a translation of on all other nights we eat Chametz and Matza. However, we do not usually eat both Chametz and Matza with dinner [he's never been in my house on a Shabbos when Mrs KB gives me a challah and a matza to make Hamotzi]. 

But if the correct statement is truly Chametz or Matza it should say that, much like the last question which states that on all other nights we either eat sitting up or reclining, using the term "bain". If the intent was Chametz or Matza, it should have said "bain Chametz U'Matza."

R' Frand answered by quoting the Sefer Binyan Ariel who writes that the phrase is accurate as we do eat Chametz and Matza. He explained that there is a Karban Todah (which is mentioned in this week's parsha) which is an animal offering along with bread. Some of the bread is Chametz and some of the bread is Matza. The Korban Pesach is similar to the Korban Todah as both are eaten for a lesser time than the Shelamim, but the Korban Pesach is accompanied by only Matza. So when the Mishna writes that all year long we eat Chametz and Matza, it refers to our Karban Todah, but on Pesach our Karban is accompanied solely by Matza because that was what our forefathers ate when they left Egypt.

R' Frand then continued to develop the vort by quoting R' Avraham Bukspan from Florida who explains why the normal karban has both and the karban Pesach does not. He quoted R' Hirsch who explains that Matza is bread in its crudest form, without human intervention ---its just flour and water. However, Chametz is man's manipulation of the natural elements which yields a more sophisticated product than the original elements. 

When a person brings a Karban Todah to thank Hashem there are two elements - recognizing that Hashem is the one who saved you, without human involvement. But there also is a human element in which you are involved and you have to do your hishtadlus, effort to make sure that you find the correct doctor and see him regularly. Similarly, a person on a sinking ship has to get into the lifeboat and not say "Hashem will save me."

A person who brings the Todah recognizes that there is involvement of Hashem, along with his own efforts to achieve the specific result. But a Karban Pesach is all Hashem. We were ordered to sit in our houses and do nothing, while the Malach HaMaves roamed the street. So we eat the Matza and recognize that it was just Hashem who saved us, without any human involvement.

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Sunday Night Suds - New Belgium Whizbang Blonde Ale

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at New Belgium Whizbang Hoppy Blonde Ale.

This beer is another of the recent limited releases from the New Belgium brewery (I believe that they call this a "special release"). I picked this up on a trip to Maryland for a wedding in January and have not seen it in the NY Metro area. 

When I saw this bottle I was intrigued by the classification they gave it as the terms "hoppy" and "blonde ale" are oxymoronic (or in the words of the gemara "tarta d'sasra"). Blonde Ales are typically subdued in their bitterness and light in color. I had never seen nor even heard of a blonde ale that was anything bolder than a typical Kolsch.

So after chilling in this in the refrigerator for almost a day, I opened this on Shabbos and shared it at lunch with Mrs KB and our friend Wayne F. The beer poured a darker, richer yellow than I expected, almost like the Crayola color maize. There was some hoppiness there with a bit of bitter, but the hops were pronounced without being as bitter as an IPA. There was some breadiness as well. 

If I had to classify this, I would call it a cross-over between a typical blonde ale and an IPA. In fact, if you are looking to broaden your beer education by wading into IPAs, this would not be a bad choice to start with.

The Whizbang Hoppy Blonde Ale 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 New Belgium Whizbang Hoppy Blonde Ale click here beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/192/246979.

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 Vayikra

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.

R' Frand began the parsha vort by discussing the karban oleh v'yoraid - a sacrifice which varies in its offering based upon the wealth of the donor. A poor man can give a karban which is a mincha (meal offering) while a wealthy person offers a cow.

The Gemara in Menachos 110a states that whether the person spends $2,000 on a sacrifice or $2, it is all the same to Hashem, as long as he has the proper intent.

R' Frand quoted the Taz who asks why the wealthy man does not have a better stature? If they both have the same pure intent, shouldn't the man who spent more have a higher stature?

R' Frand answered by making what he called an "updated" reference to the answer of R' Bunim M'Parshischa (sp?). There are two people who attempt to make a 2 PM flight. The first man gets to the airport 90 minutes before the flight and sits around in the departure lounge until it is time to board. The second man barely makes it to the gate before they are about to close the plane's door.

The second man sits down next to the first, who asks him --what took you so long? He responds -- what difference does it make, I made the flight.

R' Frand remarked that R' Bunim said that all Hashem wants from a karban is to bring a person close to Hashem. Some people need to spend $2,000 to feel close to Hashem, while others are able to do so by spending $2. But to Hashem, all that matters is that the donor has "made the flight" in that he feels close to Hashem. As long as the person has made the flight, it does not matter if he got there two hours before or two minutes before. As long as the person feels a true connection with Hashem, it does not matter what he spent to get there.

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 Cherry Almond Ale

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at New Belgium Cherry Almond Ale.

As my family knows, I am not a fan of cherry flavored alcoholic products. The Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat Ale is one of least favorite beers (outside of shandys) and similar cherry flavored alcohol products remind me of Robitussin.

So when I brought home a six pack of New Belgium Cherry Almond Ale, my purchase was met with a healthy dose of skepticism. But after chilling a bottle (or two) and opening it, Mrs KB and I discovered that the New Belgium Cherry Almond Ale was not a typical cherry flavored alcoholic product.

The beer poured a dark brown, almost cola like color. The first few sips evoked thoughts of black ales with their rich nutty flavors melding with the hops. There is some extra sweetness, but its not cloying. Additional sips had a bit of alcohol taste, but again, not overwhelming. The carbonation was medium in intensity and worked well to bring out the nutty flavor of the brew.

Although hard to find in six packs (its more often found in the mixed Folly 12 pack), the Cherry Almond Ale is worth the effort if you have ride a few extra miles to find it. I would recommend pairing it with steaks or other charred meats.

The Cherry Almond Ale 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 New Belgium Cherry Almond Ale click here beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/192/263324.

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 - Parshios Vayaykhel - Pikudei

This evening R' Frand did not say his usual shiur and there was a substitute maggid shiur who spoke on the badim (rods) of the mishkan. I also heard a shiur from R' Mansour in connection with Pesach/HaChodesh and I would like to briefly summary of some of the thoughts said over in the shiur. 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' Mansour.

R' Mansour's shiur was a discussion of a derasha given by a R' Lichtman in Lebanon in 1940. The derasha involved seven question and I will try to summarize them herein.

The first question involved the name for the upcoming holiday -- it is sometimes referred to as Pesach and other times as Chag MaMatzos. R' Mansour asked - since we no longer have a Karban Pesach, but we still eat matza, why don't we call the holiday by the Chag HaMatzos name? To add the question, he observed that the main food we eat on Pesach is the matza and the pesukim tell us that we eat the matza because we left in haste and the dough did not have time rise. So again, why don't we call the holiday by the matza name? 

The next question refers to Yirmiah where he writes that Hashem said to the Jews - I remember the chesed that you did for me when you were a young nation--in that you followed me into the desert. But what is the great thing about going to the desert? The Jews left the prison of Egypt and went to the desert. If a person is in hell and they are told that they are free, do they care where they are going? Anywhere is better than jail! So why is Hashem so complimentary that we left prison for Egypt? 

R' Mansour prefaced the next question by stating that "the question will confuse you all." (I believe that was stated by R' Lichtman). The question involved the plague of darkness in which 4/5 of the Jews died. These Jews were those who did not want to leave Egypt? But if they were slaves or prison inmates, why would they not leave if they had the possibility to go? Furthermore, when the Jews got to the desert and things went wrong, the remaining Jews said --why not go to back to Egypt? But again, even if things are bad, why would they say go back to Egypt? Egypt was a land of flowing milk and honey for the Egyptians, but for the Jews it was flowing with pain and troubles!

The last question involved the request by Moshe to the Jews that they go to their Egyptian "friends" and ask them for jewelry and valuables. Why were they described as friends? The Jews were not friendly with the higher echelons of Egyptian society!

R' Mansour answered by quoting a gemara in Rosh Hashana 11 which states that the Jews left Egypt in Nissan, but the hard work of Egypt stopped six months earlier in Tishrei. R' Lichtman explained that previously, the Jews had been slaves for 210 years and no one rebelled or spoke out against the Egyptians. But then Moshe and Aharon come and demand that Pharaoh let the Jews go. Pharaoh senses that there is a rebellion. And when a tyrant thinks that there is a rebellion, he wipes out a city block. So Pharaoh passes a law that the Jews now had to collect their own straw to make bricks. The Jews complained to Moshe as if to say --why are you making worse for us?

But Pharaoh's plan did not work as Moshe and Aharon returned to Pharaoh and then the plagues came. The people started to swing towards Moshe's side and Pharaoh realized this. So Pharaoh decided to swing the pendulum back -- he passed a law on Rosh Chodesh Tishrei which abolished slavery. The Jews reacted well to this and found themselves as equals. And once they were accepted as equals they ran towards the Egyptian way of life. Pharaoh knew that this would bring the people back to his side and also make them comfortable enough to leave the Jewish way of life. 

The Jews became addicted to this way of life, much like the Jews did in pre-WW II Egypt. R' Lichtman made comparison to the Jews of Europe and the level of Torah scholarship prior to the age of Enlightenment. After all the years of persecution, once the doors were opened to the Jews, the assimilation began. R' Mansour noted the irony that this was being said/written by a Rabbi on the eve of the Holocaust (1940).

By the time that the plague of darkness came it was so comfortable that the Jews did not want to leave Egypt. People did not want to go from the comforts which they had been acclimating to over the last six months. Many people did not want to leave Egypt and go with Moshe. This is why it was great that the Jews wanted to go to Egypt, because it was no longer Rikers Island, it was Beverly Hills.

R' Mansour gave the analogy of all the people being at the airport to go away for winter vacation and the TSA announcing that the Moshiach had come. How many people would ask --why would he come now? Couldn't he come after vacation?

When the Jews eat matza they remember that they did not say --lets stay-- they ran with Moshe and ate the bread which did not have time to rise. This is also why the Torah writes that the Jews should go to their Egyptian friends, because at that point they were the Jews friends. It also explains why the Jews wanted to go back to Egypt when things were difficult in the desert --because they remembered the last six months of the good life in Egypt.

Lastly, he answered the first question of Chag HaPesach --because we recognize that even though we did not deserve it and had begun to assimilate, Hashem passed over their homes. But Hashem looks at us and says, I'm also calling it Chag HaMatzos, because the Jews ran when Moshe said to leave.

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 Glutiny Golden Ale and Pale Ale

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at New Belgium's Glutiny line of beers which are not kosher for Passover, but are "gluten free."

I used the quotes around the words gluten free, since the Glutiny products are technically free of gluten, but as opposed to some other beer substitutes, they are made with barley. As explained by the brewery, the Glutiny products are "brewed using an enzyme to break down the proteins that trigger a reaction from gluten sensitive drinkers. Therefore, these beers are being referred to as “gluten removed” instead of gluten free. The beers fall within the FDA guidelines of less than 20 parts per million."

This could also be the reason that the Glutiny products are much more full bodied than the first generation gluten free products. The Pale Ale actually tastes like a Pale Ale with some hop bite, some citrus, decent carbonation and an intriguing flavor profile. The Golden Ale is a bit more subdued and has little in the way of hops or pine and was on the weaker side. Still, it did not have the ersatz taste of beer made with grain substitutes and was quite refreshing.

Although the two Glutiny products are under kosher supervision by the Scroll-K/Va'ad of Denver, 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 Glutiny Pale Ale beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/192/192254. To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about New Belgium Glutiny Golden Ale beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/192/199865.

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!