Friday, December 31, 2010

Friday Bonus Post on Parshas Va'era

While driving in my car today, I heard a great vort and story from Rabbi Eli Mansour (available on www.learntorah.com) which I just had to share. I have attempted to reproduce the vort to the best of my ability. As always, any inconsistencies are my fault and should not be attributed to R' Mansour.

After the plagues in Egypt, Hashem comes to the Jews and tells them I am G-d who took you out of Egypt. Hashem does not tell them, I am G-d who created the world, since they had not seen creation. Instead Hashem tells them, I am G-d who took you out of Egypt - something that they could relate to.

R' Mansour told a story about a prince in a town in Europe called Michelstadt who interacted with a Jewish boy more than 300 years ago.

The prince had heard that there was a brilliant Jewish eight year old boy. The prince decided that he wanted to test the boy to see if he truly was as intelligent as he had heard.

In order to test the boy, the prince invited him to come to the castle to see the prince at 4 PM. Before the boy was to arrive, the prince told his assistants that the prince was going to seclude himself in one of the rooms of the castle and that no one should tell the boy which room the prince was in. The prince then went up into one of the rooms and opened the blinds slightly so that he could see the courtyard.

At 4 PM, the boy arrived at the castle. He stood in the courtyard and looked around for a few minutes. Five minutes later the boy knocked on the correct door. The prince was amazed, he asked - how did you find me?

The boy answered that when he arrived, he saw that there was no one in the courtyard, so he figured that the prince must have been testing him. The boy explained that he then looked up and saw that all the rooms had blinds which were closed, except for the room that he thought that the prince was in.

The prince then asked - what would have happened if the blinds were closed? The boy responded - I would have knocked on the doors until you answered.

The prince asked - but what if no one answered? The boy responded that he would have asked people in the lobby. The prince fired back - what if you got different answers? The boy responded - I would have gone with the majority.

The prince had the answer he was looking for - but you are Jewish and most of the world is not, if you go with the majority why do you remain Jewish?

The boy smiled and answered - once I saw you in this room, I would not need to ask people where you were and go with the majority of the answers, because I already knew where you were.

The boy concluded - Hashem revealed himself to the Jews as having taken them out of Egypt and performing many miracles for them. Once we knew who He was, why would we trust the majority against something that was a sure thing?

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Thursday, December 30, 2010

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Va'era

The following is a brief summary of a vort said over by R' Frand this evening. 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.

In its discussion of the plague of dever (animal sickness) the Torah relates what appears on the surface to be a strange sequence of events. Moshe tells Pharaoh in Shemos 9:3 that if he does not let the Jews leave Egypt, Hashem will strike the Egyptians' animals with a severe epidemic. In the following pasuk, Moshe tells Pharaoh that Hashem will differentiate between the Egpytian animals and the Jews' animals as not a single animal owned by a Jew will die. In Shemos 9:6, the Torah relates that all the Egyptian livestock died, but not one animal owned by a Jew died. The following pasuk states that Pharaoh sent out people to look at whether the Jews' animals had died and that they confirmed this fact, yet Pharaoh hardened his heart and did not allow the Jews to leave.

R' Frand pointed out that it is difficult to understand the logic behind Pharaoh's actions. Pharaoh heard the prophesy that the Egyptian animals would be killed but not a single animal owned by a Jew would be killed. Pharaoh then confirmed that the prophesy came true, so why would he then harden his heart?

R' Frand answered that Pharaoh's action demonstrated that he was truly a rasha - an evil man. Pharaoh looked and saw that he had no meat to eat, but the Jews did have animals which survived the plague. In Pharaoh's mind, the plague was only a minor inconvenience - he could still get meat to eat, but would need to buy it from a Jew. Therefore, he did not need to change his ways.

R' Frand then gave two examples of similar conduct. In Parshas Toldos, the Torah discusses how Esav traded the bechorah (first born right) for a bowl of soup. In so doing, the Torah relates that the bechorah was sold "cayom" - as this day. The Seforno writes that a man who only lives for today can sell his future for a bowl of soup. This is an indicia of being a rasha as Esav is willing to give up his future, as long as he can eat today.

R' Frand gave one more example from the plague of frogs. At the end of the Torah's discussion of this plague, the Torah writes at Shemos 8:11 that Pharaoh saw that there was "harvacha" - there had been a relief. The Klei Yakar writes that Pharaoh did not use similar language when any other plagues ceased. The reason for this is that every other plague had a definite ending - the hail stopped, the water was no longer bloody, etc. However, when the frogs stopped multiplying they did not simply leave. Instead, the frogs died and remained in heaping piles which created a terrible stench. When Pharaoh saw this he surveyed the land and saw that there were areas of Egypt which were not near water and therefore were unaffected by the frogs which came from the rivers. Since Pharaoh had somewhere that he could go to escape from the stench of the rotting frogs, he felt that there was a relief. This was just another indication of his being evil - as long as there was a solution for him, he did not need to change his ways.

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Monday, December 27, 2010

Monday Musings on Sports - Taking a Stand Against Racism - Minor League Hockey and Moshe Rabeinu

As regular readers of this blog are aware, the Monday post was usually devoted to sports with highlights and analysis of the Max Kellerman show which formerly aired on 1050 ESPN Radio. Although Max resigned from 1050 more than a year ago, I have tried to continue the tradition of linking sports to Torah which I believe was an undercurrent of the Max Kellerman show.

Although I am more than just a casual hockey fan, I don't really follow the Canadian minor leagues. Other than very occasionally looking at the Hockey News to see how a Ranger prospect is doing, the junior leagues are a collection of teams which I know little about, other than they come from cities with funny names like Kamloops or Mississauga. But below the junior leagues are the midget leagues (based on age, not size) which serve as feeder leagues for Canadian juniors which serve as feeder leagues for the NHL (think HS football which supplies players to College).

With this introduction in place, I turn to a story which I recently heard about on one of those Sunday morning guest hosted sports radio programs. In mid-November, the NAPA Auto Parts Team was playing the Austin Trophies team in the Peterborough Minor Hockey Association Midget League. Two players were sent to the penalty box, and while they were there, the boys heckled one another. At the end of the period, the boys left the penalty box. During the break, the NAPA player told coach Greg Walsh that the Austin player had called him the N-word.

When the third period started, the Austin Trophies player who had done the name calling, came out to start the period. Walsh pulled his team off the ice and refused to continue the game.

As has been reported, the player who did the name calling was suspended three games. However, Coach Walsh was suspended indefinitely after the incident, as it is against the rules of Hockey Canada to refuse to field a team. In mid-December the league held a hearing as to the punishment for Coach Walsh and decided that he should be suspended for the rest of the season.

(To see news report on the incident and its aftermath, click here andhere ).

Coach Walsh knew that there would be a severe punishment, but had decided after a similar incident a few years earlier that he would not tolerate use of the N-word against one of his players and that the team would stand up against racism.

The story made me think about the story from the parsha which we read last shabbos. Moshe has been raised in the palace of Pharaoh, during a time that the Egyptians had enslaved the Jews and were using them to build their cities and storage facilities. One day, Moshe was walking and saw an Egyptian beating a Jewish slave. Moshe could have easily walked away from the incident as no one knew anything about his heritage. However, Moshe felt internally that it was unjust to allow this to occur and he intervened and killed the Egyptian.

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!

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Sunday Night Suds - Saranac Bohemian Pilsner



This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at the last of the beers from the Saranac 12 Beers of Winter Box - Saranac Bohemian Pilsner.

I love when breweries use the term Bohemian to describe their beer. Whenever I pull one of these out, I catch Mrs Kosher Beers singing a little bit of Queen. Our kids used sit around looking quizzically at her, at least until I showed my oldest the Mike Myers version of Bohemian Rhapsody on YouTube. The rest of them are still confused...

With the snow really starting to pile up outside, I took the Saranac Bohemian Pilsner (the picture may not be clear, but the 2010 label for this brew has a bear walking across what appears to be a frozen, snow covered lake). I am not a big Pilsner fan in general as I find that they are usually too thin for me, even though that is the way that they are supposed to be. Since the experts at BA have termed this a Czech Pilsner, my hopes were a little higher since these have more hop to them and tend to have a little more body then the typical macrobrewed pilsner (German, Belgian or American Macrobrew - they all tend to run a little to light for me).

The first couple of sips that I had of this beer were all I needed to know that this was not a typical watered down pilsner. The beer had a great mix of maltiness and hops and each sip seemed to give up a slightly different flavor note.

Bottom line - unlike some other pilsners, this brew is not like drinking barley water with a little beer aftertaste. It would go well with pizza, or other light fare.

Saranac Bohemian Pilsner is under the Kosher Supervision of the Va'ad of Detroit, as is every other brew produced by Saranac. To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about Saranac Bohemian Pilsner, please follow this link http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/99/45378.

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, December 23, 2010

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Shemos

The following is a brief summary of a vort said over by R' Frand this evening. 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.

In Shemos 1:15-16, the Torah writes that Pharaoh told Shifrah and Pu'ah that when they are delivering Jewish children that they should kill the male children, but allow the female babies to live. Rashi explains that Shifrah and Pu'ah were actually Yocheved and Miriam. Yocheved was called Shifra because she was skilled in delivering the babies, while Miriam was called Pu'ah because she would "coo" to the babies to calm them down. Based on their love and caring for the babies, the Torah calls them by their nicknames. When the women were told by Pharaoh to kill the babies they did not listen because they feared Hashem and they allowed the children to live. As a result of their actions, Hashem gave them "batim."

R' Frand remarked that it was strange that the Torah introduced the women by their nicknames which indicated that they loved and cared for the children and then said that they did not kill the babies because they feared Hashem. Would it not have been more obvious that they did not kill the babies because they loved and cared for the children as this was part of their nature?

R' Frand answered that we see from here that at the end of the day, there is only one thing that prevents a person from doing something that they should not do - fear of Hashem. When a person's life is on the line, love will not carry the day. The person's actions will be influenced by their core - in this case by their fear of Hashem.

R' Frand brought a proof from Avraham at Akeidas Yitzchak. The Torah writes that when Avraham was about to act against Yitzchak at the Akeidah, Hashem says (Bereishis 22:12) "now I know that you are G-d fearing." Why does Hashem say that He knows that Avraham is G-d fearing? Would it not have been more logical to say, now I know that you follow instructions? Rather we see from this that Avraham showed through his actions that that he feared Hashem.

R' Frand brought another proof from the conversation between Yosef and the wife of Potiphar. In Bereishis 39:10, Yosef says to her - how I can do this act and sin against G-d. By this we see another expression of the motivation not to act as fear of Hashem.

R' Frand then quoted Shemos 1:20-21 which discussed the reward for Yocheved and Miriam for their actions. The Torah writes that they were given "batim" which Rashi explains were the house of Kehunah and the house of Malchus. However, Rashi does more than this as he indicates that the Torah interjects between saying that Hashem rewarded the women in 1:20 and the discussion of the reward in 1:21 the fact that the Jews increased in number and became very strong.

R' Frand then quoted R' Mordechai Kaminetzky who tells a story about a woman who had a premature child. The child was in the NICU where there was care around the clock for the baby for two months. When the baby left the NICU, the parents wanted to buy something for the doctors and nurses to show their gratitude. The parents went to R' Elya Svei and asked what they should do. He responded that on the child's birthday they should bring the child back and show them that the child has grown up. Do this for the doctors and nurses not only on the child's first birthday, but on multiple birthday's thereafter to show that the doctors and nurses' efforts were not in vain and were greatly appreciated. R' Svei tied this into the above pasuk about how the Torah interjects between the statement about a reward to Yocheved and Miriam and before the identification of the reward, the fact that the Jews multiplied greatly. R' Svei takes issue with Rashi - the reward was seeing that the Jews had multiplied so greatly. There were personal presents in the following pasuk, but seeing what they had accomplished was a great reward to them as well.

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, December 19, 2010

Sunday Night Suds - Saranac India Copper Ale



This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at another new Saranac brew - India Copper Ale.

Over the course of the last few weeks, I have been sampling the new brews in Saranac's 2010 Twelve Beers of Winter Box (see reviews of Lake Effect Lager here and Vanilla Stout here).

The Saranac India Copper Ale poured a rich amber color with great lacing - my tulip glass was coated with foam, almost like the windows on your home when its below zero outside. My first sip of the brew revealed good carbonation, which is typical of most Saranac brews. I also was immediately hit with a strong hop flavor, not overwhelming, but definitely pronounced. The beer evoked memories of Redhook's Longhammer Ale, although with a little less bite.

The India Copper Ale was a perfect pairing with roasted meat and would do well consumed with char grilled steaks in a quality steakhouse.

Saranac India Copper Ale is under the Kosher Supervision of the Va'ad of Detroit, as is every other brew produced by Saranac. To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about Saranac India Copper Ale, please follow this link http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/99/62579.

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, December 16, 2010

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Vayechi

The following is a brief summary of a vort said over by R' Frand this evening. 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.

The gemara on Sanhedrin 110 writes that Reish Lakish stated that Korach was very wealthy and that this was his downfall (citing to a pasuk in Koheles). This statement is followed by a saying attributed to R' Chama Bar Chanina that Yosef hid three treasures in Egypt. One of the treasures was revealed to Korach, another to Antoninus and one was hidden for the tzadikim to be revealed at the time of Moshiach.

Rabbi Frand quoted the sefer Pardes Yosef which had an interesting twist on the ma'amar of R Chama. He explains that the treasures were not monetary, but were foundations for life.

The Pardes Yosef explains that the first concept is that one who Hashem desires to be a leader, will in fact be the leader, notwithstanding any actions by others to prevent this from occurring. Yosef was destined to be the second in command in Egypt and had dreams that he would rise to power. The brothers did their best to prevent this from occurring (indeed they even commented - now lets see what will happen to his dreams). However, despite the brothers' actions - Yosef became the second in command in Egypt. This concept was passed to Korach who learned the hard way that people who are destined for positions of power (like Moshe and Aharon) cannot be displaced by another's force of will.

The second foundational concept is that a person should not change the way that he acts merely because he is in a position of power. When Yosef was in Egypt he did not act like the Egyptians and was separate and apart, but was respected and honored. This concept was later seen with Antoninus and Rebbi, as the Gemara in Avodah Zara talks about the close relationship that Antoninus and Rebbi had and how Antoninus honored Rebbi and came to learn with him.

The third foundational concept is that there can be a solution and remedy for sinas chinam/sinas achim. Yosef proved that although his brothers had thrown him into a pit and sold him into slavery, they were capable of repenting and showing that they would not do actions like this again. This concept is unfortunately ganuz and we wonder how will Moshiach come if each sect of Judaism is fighting? The gemara tells us that Yosef proves that the situation can be fixed and that Moshiach will come.

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, December 13, 2010

Monday's Musings on Sports - The More Things Change, The More They Stay the Same

As regular readers of this blog are aware, the Monday post was usually devoted to sports with highlights and analysis of the Max Kellerman show which formerly aired on 1050 ESPN Radio. Although Max resigned from 1050 more than a year ago, I have tried to continue the tradition of linking sports to Torah which I believe was an undercurrent of the Max Kellerman show.

Two stories from today's sports news caught my attention. In yesterday's Jets game (debacle), a Miami Dolphins player who was running down the sidelines attempting to cover a punt, was tripped by a Jets coach who was standing along the sideline. The player took a very bad fall and remained motionless on the ground for quite a few minutes, but did not appear to suffer any significant injury. After the game, the perpetrator was identified as the Jets strength and conditioning coach, Sal Alosi. He has since made a public apology to the player, the Dolphins and Jets and the NFL. Late this evening, news broke that the coach had been suspended without pay for the rest of the year and was fined an additional $25,000.

Also on Sunday there was news of a Dallas Cowboys player (Tashard Choice) who approached Philadelphia Eagles QB, Michael Vick and asked for an autograph. Although the two teams have a long and bitter rivalry, Vick obliged Choice's request. When news broke today about the signing, Choice was bitterly criticized by many for making his request from Vick. The critique of Choice was not based on the autograph request (it is not rare in professional sports) but instead focused on the fact that Choice made his request in the public light of the playing field, instead of in the locker room later after the game.

The illegal trip in the Jets-Dolphins game was hardly a new phenomenon. Coaches are always looking for illegal ways to influence games, be it by stealing signs, surreptitiously video taping practices, buying playbooks or even tainting food in opposing locker room. The only reason that this story made the headlines was that the coach's illegal "participation" was caught on TV and amplified by eagle eyed Dan Fouts.

Similarly, the fawning of younger players over the "stars of the game" is not a new phenomenon. I can recall during the early days of the basketball dream teams (when the players actually cared) as the players from other countries sought after the NBA stars for autographs during Summer Olympics. Again, the difference here is that the teams are bitter rivals and the autograph request was made on the playing field.

The concept of "the more things change the more they stay the same" is hardly unique to sports. Last Thursday night, Rabbi Frand pointed out the same concept in relation to leadership. In Parshas Vayigash, Yosef instructs the brothers that they should tell Pharaoh that they are shepherds and that their families' occupation has always been sheep herding. Yosef explains to the brothers that the Egyptians abhor shepherds (since the Egyptians worshiped sheep) and that by overtly being shepherds the brothers could live apart from the Egyptians in the land of Goshen.

However, when the brothers have their talk with Pharaoh in Bereishis 47:6, Pharaaoh responds that if there are any good shepherds they should watch over what he has (es asher li). Rashi fills in the gap and explains that (notwithstanding the Egyptians' worship of the sheep) Pharaoh had his own flock.

Rabbi Frand then made reference to numerous dictatorships in the modern era where people starved, while their leaders gorged themselves on delicacies and lived in the lap of luxury. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

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!

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Sunday Night Suds - Leinenkugel Berry Weiss



This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Leinenkugel Berry Weiss.

When I first brought this beer home, my wife asked me whether it was Chani Weiss' husband. Ok, it sounds much funnier in person (Honey Weiss, Barry Weiss).

Unfortunately, this beer is no laughing matter. When consumed on its own, it is akin to a super sweet berry. I can remember going as a kid with my dad to a restaurant near his office and trying Welch's Strawberry Soda, right after it became kosher. I never tried it again. And here I am stuck with four more of these...

The Berry Weiss label indicates that the brew is made with honey, blackberry juice "and other natural berry flavors." I would be curious to see the calorie and sugar content as the beer is sweeter than any brew that I have ever tried.

I have tried pairing this brew with beef stew (not cholent) and it was a dismal failure. I have also tried it with turkey and cranberries and the combination was like drinking a soft drink with the meal. No meshing of the flavors, but at least the sweetness was not dissonant.

If you would like to sample the Berry Weiss, try to find a retailer that will let you buy singles. Failing that, if you live nearby you can ask me for some of the ones that I have left. You just need to sign a waiver first...

Leinenkugel Berry Weiss is certified kosher by the Orthodox Union, although the product currently in the marketplace does not yet have an OU on the label. If you would like a copy of the LOC please contact me via email.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about Leinenkugel Berry Weiss, please follow this link http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/710/2967.

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 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, December 9, 2010

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Vayigash

The following is a brief summary of a series of vorts said over by R' Frand this evening. 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 R' Frand.

In Bereishis perek 45, the Torah tells the story of Yosef's revelation to his brothers that he was Yosef. At 45:14, the Torah writes that Yosef and Binyamin embraced and cried on each other's necks. Rashi explains that Yosef cried because he saw with Ruach Hakodesh that two Batei Mikdash which would be built in Binyamin's portion of the land of Israel will be destroyed. Rashi further explains that Binyamin cried because he foresaw that the mishkan would be destroyed when it was in Shlioh, in Yosef's territory.

The question can be asked - why is that at this very time, when Yosef and Binyamin were reunited for the first time in twenty plus years - did they look to the future and mourn the destruction of buildings which had not yet even been erected?

Rabbi Frand answered the question by citing to the Sfas Emes who explained that Yosef's prior actions in testing/tormenting his brothers were not meant as revenge. Yosef saw that the brothers had sinned terribly by selling him into slavery. Yosef attempted to rectify the situation by putting the brothers in the position to atone for their sins. Had Yosef been succesful, there never would have been a churban of either Beis Hamikdash. As Yosef was unsuccessful we continue to be reminded of the brothers' actions. Indeed, every year on Yom Kippur we recite in davening of how the Asarah Harugei Malchus were told that their deaths were in retaliation for the sale of Yosef.

Rabbi Frand next asked - why was the destruction of the mishkan put on the same level as the two churbanim? The mishkan was destroyed for a short time and then rebuilt in Nov and Givon!

Rabbi Frand answered by citing the sefer Milchemes Yehuda who explains that the mishkan's destruction had a profound impact. The Mishkan in Shilo had a special level of kedushah which allowed all who could see it to eat kodshim kalim. This was in the zechus of Yosef who averted his eyes when the wife of Potiphar tried to seduce him. There was an additional benefit from the presence of the mishkan in Yosef. For as long as the mishkan was there, the Jews never had issues with "wandering eyes". This too was in the zechus of Yosef having turned away from the wife of Potiphar. These benefits were lost when the mishkan was destroyed.

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!

Monday, December 6, 2010

Monday's Musings on Sports - Little Stevie and the Miracles

As regular readers of this blog are aware, the Monday post was usually devoted to sports with highlights and analysis of the Max Kellerman show which formerly aired on 1050 ESPN Radio. Although Max resigned from 1050 more than a year ago, I have tried to continue the tradition of linking sports to Torah which I believe was an undercurrent of the Max Kellerman show.

Over the last few weeks, my work schedule has been a little hectic (OK more than a little hectic) and I have been unable to find the time to do the midweek posts. However, I would be remiss if I did not address the Steve Johnson story which came out of Buffalo last week.

On Sunday November 28th, the perennial doormat Buffalo Bills played a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Although the game was a mismatch on paper, the Bills kept the score close and the game eventually went to overtime. During the extra period, a potential game winning touchdown pass was dropped by Bills wide receiver Steve Johnson. After the game, Johnson tweeted that he "praised " G-d "24-7" and complained about dropping the pass, stating "this is how you do me?" He ended the tweet with a "thanks though."

The Johnson tweet was parodied in the media which included a faux responsive tweet from the Big Guy upstairs in which "He" tweeted to Johnson to "just shut up and catch the ball."

The story itself is demonstrative of man's attempt to see G-d in daily life, while still reconciling when things don't go as planned. I can recall Michael Kay of 1050 ESPN radio going off on a rant about players who say that "G-d was with them" when their team won a game. As I recall, Michael Kay asked - does that mean that G-d was not with the other team?

The answer to the question posed by Michael Kay and the dilemma facing Steve Johnson is that G-d does get involved in every aspect of our daily lives and that he is responsible for the results. The challenge is recognizing His involvement when the result is not a major miracle. When a person reads a news story about how a plane crashed and one person survived, its easy to say that G-d saved the person. But when you are rushing and barely make your train, its much difficult to see His hand.

The holiday of Chanukah which we are currently celebrating offers the same dichotomy. The holiday celebrates two miracles which occurred: (1) that a lone flask of untained oil was found and that it burned for eight days and (2) that the Maccabees were victorious in battle.

The gemara in Shabbos 21b asks - which of the two miracles is the reason for the holiday? The Maharitz Chayos asks - what kind of question is this, we know that the miracle of a small army being victorious over a much more superior force is a major miracle! He answers, that while this is a miracle, it is within the teva (nature) of possibilities that a small army could defeat a larger force. As such, it is not the reason that we say hallel (praise) to Hashem. Therefore the gemara asks -- what is the reason for the holiday, we are not saying hallel because a smaller force defeated a larger army? With this in mind, the gemara answers that the miracle of the oil lasting eight days was supernatural in nature. As such, it is the reason that we have eight days of hallel.

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!

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Sunday Night Suds - Saranac Lake Effect Lager



This week's Sunday Night Suds toasts the Midwest branch of the greater KB family and reviews Saranac's Lake Effect lager.

As discussed in last week's Sunday Night Suds column, this year's Saranac 12 beers of winter box contains quite a few new beers including the Lake Effect Lager. I went online at the Saranac website, but was unable to find the source for the moniker which they gave this brew. The BA website was similarly unhelpful, although I did learn that quite a few other brewers have used the "Lake Effect" term in naming their brews.

While BA did not give me the source for the brew's name, I did at least learn its classification - it is deemed a Munich Dunkel Lager, which is characterized as:

[S]mooth, rich and complex, but without being heady or heavy. They boast brilliant ruby hues from the large amounts of Munich malts used, and these malts also lend a fuller-bodied beer. The decoction brewing process also lends much depth and richness. Bitterness is often moderate, with just enough to balance out any sweetness. Hop varieties used tend to be of the German noble varieties, like: Tetnang and Hallertau.
The maltiness in the Lake Effect Lager was readily apparent and was an excellent accompaniment to cholent. The beer had a little sweetness to it and a drop of hop bite, but it really was all about the malt and it truly made my shabbos lunch.

Saranac Lake Effect Lager is under the Kosher Supervision of the Va'ad of Detroit, as is every other brew produced by Saranac. To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about Saranac Lake Effect Lager, please follow this link http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/99/63019.

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).

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Thursday, December 2, 2010

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Mikeitz

The following is a brief summary of a series of vorts said over by R' Frand this evening. 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 R' Frand.

Rabbi Frand first discussed Pharaoh's dreams and Yosef's interpretation thereof. Rabbi Frand asked - why is that Pharaoh's advisers were unable to interpret the dreams for him? Was it really so difficult to understand the symbolism of the seven fat cows being eaten by the seven skinny cows?

Rabbi Frand answered by quoting R' Yehoshua Leb Diskin who explains that Pharaoh's advisors saw in the future that there were going to be seven years of plenty followed by two years of famine. Thet could not tie this into Pharaoh's dreams because the dreams utilized two sets of seven. As such, the pasuk indicates at Bereishis 41:8 that no one could explain the dream to Pharaoh.

When Yosef told Pharaoh that he could interpret the dream, he said that Hashem will explain Pharaoh's welfare (41:16). He went on to explain that the dream was seven years of good and then seven years of bad. This was not based on what would occur, but because Hashem was aware of both what could have happened (7 and 7) as well as what would happen (only two bad years because the famine would dissipate when Yaakov came down to Egypt).

R' Diskin then tied this concept to the sentence in the haggada - V'es Lachatseinu zo Prishus Derech Eretz - that the Jewish men separated from their spouses in Egypt because they did not want to have any more children. This was a great tragedy as many more children could have been born, but were prevented from being conceived because of the separation. It is for this reason that immediately thereafter in the haggada it states "Vayeida Elokim" - that Hashem knew. What did He know? He knew what could have been if the families had not separated.

R' Frand also said a short vort about the connection between Yosef and Noach. Two people were referred to as "Tzaddik" - Yosef and Noach. Why were these two zoche to such a title? R' Frand answered by quoting the Ba'alei Tosafos that Yosef and Noach fed and sustained the entire world, as such they earned the title of Tzaddik.

R' Frand brought a proof to this thought from the language of the Ashrei tefillah. In Ashrei there is a pasuk about Hashem which indicates that He opens His hands and feeds all those who desire it. The next pasuk is "tzaddik Hashem ..."

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