Sunday, July 31, 2016

Sunday Night Suds - Appleation Hard Ciders and Bonus Nine Days Havdalah Guide


This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at some new kosher hard ciders produced by the Appelation company and also includes the updated Nine Days Havdalah guide.

Prior to Pesach the beer and (separately) wine stores began carrying Appleation hard ciders which were certified kosher for Pesach by the OU. The concept of a hard cider being kosher for Pesach was not novel as there really is nothing about the process of making cider which involves chametz. Still, it was the first time in my memory that anything lighter than Slivovitz/Vodka was available to drink as a wine alternative on Pesach.

The Appelation company came out with three versions of their hard cider - a Dry Apple Cider, Cinnamon Apple Cider and a Sweet Apple Cider. Mrs KB and I sampled these over the last two weeks to prepare for this blog post and here are our brief tasting notes.

The Dry Cider was quite tasty with a strong apple bite. There was an obvious apple flavor but it was not cloyingly sweet. In contrast, the Cinnamon Apple Cider had a strong spice to it (although not as strong as the Henry Hotspur's Spiced Apple Cider which is swimming is nutmeg and cinnamon). Lastly the Sweet Apple Cider was in fact sweet (shock!) and certainly sweeter than the dry version, but it was not overwhelming or even as sweet as sugared soda.

The Dry Cider is the most potent of the bunch coming in at 6.55 abv. The other two are both 4.9% abv.

Important Disclaimer - 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.

Bonus section - Nine Days Havdalah Guide.

In years past, I would receive numerous email and cell phone messages prior to Shabbos Chazon (the Saturday within the summer nine days mourning period) with questions as to what would be a good choice to make havdalah on. As the Shabbos of the Nine Days actually falls towards the end of the period, I have presented the annual Nine Days Havdalah guide in this post to allow people to get an early look at alternatives to wine.

By way of introduction, on Saturday nights after the evening prayer is said, Jews have a special set of blessings that are said by which we separate between the holy shabbos and the rest of the week. There is a custom to say this prayer on a cup of wine, however this custom needs modification when the Saturday falls during the nine days of mourning.

As noted by the Orthodox Union on their website:

Meat and wine are prohibited during the Nine Days, except on Shabbat. Meat and wine are associated both with joy AND with Temple service. Both reasons combine to explain this prohibition. Even though havdala is officially after Shabbat, one is permitted to drink wine. It is preferable to give the wine to a child who is old enough to understand brachot but not yet old enough to understand the concept of "mourning for Jerusalem". Alternately, some authorities recommend the use of a substitute beverage for havdala such as fruit juice, beer, etc. Other authorities insist on wine as usual.

Should your local Rabbi direct you to utilize non-wine in your havdalah, there are multiple options to use to fulfill the havdalah requirement. Indeed, my father in law will use diet soda (or as he says "diet pop"). I recall as a child seeing my father on one occasion use hard alcohol for havdalah (and then burn the decorative plate my sibling made when he tried to put out the candle).

To me, the simplest answer to the havdalah dilemma (and one that is widely recommended by rabbinic authorities) is to use beer, which in the time of the talmud was called chamra d'medina - the wine of the masses. This brings us to the reason I get more summer phone calls and email around this time every year - which beer would I recommend?

The number one problem with the question is that most people who ask me about it don't generally drink beer. It then becomes difficult to make a recommendation of a beer that they can use for havdalah that won't have them making faces in their attempt to drink the halachic minimum level for the blessing. A second problem is that since the havdalah cup is imbibed on its own (i.e. without the benefit of food) people who might be inclined to have a beer with a meal will still have problems finishing their cup when the beer is consumed on its own.

The easiest solution is not to have beer, but instead to make havdalah on what is commonly called alcopop. These are malt beverage drinks with some similarities to beer and a beer-like 5% alcohol content by volume, but do not have the beer taste. Some examples are the Boston Beer Company (aka Sam Adams) Twisted Teas or the Smirnoff Twisted V/Twisted Ice line. Please be aware that not every flavor of Smirnoff is certified Kosher. There are also a limited number of kosher "hard sodas" such as Henry Hard Soda (a MillerCoors brand under the OU) and Coney Island (a Samuel Adams brand under the Star-K)..

Another alternative is hard apple cider. Frequent readers of this blog may recall that for a time the Angry Orchard Hard Apple Cider was not certified kosher by the Star-K, but they have again been certified kosher. For a current list of Angry Orchard ciders under hashgacha, please click here https://express.star-k.org/viewer/LOCViewer.aspx?PEFQZ4N3 (this will open a link which allows for a download of the LOC). Additionally, there has been an explosion of other kosher hard apple ciders, including Strongbow out of the UK, JK Scrumpy, Smith & Forge, Henry Hotspurs Hard Cider (a Trader Joe's brand) and the Appleation reviewed above.

There are also a number of fruit flavored beers which bridge the gap between alcopop and true beer. These include the Miller/Coors line of Redd's products, including Apple Ale, Strawberry Ale, Cranberry Ale, Mango Ale and perhaps other (just look for the OU on the label).

If you do like beer, or would like to drink something that is more manly than alcopop, the next step up would be an American wheat beer or some of the better Summer Ales. Many of these beers have been reviewed on the pages of this blog and you can search through prior Sunday Night Suds reviews to find one that might appeal to you. If you are a beer aficionado, you obviously won't need this post to tell you which ale or lager you should crack open for havdalah.

Again, I would stress that you consult your halachic authority before selecting a havdalah alternative. My Rav advises me that beer would be the first choice, followed by malt beverages. I did not ask about how the non alcohol options fit into the list.

May the world have a tikkun from our three weeks/nine days observances and may tisha b'av soon be transformed to the holiday that the gemara tells it will be in the times of moshiach bimheira biyamenu.

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Thursday, July 28, 2016

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Pinchas

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.

R' Mansour began his vort by noting that Pinchas is a sequel or continuation of last week's Parsha. Balak had been upset when his plan to hire Bilaam failed because Bilaam was unable to curse the Jews. So  they hatched a plot to entrap the Jews with immorality because they knew that the G-d of the Jews hates immorality. 

The plot entailed setting up shops where the Jews could buy trinkets. But once they entered the shops they saw young women in the back of the shop. The women offered them wine and they got drunk and worshiped avodah zarah (Ba'al Peor) and then committed acts of immorality. 

Hashem got angry at the Jews because of their acts and there was a plague where 24,000 Jews died. But Pinchas saw what happened and was upset and he speared Zimri and Cozby who were publicly engaging in immorality. This is reflected in Tehillim in which it is written Vayaamod Pinchas Vayipallel - Pinchas after spearing Zimri and Cozby asked Hashem - will you kill all of the Jews because of these two?

R' Mansour observed that Pinchas' question was odd from two similar perspectives. First - Pinchas should anticipate that Hashem would answer him - no, the Jews are dying because of their own actions. Secondly, why would Pinchas only attack these two when many Jews from different tribes were engaging in these acts?

R' Mansour answered based upon the Ben Ish Chai. The Ben Ish Chai prefaced the answer by telling a mashal about a Rabbi who was collecting money for a yeshiva. On Tisha B'Av the Rabbi came to the house of a man who was eating meat and drinking wine. The Rabbi said to him "Bon Appetit" and then went on his way. The Rabbi's students asked him afterwards - why did you say that to the rich man?

The Rabbi replied that he knew the rich man well and knew that the man's doctors had told him that he could not eat meat. He also knew that the rich man does not drink wine. When he saw the man doing this, he realized that the man was doing this to get back at Hashem. This was a great level of sin because he was not doing it because he was enticed by his yetzer hara. Aware of the repercussions of sinning solely to anger Hashem, the Rabbi said Bon Appetit in an effort to reduce the level of the sin to merely being one of desire.

Similarly, when Pinchas saw Zimri sinning, he knew that there was a difference between him and all the other Jews. The Ben Ish Chai explains that unlike all the other Jews who were involved with the women because they were drunk, Zimri was not drunk. In fact, the Medrash explains that Zimri took Cozby by the hand and asked Moshe - can I be with her. Mosh responded - no, she is from Midyan. Zimri then said to him - why are you different? You are married to a woman from Midyan.

When Pinchas heard this he leapt up to act. He realized that Zimri took Cozby when he was sober and that the act was done to anger Hashem. It was for this reason that Pinchas asked Hashem - how can you destroy the Jews over the act of Zimri and Cozby. Unlike all the other people, Zimri was sober and intentionally took her to anger You!

Pinchas' success is reflected in the second pasuk of the parsha as Hashem says that Pinchas turned away Hashem's anger when he avenged Hashem's vengeance among them. The use of the words among them is curious and the Ben Ish Chai explains that although Pinchas was in the middle of the people when he killed Zimri, no one attacked him because they knew that he was right. Normally when a person sins and other people are sinning at the same time, the person will defend the acts of the others. But here no one stood up to challenge Pinchas because they knew that Zimri had sinned intentionally, while they had been led astray by their desires.

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, July 25, 2016

Monday's Musings on Sports - Piazza, the Kid and the Real Immature One

This past Sunday the Baseball Hall of Fame had its annual induction Sunday when the newest members of the HOF are enshrined. Induction Sunday is one of my favorite Sundays of the year, because you get to see the player as a man and learn more about what drove him to be the best of the best. And this year was no exception.

Some years the HOF inducts a large class which can be as many as five or six players. In other years there might be one or two (or even none). This year, the HOF inducted only two players, but I knew them well - Mike Piazza and Ken Griffey, Jr. Both players had HOF numbers and incredible careers, but they took completely different paths to get there.

I can recall when Ken Griffey Jr was drafted. He was a #1 overall pick and a star scholastic athlete. He also had the bloodline, as his father (Ken Griffey) won many World Series with the Big Red Machine in the 70s. But a funny thing happened, not only did Griffey Jr (aka "the Kid") make it to the big leagues, he made to the show while his father was still playing pro ball. I'm sure that there must be others (and no I have no desire to Google it) but other than Gordie Howe playing with his sons Marty and Mark in the NHL in the late 1970s, I can't recall any professional athlete who played in the same game with one of his sons.

In contrast to the Kid, Mike Piazza had no family baseball pedigree. The child of first generation Americans who had emigrated from Italy, Piazza was drafted in the 62nd Round, largely as a favor by Tommy Lasorda to Mike's father. But after a rough couple of years in the minors, Piazza became an All Star catcher with the Dodgers and was eventually traded to the NY Mets for whom he hit many memorable home runs and played in historically significant games. Who can forget the Roger Clemens thrown bat incident in the 2000 World Series? Or how about the HR he hit after 9/11 where he was more focused on the first responders than his own feats.

You can watch their induction speeches on line on YouTube, but the one common denominator in their speeches was the admiration they had for their fathers and the classy way that they gave credit to those who came before them.

But as often happens on a day that the sports world celebrates its royalty there was also a childish story from the baseball world. A current All Star pitcher - Chris Sale of the Chicago White Sox, did not want to pitch in the throwback uniforms which his team was supposed to wear. So he took a pair of scissors and cut up enough uniforms so that the team could not wear them in the game. To their credit, the White Sox did not coddle him or even ignore his actions. Instead they suspended him for five games. 

Driving down from Camp M and listening to these stories, I wondered aloud - what was Chris Sale thinking? 

I could not answer the question, but it did make me think of a dvar Torah that I heard in a Rabbi Mansour shiur about Parshas Balak. Last week's parsha was essentially a story of how Bilaam was unable to curse the Jews, due to a series of events which were meant as signals by Hashem to Bilaam that he should not go forward with his plan. Of course he did not take heed of any of these signals and eventually he was told - "this is what you are going to say", but there was one specific question and answer which drew my attention.

At one point, Hashem sees Bilaam walking with the people from Moab and He says to Bilaam - who are these people you are with? Bilaam does not stop and think - hey Hashem knows everything, He definitely knows who they are. Instead, Bilaam answers the question matter of factly, much the way that he responds later to the donkey's question, instead of asking - how can a donkey talk?

R' Mansour quoted R' Chaim Shmulevitz, who explains that Bilaam misunderstood the question. Hashem was not asking - who are you with? Hashem was asking - why are you with these people when I already told you not to go with.

R' Mansour analogized it to a parent who asks his kid not to hang out with certain other kids. Two days later the parent comes home and sees the kid with the undesirables at the kitchen table. When the parent asks - "who are these kids" he is not asking who they are. He wants to know why they are here.

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, July 24, 2016

Sunday Night Suds - Uinta Hop Nosh Tangerine IPA



This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Uinta Hop Nosh Tangerine IPA.

Although this brew is often found in cans I came across a six pack of it at the Beverage Barn in Garden City Park. I took a chance and bought a single, but after trying and enjoying it, I wish I had bought a six pack.

The Hop Nosh Tangerine IPA is a new variation on their standard bearer - Uinta Hop Nosh IPA (reviewed here when it was still called Hop Notch IPA http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2012/07/sunday-night-suds-uinta-hop-notch-ipa.html). However, unlike the traditional Hop Nosh IPA which is unflavored and draws its citrus-like tang directly from the hops, the Hop Nosh Tangerine IPA is flavored with Tangerine zest (although not juice). It also has a slightly higher abv (7,3% abv vs 7.0%abv), but I can't explain the difference since the only addition is the Tangerine zest.

The beer itself poured a muted orange and I smelled the Tangerine when I brought the cup to my face. However when drinking the beer I found myself doubting whether there was actually any zest added to the brew. Mrs KB is convinced that there is some flavoring, but I found it to be muted. Having said, the beer is not lacking in flavor as it is bursting with citrus bite which develops with each consecutive sip. Eventually the pine overwhelms the citrus, but not in a bad way.

Uinta Hop Nosh Tangerine IPA is certified kosher by the Orthodox Union and bears an OU on the label. For the experts' take on the Uinta Hop Nosh Tangerine IPA please click here www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1416/209112

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).

Important Disclaimer - 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!

Thursday, July 21, 2016

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Balak

The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.

In Bamidbar 22:28 Hashem allows Bilaam's donkey to speak and given this ability, the donkey asks Bilaam - why did you hit me three times. However, the word for times which the donkey uses is "regalim" instead of the more common "pa'amim." Rashi comments that the donkey is saying to Bilaam - how can you hope to curse the Jewish people who keep the mitzva of going up to the Beis Hamikdash three times a year.

R' Frand asked a rhetorical question - if you were to consider the mitzvos which the Jews accomplish and could be a great zchus for them, would you have included aliyah l'regel?

R' Frand next quoted a pasuk in Bamidbar 23:23 where Bilaam praises the Jews for not having sorcerers. Again, Rashi comments that the Jews are worthy of bracha because they dont have sorcerers. This raises two questions; (1) didn't you just say they are praiseworthy for being oleh regel, and (2) what is the significance that they don't practice sorcery?

R' Frand answered by quoting the sefer Ateres Dudaim who quotes a vort from R' Yaakov Yosef (first and only Chief Rabbi of NY) who cites a pasuk in Shir Hashirim which praises the Jews for having beautiful footsteps in their shoes. The gemara interprets the pasuk as saying this refers to the Jews going up to the Beis Hamikdash.

But this gemara creates a problem - how can the Jews be beautiful for going up with their shoes if one does not wear shoes on Har HaBayis?

R' Yaakov Yosef explains that the praise is not for being on Har HaBayis - it was the trip up that was an act of immense faith. Everyone goes up to Jerusalem and the borders are left unguarded. But there are no worries, as the Torah promises that no one will covet your land. 

Still this is a tremendous act of faith to go up to Jerusalem and leave all the possession and home behind. The praiseworthy act is not being at the Beis Hamikdash, because there - the person feels close to Hashem and does not need faith, But the person who is walking miles and miles and leaves everything behind is showing faith and not questioning Hashem.

This is also the reason why the Jews are praised for not following sorcery - because they have faith in Hashem and don't need to look for hints about the future, The person who has true faith in Hashem has no need or desire for sorcery, because he has emunah. And a nation which has faith in Hashem can never be cursed.

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, July 18, 2016

Sunday Night Suds - Shiner Birthday Beer 107 - Hoppy Pilsner


This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Shiner 107 - the Hoppy Pilsner.

Over the last dozen or so years, Shiner has produced a limited edition brew in honor of the number of years that the Spoetzel Brewery has been in existence. Each of these brews is preceded by the number which designates the number of years that Spoetzel has been around, followed by the name of the brew. Last year, they added a new twist by actually calling the beer a "birthday beer" (see link here http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2015/03/sunday-night-suds-shiner-birthday-beer.html for my reviews of last year's Birthday Beer - the Chocolate Stout). 

This year's version of the birthday features what Shiner calls a "Hoppy Pilsner." Yes, it does sound like an oxymoron, but don't let the beer's name fool you. The brew poured a rich golden color with more than average carbonation. Even though I consumed this with some deeply charred meat (not burned, just flavorful charred) the beer was not overwhelmed. There was some sweetness which was characteristic of the pilsner, but the back end had some hops as well. The end result is a non-offensive brew which tries to be a little bit of everything, but does not fail miserably.

The Shiner Birthday Beer 107 - Hoppy Pilsner is under the Kosher Supervision of the Va'ad of Detroit although there is no symbol on the the bottle. To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about the Shiner Hoppy Pilsner, please follow this link beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/143/205930.

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).

Important Disclaimer - 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!

Thursday, July 14, 2016

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Chukas

The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.

In this week's parsha, the Torah discusses the death of Aharon. In Bamidbar 20:29, the Torah writes that after the Jews saw that Aharon died, "Kol Beis Yisrael" - the entire house of Israel wept for him.

Rashi notes that this stands in contrast to the death of Moshe where the term :Kol" - all - is not used. Rashi explains that the women cried when Aharon died, because he was a Rodef Shalom - he would chase after peace. In so doing, he certainly saved countless marriages.

The Avos D'Rabbi Nassan explains Aharon's qualities by quoting a pasuk in Malachi 2:6, which writes of Aharon that he had "Toras Emes" - the Torah of truth in his mouth, before the pasuk then states that he was a pursuer of peace. The pasuk then writes that he gave rebuke to turn people away from sinning. The Avis D'Rabbi Nassan explains that when Aharon was walking on the road and he encountered a Rasha, he would greet him warmly. The next time that the Rasha thought about sinning he would be reminded of how warmly Aharon greeted him and he would have second thoughts about sinning, so as to not to let Aharon down.

R' Frand next quoted R' Bloch (sp?) from Telshe who observed about people that there are times that you meet someone who warmly inquires about your well being, but you can also tell that he does not really care. However the pasuk in Malachi demonstrates that what set Aharon apart is that he began with truth in his mouth - he was not going to lie when addressing someone. And the end of the pasuk demonstrates that he gave tochacha, but even when he did - it was not sharp, Indeed, his entire essence was about bettering the other person.

R' Frand said a second vort in connection with the poisonous snakes which attacked the Jews. After the Jews repented, Hashem tells Moshe in Bamidbar 21:8 to make a Saraf - a serpent, and put it on a staff. However, the next pasuk states that Moshe made a Nachash - a snake, not a serpent. Why did Moshe do something different that the actual language of the command?

R' Frand quoted the Rabbeinu Ephraim who explains that Moshe believed in his heart that Hashem is telling me this in the language of serpent, because He does not want me to feel bad. Each time that I did wrong in the past, Hashem rebuked me by showing me the sign of a snake, in Shemos 4:3 when I was not quick to accept my mission, so Hashem turned my stick to a snake. Similarly, when I did not give my son a bris - I was swallowed by a snake in Shemos 4:24.

Moshe then concludes - Hashem wants me to make a snake, but he does not want to use that word so that I will not feel bad and think that I am the cause of the Jews' trouble. On that basis, Moshe changes the directive and make a snake instead of a serpent.

R' Frand closed the vort by stating that there is a mitzva to be like Hashem. If Hashem shows such sensitivity in dealing with Moshe, how much more so should we be sensitive to the feelings of others.

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, July 10, 2016

Sunday Night Suds - Saranac Bavarian Pils


Live from Camp M, this week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Saranac Bavarian Pils.

After reviewing the Blue Moon Belgian Pils last week (http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2016/07/sunday-night-suds-blue-moon-table-pils.html), I decided to continue the theme of sampling Pilsners, by including a Saranac Bavarian Pils in the six pack that I mixed at the local supermarket not far from Camp M.

The Bavarian Pils is one of the more recent Saranac products and was first included in the 12 Beers A Springing Mixed Pack. The Saranac website indicates that "[t]his hoppy pilsener is brewed with the unique Mandarina Bavaria German hop, which showcases a citrusy-earthy character. A traditional German lager yeast provides a crisp finish."

Much like the Blue Moon Belgian Pils that I reviewed last week, the Saranac Bavarian Pils was not a typical Pilsner and perhaps it is one of the reasons that I appreciated this brew. Although there were abundant malts, there was also a little taste of hop in the finish which was not completely drowned out by the delicious bready malts. Taking into account the trademark Saranac medium to strong carbonation, this beer seemed to pack quite a kick for a beer which is 5.50% abv.

Saranac Bavarian Pils is under the Kosher Supervision of the Va'ad of Detroit as is every other beer produced at the Matt Brewery plant in Utica, NY. Keep in mind, Saranac has begun to brew some of its High Peaks series off site and these bottles do not have kosher certification from the Va'ad of Detroit.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about the brew, please follow this link www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/99/212125.

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).

Important Disclaimer - 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!


Thursday, July 7, 2016

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Korach

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 his parsha vort by noting that there is a machlokes among the rishonim as to when the Korach story takes place. In the order of the Torah it follows the story of the meraglim. However the Ibn Ezra states that it happens earlier.

R' Frand stated that there is strength to the Ibn Ezra's position, since Rashi notes that Korach was jealous that Elitzafan became the Nasi as he was the son of Yitzhar. Korach saw that Amram as the oldest of K'has' sons had two of his own sons become - the leader of the Jews (Moshe) and the Kohain Gadol (Aharon). As the son of Yitzhar (the second born son of K'has), Korach expected that the position of Nasi would come to him. Instead, the son of the fourth brother became the Nasi. Since the story of appointing the Nasi took place in the beginning of Sefer Bamidbar, the Ibn Ezra's position that the Korach story was earlier makes sense.

R' Frand next quoted the Ramban who explains that the story is in its correct place. He explains that Korach was a bright man and knew when he could challenge Moshe. Earlier in the Torah, Moshe was very popular and Korach would not have been able to challenge him. Indeed, had Korach spoken out against Moshe he would have been stoned. However, after the story of the slav and the sin of the spies in which Moshe did not pray for the Jewish people and cause the Heavenly decree to be changed, the view of the populace had turned and now Korach could speak against him.

However, the language of the Ramban is curious - what does it mean that Moshe did not daven for them? In Bamidbar 14:13- 20 Moshe prays to Hashem to forgive the Jewish people. In response Hashem stated in Bamidbar 14:21 - Salachti K'dvarecha - I have forgiven because of your words. So why does the Ramban state that Moshe did not daven for them?

R' Frand answered by quoting the Ramban himself, as the Ramban explains that at the time of the Egel, Moshe was able to convince Hashem not to wipe out the Jewish people. However as to the Meraglim, Moshe knew that there was no way that he could convince Hashem not to wipe out the Jews. Instead, Moshe davened to Hashem and as a result the Jews died out over the forty years in the desert, instead of immediately.

However, the people looked at Moshe and saw that the decree had not been revoked. They thought that he was able to pray successfully for anything and that if the decree was not rescinded, it must be because he did not daven for them. Therefore, they turned on him.

R' Frand asked - but what happened to hakaras hatov? Moshe had done so much for them - from the time that he came down to Egypt until this very day. Why was there no recognition of all that he had accomplished?

R' Frand then commented on an old GM commercial in which the announcer voiced - it is uniquely American to ask - what have you done for me lately? R' Frand stated that he was always bothered by this commercial - it may be uniquely American, but that is not the way of the Jewish people. Because he was unsuccessful once, he should be cast aside?

R' Frand also observed that they concluded that Moshe did not pray --this must be because he does not care. And for a leader not to care is a cardinal sin. R' Frand quoted who he believed was Teddy Roosevelt who stated - "people don't care what you know, they want to know that you care." And the leader who does not care will lose his following.

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Sunday, July 3, 2016

Sunday Night Suds - Blue Moon Table Pils



This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Blue Moon Table Pils.

If you were to just look at the name of the brew, you would think that this is a ho hum Pilsner. After all, calling this beer a Table Pils implies that it is a Pilsner. It would be a little bit odd for Blue Moon to produce a Pilsner since every Blue Moon product that I have seen has been an Ale. But regardless of the rationale behind the name of the beer, it is NOT a Pilsner.

The label of the beer indicates that it is a Belgian Style Pilsner. The Blue Moon website explains that the beer is "a sessionable Belgian Style Pilsner brewed with mandarin orange peel and two row Moravian barley." However, the experts at BA do not call this a Pilsner and instead they have classified it as an American Pale Lager.  Me, personally - I see this as a mutt -  a bizarre cross between a fruit infused lager and some earthy other brew that I can't put my finger on.

Although this review may seem to be negative, I did thoroughly enjoy this concoction. The beer has an interesting tartness to it which may be a result of the mandarin orange peel, but it also has some nice malt from the lager backbone. The resulting beer is lower in alcohol (4.2%) but refreshing and eminently drinkable. This is the kind of beer that you can drink in a Sukkah or maybe on a hot day after spending some time in the yard.

Blue Moon Belgian Table Pils is certified kosher by the Orthodox Union, as is every other current variety of beer produced by Blue Moon. For the experts take on this beer, please click here beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/306/221564.

As always, please remember to drink responsibly and to never waste good beer unless there is no designated driver. If you've tried this beer or any others which have been reviewed on the kosher beers site, please feel free to post your comments (anonymous comments are acceptable).

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

If you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com/ to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!