The chavrusas:Jeff Cohn and Eli Schlossberg, in Baltimore, MD
When Rabbi Yissocher Frand arranged a chavrusashaft between two longtime Baltimoreans, little did he know he was setting into motion a partnership that would last for decades, and also enabling the continuation of a half century of learning that had begun with their fathers.
Jeff Cohn, the proprietor of the Baltimore Jewish Life website, had been going through a rough period after his father’s passing in March 1988. Trying to get his life back on track, Cohn reached out to Rabbi Frand, a close friend, for advice.
“He asked me several questions about my daily life, and the clincher was when he asked me if I learn every day,” recalls Cohn. “When I told him I didn’t have time, he immediately honed in on that nekudah and said, ‘You have to learn every day, even a little bit. It doesn’t matter what you learn, as long as you learn.’ ”
Rabbi Frand arranged a chavrusa for Cohn, pairing him up with fellow shul member Eli Schlossberg. While Rabbi Frand knew that the two were lifelong friends, he had no idea that their fathers had learned together every Shabbos morning for more than 40 years.
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