The heavy rains that closed multiple St. Louis County roads in early November reminded Shelly Dean of another watery disaster she’d recently studied: The Great Flood in the parsha Noah.
“We had all that rain, and everyone’s basement flooded,” Dean said. That lined up with the Torah.”
Dean’s husband, Brian Frumhoff, made the same connection after reading about how G-d punished the wicked in the world by causing a catastrophic flood.
“That happens a lot,” Frumhoff said. “There’s a mirror of what’s going on in the Torah portion and what’s going on in the real world.”
Dean and Frumhoff are study partners in the weekly learning group known as Partners in Torah. Every Monday evening at Nusach Hari B’nai Zion (NHBZ) in Olivette, nearly 100 men and women meet one-on-one or in small groups to learn Torah. The connection from the word of G-d to modern times makes it worthwhile, said Dean.
“I need to make it relevant,” she said. “Otherwise, it makes no sense, and I would lose interest.”
During a Partners in Torah session in mid-November, there were dozens of discussions of that week’s Torah portion (involving Abraham’s servant Eliezer). At each table, the partners consisted of a teacher and a student. Rabbi Daniel Sentell had three students listening intently to his take on the parsha. It boiled down to the lesson that G-d trusts us to do the right thing and be as good as we can be.
“I enjoy it,” said Harvey Iken. “I learn a lot. Rabbi Sentell is very good. It’s just the way he explains things. We learn something every week, either the Torah portion, or different commandments, or mitzvahs, or theologies. It’s a very non-threatening, relaxed atmosphere.”
“You’re always learning something with Rabbi Sentell,” added Joel Ehrlich. “It’s all about synergy. We’re supposed to learn Torah and do mitzvahs. Learning is the key to why we’re here.”
Partners In Torah was founded in 1993 to make Judaism more accessible. The sessions are short (one hour) and casual. Food is served and there is no charge to attend. It also attempts to make Torah learning relevant and focus on the primary message of the Torah. That is how Jews can live a moral life.
There are Partners in Torah groups around the world. The organization is based in Passaic, N.J. The study group began here in 2013. It was always intended to be different from traditional Torah study, according to Rabbi Moshe Glazer, the program’s director.
“Most Jewish outreach programs have rabbis who lead the learning, but in Partners in Torah, we believe you don’t need to be a rabbi to teach Torah,” Glazer said. “You can learn with someone who might just be a little more knowledgeable, and together you explore any topic you choose.”
One of the core goals of the program is to build lasting friendships, Glazer said. He and Rabbi Yosef David from Aish St. Louis help match up teachers and students to create long-lasting relationships.
“Many of the one-on-one pairs become great friends because they spend an hour together each week,” he said. “The Torah is the vehicle, but the friendships are the true goal.”
Partners in St. Louis is a is a collaboration of Aish Hatorah, Ignite YP, Nusach Hari B’nai Zion, the St. Louis Community Kollel and Young Israel of St. Louis. Rabbi Avi Roberts who directs Ignite YP with his wife Shani, described the goals of Partners in Torah.
“One is bringing the entire Jewish community from very different backgrounds and different walks of life together,” Roberts said. “The other is to study Torah and learn about Judaism. We create partnerships where people study together and form relationships. It’s not just reading through the book. We talk about learning Torah, studying Torah, understanding it, and bringing out the meaning of it, not just reading the words verbatim, but making Torah more meaningful.”
Initially, Partners in Torah met at the Jewish Community Center, and attracted 30 to 40 participants. COVID-19 cut that number drastically to just a few people. The program re-started at NHBZ in October 2023. Then, the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel changed everything for Jews seeking meaning and a feeling of normalcy in a chaotic world. The weekly Partners in Torah sessions quickly grew and attracted new participants.
On Nov. 25, a large gathering of Partners in Torah students, teachers and supporters met to celebrate the group’s achievements during a “Learniversary” dinner. It was a joyous evening honoring visionary leaders like Rabbi Glazer, who always saw value and meaning in the program. The guest keynote speaker was Gary Torgow, chairman of Huntington Bank and president of Yeshiva Beth Yehudah in Detroit.
The highlight of the evening was a Torah networking game where everyone competed for prizes by compiling answers to questions about Jewish holidays. Every table studied a different theme or yontif. It wasn’t a trivia contest, but rather an opportunity to interact with someone and learn from them. Music and conversations filled the room. It wasn’t the silent, solemn study a person might normally associate with Torah study. It was just the right mood and tone for the Pernik family, who started attending Partners in Torah in October 2023.
“I feel inspired,” said Ella Pernik. “I feel closer to our community, and we learn. I’ve even been learning Hebrew!”
Pernik’s daughter Sarah attends the sessions, too. She enjoys the sessions and said, “I learn something new, and I like my Torah partner. Lately we’ve been reading about emunah (trust).”
Edward Pernik (Sarah’s father), who was born in Russia, said he also likes to learn more about Judaism.
“What’s interesting for me is that every Jewish holiday has a special meaning,” Edward Pernik said. “There are many different aspects under the surface, they are not just to cheer or cry. Like on Sukkot, we learn why we have the lulav, why we have the esrog.
“Before every holiday, we talk about the meaning of it. What’s important to me is to learn from the Torah is that G-d gave us everything we need to appreciate the world. He gave us the good and the bad. The good we give thanks for and the bad, we ask why.”
To join Partners in Torah or learn more about the program, contact Rabbi Shmuel Greenwald at 314-862-2474 or by email at [email protected]
Freelance writer Jeffry Greenberg contributed information to this article.
