It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Hagaon Rav Shraga Feivel Cohen zt”l. He was 85.
One of the gedolei haposkim in the United States, Rav Cohen was renowned worldwide for his magnum opus, Badei Hashulchan, an encyclopedic Mishnah-Berurah-like work on Shulchan Aruch.
His father, Rav Eliezer Cohen, was the rov of the Atkins Avenue Shul in East New York.
Rav Cohen was one of the prime products of Yeshivas Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin under the rosh yeshiva, Rav Yitzchok Hutner. Even as a young ben Torah, he was recognized as a gaon of a different caliber, destined for greatness. Over the decades, he became renowned for his gadlus in Torah, his brilliance and depth, and his tremendous pikchus and insight.
Rav Cohen’s opinion was respected by the greatest gedolei Torah of the generation, including Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv and others.
Despite his greatness and the respect he garnered, Rav Cohen fled all fanfare and accolades throughout his life, preferring to simply spend his days learning Torah and writing his seforim.
For many years, Rav Cohen served as the mara d’asra of Khal Tomchei Torah of Flatbush.
For a period, he was rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva of Brooklyn’s bais medrash. Some years ago, he also had a yeshiva with Rav Pinchos Kahn called Yeshivas Nachalas Haleviim in East Flatbush.
Several years ago, he retired from that position and relocated to Lakewood, NJ, settling in the Pine River Village neighborhood.
With his petirah, we have lost one of the true gaonim and gedolei hapsak of our time, a talmid chochom of enormous caliber.
The levayah will be held today at Bais Medrash Govoah, located at 617 6th Street, in Lakewood, NJ at 2 p.m., followed by a levayah at Khal Tomchei Torah in Flatbush. The aron will then be flown to Eretz Yisroel for kevurah there.
Rav Cohen is survived by his devoted wife, Rebbetzin Rivka (nee Hirsch) Cohen, and a wonderful family of bnei and bnos Torah. His children are Rav Binyomin Cohen, author of Sifrei Chelkas Binyomin, the rosh kollel of Kollel Gur Aryeh at Yeshivas Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin, and the rov of Khal Talmidei Hayeshivos of Flatbush; Rav Chaim Cohen, rosh yeshiva of Bais Medrash and Mesivta of Baltimore; Rav Shlomo Cohen, rosh kollel of Kollel of Inwood; Rav Avraham Yeshaya Cohen, rosh kollel of Kollel Ohel Yitzchok of Lakewood; Rav Dovid Cohen; and Rebbetzin Adina Kaufman, the wife of Rav Ahron Kaufman, rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Gedolah of Waterbury.
Yehi zichro boruch.
{Matzav.com}
Where is the levaya at the yoshon or at bais ahron? There are conflicting news stories posted.
This should be pinned on the top
Sar vegadol nafal beyisrael hayom. How many people are zocheh to have the whole world learn their seforim, and even have shiurim in their sefarim? How many have such complete integrity in matters of halachah? And how many have pleitzes (shoulders) to issue the pesakim that he did? When R’ Elyashiv was asked by an American for a berachah, he said, more than once, “You have R’ Feivel Cohen in America. Why do you need me? Go to him for a berachah” (I heard this from the baal hamaaseh). R’ Avrohom Ganechovsky said that a sefer nifla like Badei HaShulchan could only have been written with extreme siyata dishmaya, and by someone that was ‘lo pasak pumei migirsa’ (this is published in the first edition of Agan Hasahar, p. 233). As one who had davened in his shul for many years, I can attest that things are true. Baruch dayan HaEmes
Let the velt know about these gems while alive. My relatives live at PRV and I would have sought him out to shmooz in learning.