In reference to the original topic of this thread, here’s another interesting tidbit from the mishpacha article on Reb Chaim Shmuelevitz (search mishpacha.com for “Shmuelevitz”). I am appreciative that Mishpacha’s articles are OCR-searchable, allowing me to cut and paste from the PDF’s. Quote:
It is almost inconceivable how this
giant, a man who lived in a rarified, sublime
world, who scaled the loftiest heights, was
so aware of the realities of this world, was
able to address the uglier side of the human
heart in such a normal way.
He once remarked to a talmid that he
thought the practice of certain Yerushalmi
families to have their children don
shtreimlach at the age of eight or nine was
Children needed to be children and
then, only then, could they be adults.
On pages 42-43 of “In Their shadow”, Rav Shlomo Lorincz is describing how the Chazon Ish gave a sizable donation to trade schools set up to teach a parnassah to those who couldn’t learn full-time. When Rav Shlomo Lorincz expressed his surprise at this, being as the Chazon Ish was the one who pushed for full-time yeshivos in Bnei Brak where none existed before, he said, “We must show concern for those who need a vocational school, in order that such students remain within our framework and do not become dropouts from our ranks, chas veshalom”. This is why he was a gadol. While he very much believed in the supremacy of Torah, he fully understood that there are those who aren’t suited, and they should not be pushed away from the ranks of klal yisroel. Contrast that to today, in which many yeshivas get more and more elite, and the dropout problem gets bigger and bigger. Halevai that Gedolim could run our yeshivas, eliminate the protektzia, and treat our children the way they were meant to be treated.
I spent a few years learning in kollel before leaving and joining the workforce. It is mentioned by many gedolim that someone who works all day and learns at night is a much bigger masmid than someone who learns all day but doesn’t learn a minute more than he has to, or hangs out in the yeshiva (or YW)coffee room. I have personally found that my learning, while much lower in quantity, is a much higher quality since I have to struggle for every minute of it.
I am happy that my tax money is going to kollel families instead of to welfare queens or Wall street bonus millionaires. If the government is giving away money, why shouldn’t people take advantage? All of the rich people have advisors telling them how to maximize their college scholarships and minimize their taxes. The big banks gladly take the government money and use it for bonuses and junkets. I’d rather my kollel friends get my money than my Wall street friends.