Before WW2, the concept of Kollel didn’t exist. Men worked for a living and put bread on the table (as per signed contract called KESUBA!). With the establishment of the Medina (shall I rinse my mouth?), Kollel became the way out of the army for religious boys/men. It started as a “bedi’eved”, and ultimately Kollel life became a “lechatchila”.
Yeshivos and seminaries brainwashed their youth that “staying in learning” is the ultimate sacrifice for Torah. At whose expense? Boys were instructed to look for rich fathers in law. Women were instructed to take upon themselves the yoke of parnassa.
The results speak for themselves:
-Fathers are collapsing and dying of heart attacks from the financial strain of supporting Kollel children.
-Women have become martyrs working like horses at full-time jobs, raising kids and running homes.
-Bnei Brak has the highest percentage of children living below the poverty line.
-The Kollelniks are frustrated and unfulfilled for having been robbed of their role as provider of the family. Consequently their Torah learning is not so serious (to put it mildly).
It’s a failed system, and people are waking up to its realities.