We’ve just come through the Yom Tov of Shavuos, a time that celebrates the most defining moment in our history: Kabbalas HaTorah. For seven weeks, we counted the Omer in anticipation of that moment, striving to prepare ourselves. For generations, Yidden have stayed up through the night of Shavuos immersed in Torah, reaffirming our bond with Hashem’s most precious gift.
And now that the Yom Tov is behind us, the question is: what lasting change will it leave within us?
In recent years, our community has increasingly promoted the idea that the ultimate goal for a ben Torah is to remain in full-time learning for as long as possible. Limud Torah is presented not just as a value, but as the only value. The kollel lifestyle is depicted as the only option—those who pursue it are the “pride” of our people, while any other path is often seen as a failure.
But is that truly the Torah’s view?
Chazal teach us plainly: “Tov Torah im derech eretz”—Torah is best when paired with work. This isn’t a polemic about college or secular education; it’s a simple truth that engaging in productive labor is not only permissible—it’s good. Even when one has financial means, Chazal recommend work as a healthy and stabilizing force in a person’s life.
The Gemara (Brachos 35b) records a machlokes between R’ Shimon bar Yochai and R’ Yishmael. R’ Shimon advocated full-time limud torah without distraction; R’ Yishmael believed in balancing Torah with work. The gemara concludes that many followed R’ Yishmael and succeeded, while those who tried to follow R’ Shimon’s path often failed—because most people are simply not on that level.
So why do we have kollelim? Weren’t they established and encouraged by our greatest Torah leaders?
Yes—but not for everyone. Rav Chaim Volozhiner explains in Nefesh HaChaim that the Gemara’s use of the word “many” indicates that only a select few are meant to learn full-time. The Brisker Rav offers a similar insight about R’ Nehorai, who declared he would teach his son only Torah—because his son was uniquely gifted. The Biur Halacha (Siman 156) paskens clearly: the norm for most people is to work and learn. Only individuals who are especially suited to full-time Torah are encouraged to do so.
So what changed?
In the aftermath of the Holocaust and the decimation of European Torah centers, there was an urgent need to rebuild. Our leaders pushed for widespread kollel learning to reignite the flame – and baruch hashem, it worked. Today, Torah is thriving. The emergency is over.
We must now reassess. Continuing to promote full-time kollel as the universal goal is not only unsustainable—it may be harmful. Not because it’s expensive. Not because the community can’t support it. But because it’s not the life that most people are meant to live. It places unrealistic pressure on bochurim and yungeleit, and fosters an attitude that working for a parnassah is inferior. This is not the Torah’s view.
And in my view, this indiscriminate kollel ideal is also at the root of our troubling materialism crisis. There was a time—not long ago—when being in kollel was something choshuv. Most people didn’t do it. Most people couldn’t do it. And that gave it weight and meaning. But today—who isn’t in kollel? There’s no longer any shtick to it. You know what the shtick is now? Torah u’Gedulah. Because once everyone is doing it, it’s no longer special. So now, to earn respect, it’s not enough to be learning all day—you need to be learning and driving a luxury car, wearing designer suits, living like a poritz. What began as a lofty ideal has become an empty label, forcing people to redefine the ideal in ways that are flashy, shallow, and antithetical to the true nature of Torah. The contradiction is glaring—and we’re all pretending not to notice.
Yes, we must honor true talmidei chachamim. Anyone who has truly achieved that stature deserves the highest respect. But there is a difference between honoring achieved greatness and idolizing a lifestyle as inherently superior for all.
What we need instead is a renewed focus on balance. A push for simpler living. Fewer hours at work, more hours in the Beis Medrash. A lifestyle where Torah remains the central pillar—but in a way that reflects how Chazal envisioned life for the majority.
The Gemara in Chulin (44b) says: “Yegia kapecha ki sochal, ashrecha v’tov lach”—When you eat the labor of your own hands, you are praiseworthy. Ashrecha ba’olam hazeh v’tov lach l’olam haba. That’s the model Chazal give us for a successful, meaningful life.
Finally, let’s remember: while Torah study is the greatest mitzvah, it is not the only mitzvah. Chazal tell us: “You do not know the reward of mitzvos” (Avos 2:1). That means we don’t get to assign value based on our own feelings. Parnassah, chesed, raising a family—all are avodas Hashem. All are ruchniyusdik.
Let’s raise a generation that values all of Torah—not just learning, but living it.
Signed,
A Simple Working Jew
The view expressed in this letter are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of YWN. Have an opinion you would like to share? Send it to us for review.
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16 Responses
Who writes all of these ywn letters
Amen.
Are the people “living like a poritz” fully in kollel?
No. They’re not. It’s possible that the in-laws foot for some of the bills for a couple of years, but that’s about it.
Long term that’s not what happens. Long term their wives earn the money, or they get involved in a side hustle which pays for that lifestyle. And if they can afford to stay in kollel at that point – good for them!
Who is promoting full-time kollel as a long-term goal? Yes, many couples want to start off in kollel and the pressure during that time is often on the parents rather than on the couple. The vast majority do not stay in kollel long-term.
I’m sorry that this is all you see, if you would spend more time in the BM you might be able to see more positive. Whether it’s the “hamon am”, if you may of yungerleit. Or even those who “have it all”, because they don’t have the ability to concentrate on shteiging if they don’t know how they will pay their bills (and now they even have a little extra for moisrois). The point is that they want to spend their lives in the koislei BM!
Did any of these young men sign a ketuba to support their wives?
The old Satmar rebbe only allowed the truly qualified to be in kollel. Everyone else out to work and learn in the morning or at night after work
dear letter writer 2 pieces of accurate info that you will be happy to hear
1. the percentage of shomer shabbos adults in america that are in kollel full time after 5 years is a few percentage points ( when you look at the whole picture ) do your research
2 even in lakewood the avg age has dropped in the past decade, where yungeleit need to find an addl income and leave full time learning to do something part time.
there are 3 key reasons
1 the word kollel or klei kodesh does not anymore get your kids in to camp / yeshiva for give whatever you can as it used to.
2 many young wives are simply falling apart , their ratzon is there but they simply dont have the strength to teach , nurse , and have koach for everything else
3 HUD – lack of
The crisis starts when a man with three kids needs to find a job to support a family at 30 without any education or vocational training
The self proclaimed godol who wrote this letter obviously feels that he is the one everyone should get their hashkofos from. It’s only fair that he should reveal himself to the world so we can run to him to learn the Torah way and to perfect our terrible errors.
A well-written, but totally misguided article. Exactly what the author says is the ideal, that’s precisely what is currently occurring. By pushing hard in the Yeshivas, we get the “few” that should spend their lives learning full time. The rest spend a few years in kollel and then join the business world, albeit with a more Torah-oriented lifestyle of more and more intense learning (take a trip to Lutsk at 6AM to get a view of just one example of this). And his unsolicited and false assessment of the desire for “Torah ugdulah”, especially with all his adverbial designations, is totally out of line. To me it sounds like he suffers the inferiority complex he speaks of.
This ba’al ha’bais got it wrong. All the mekoros for working is for people who can not do without it financially. “Many did like Rabi Shimon and were not successful…” means the parnosah did not come to them. The same is for the Biur Halocha etc.
And “Talmud Torah is keneged kulam… and greater than Hatzolas nefoshos” etc. Let’s not misrepresent the true Hashkofas Ha’Torah.
The materialism crisis in Lakewood. The kollel is to blame. Yea,sure. Had all those people been working ba’alei batim, they would not have pursued gashmius. Sure.
there are so many hidden gedolim on ywn, its crazy
Have you run your thoughts by even a well-respected Rav, never mind by an actual gadol biYisrael, for his thoughts?
“In the aftermath of the Holocaust and the decimation of European Torah centers, there was an urgent need to rebuild. Our leaders pushed for widespread kollel learning to reignite the flame – and baruch hashem, it worked. Today, Torah is thriving. The emergency is over.”
Before WW2, the concept of kolel did not exist. A bochur could not do a shiduch if he didn’t have a parnassa. The idea of kolel was invented after the establishment of the Medina. Ben Gurion agreed to exempt learning boys from the army. What started as a bedieved turned into a lechatchila. I remember my father a”h arguing with the litvishe roshei yeshiva in Israel that they are raising a generation of parasites. If only they had listened to him…..
How true and sad! Everyone should learn Rav Aron Lopianski’s amazing “Ben Torah for Life” and the sefer ילקוט נועם ה to get a true torah perspective on this topic. This very mistaken hashkafa is literally destroying families. Long term Kollel should be reserved exclusively for those who are totally dedicated to their learning and see themselves “realistically” becoming rabbonim, maggidei shiur or really serious talmidei chachomim.