Lost in Kollel » Limud HaTorah

Shavuos – What Does Kabbolas HaTorah Really Mean?

aaron — Mon, 17 May 2010 14:00:01 +0000

Back when I learned in Lakewood Yeshiva, I remember how much was said about Shavuos being a “Kabbolas HaTorah,” up to the joyous dancing at the end of Yom Tov that lasts well into the late hours of the night. As a kollel yungerman, I was able to connect with the feeling, being able to spend my days fully engrossed in limud haTorah.

Now that I am out of kollel, it’s more difficult to connect with it. What does Kabbolas HaTorah really mean? Is Shavuos meant for us “working guys”, or is it just for the bnei Torah who don’t do anything else?

The truth is, being out of kollel gives one a unique opportunity at doing an authentic Kabbolas HaTorah, one that just isn’t possible for those in kollel or even those in chinuch.

One of the most famous Medrashim we retell on Shavuos is how Hashem brought the Torah to all the nations of the world, asking them to accept it, which they all refused to do, except for the Jews. We accepted the Torah blindly, without knowing all that it contained, because we accepted Hashem’s total mastery over us, even though no other nation was willing to do so. Thus, true Kabbolas HaTorah means to do so even though no one else is doing so, and even though it is not easy to do so.

Someone whose job it is to learn, whether as a Rebbe or as a kollel yungerman, there is no great need for Kabbolas HaTorah because they are already there. Sure, they need the commitment to continue doing so, and to strengthen their learning while they are doing so, but nevertheless there is no new yoke to accept upon themselves.

On the other hand, those who don’t learn for a living, Kabolas HaTorah takes on a whole new meaning. It means accepting upon oneself to learn while no one else seems to do so. It means making sure the learning that one does is meaningful and lasting – not just sufficing with a poor excuse of Daf Yomi. While the rest of the world (and many of our friends) spend their nights socializing, partying, and just wasting their time, you have a serious seder limud with a chavrusa.

If you are in that situation, every day requires a new Kabbolas HaTorah. It’s all too easy to fall back into the default mode of “not learning” just like so many of your friends. It requires determination, strength, and the complete submission to Hashem’s mastery. Thus, a Kabbolas HaTorah exactly the way it was done back in the year 2448.

So let’s get out the paper and pen, and before Yom Tov arrives write down our personal Kabbolas HaTorah. We are going to commit to a serious seder, and choose our limud wisely. Most importantly, we will have a specific goal in mind. By this coming Simchas Torah, exactly 135 days from now, we will have completed a milestone of some kind – whether it is a messechta, a perek, or a particular topic. On this coming Simchas Torah, when we dance hakafos, we won’t just be rejoicing at our brothers’ simcha, instead the joy will be our own for having captured a true Kabbolas HaTorah.

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Are Kollel Guys “Bench Kvetchers”?

aaron — Sun, 09 May 2010 04:39:29 +0000

In his weekly column for Mishpacha magazine, R’ Yonason Rosenblum wrote how he was appalled at hearing someone apply the term “bench kvetchers” to many of those learning in kollel today. His response: There can never be too much ameilus baTorah. Even those never destined to become maggedei shiur are a great value, and not deserving of being called “bench kvetchers.”

R’ Yonason, of course, was overreacting to the very real phenomenon that exists today in kollelim around the world. Indeed, all of his points about the importance of Torah study are 100% true. However, there is also a very large element in kollel that can definitely be referred to as “bench kvetchers”.

A bench kvetcher is a derisive term to someone who “sits” without an occupation instead of working. By its very definition, one who is fully occupied with his learning, even if he is not “earning”, is not a bench kvetcher. However, one who is in kollel by default, and is not fully engaged in Torah study, is a classic example of a bench kvetcher.

There are many reasons why someone chooses to be in kollel – some of them are noble, and some of them are not. If someone feels a true calling to learn in kollel instead of working, he will never allow himself to be a “bench kvetcher”. He will never let a seder slip by without utilizing every moment to toil in learning. His life is fully engaged in the spiritual pursuit of what R’ Yonason describes as “being of infinite value.”

But the many others who remain in kollel for less noble reasons – i.e. they are too scared to “jump” into the unkown, or they are enjoying living off other people’s money, or they feel societal pressure to be someone they really aren’t worthy of being – these are the people that give kollel a bad name.

Who knows, maybe if they were actually called out as being what they really are – “bench kvetchers” – that would get them moving along in the right direction.

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BMG Kollel Check – How Much Longer?

aaron — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 15:00:28 +0000

photo credit: The Lakewood Scoop

The problems with the kollel check given by Lakewood yeshiva can be summed up in 3 short sentences:

It’s a small amount of money (not enough to make a difference)
It’s given to too many people (it costs too much)
It produces no return (the money doesn’t grow)

The first two points have already been discussed in an earlier post. The third point is one that is likely to be misunderstood by many, so let me explain. Obviously, the intention of the supporters of Lakewood Yeshiva are to increase limud hatorah, with the understanding that by giving yungeleit some form of stipend they are able to learn more.

The problem is, the investment being made in each stipend given doesn’t extend beyond the person receiving it. He gets his stipend, learns, and it ends there. The money that was invested was for that particular person at that particular time only. Further learning will require additional funds, and the cycle continues. More money, more learning; less money, less learning.

Instead of just paying for the yungerman’s time learned, which doesn’t produce any “growth”, we can imagine a situation where money is paid for the effectiveness of the yungerman, which does produce growth. This greatly increases the value of the stipend paid, and is a much more effective use of tzedaka money than just paying for time alone, which cannot be measured and doesn’t grow.

Many people will misunderstand this. They will take it to mean that supporting someone who is just learning for the sake of learning is a waste of money. Obviously, as someone who spent many years in kollel myself, and who continues to devote much time to learning, I don’t believe that. Of course, paying for someone to sit and learn – not in order to say a shiur, become a great rav, or author scholarly tomes – is still a noble cause. Sitting and learning Torah L’ishma is not something to put down, chas v’shalom.

But when it comes to allocating the use of very limited funds, it makes most sense to direct those resources towards where they produce the greatest return. This is both for the sake of Torah itself, as the buying power of those dollars is able to reach further, and for the sake of the donors, who are stretched thin with all their obligations.

There are many ideas, some of them quite good, on how to best appropriate these “kollel check” funds in the most effective manner. Most likely, these ideas will never see the light of day. Instead, the kollel system, and Lakewood yeshiva, will continue resisting change, and eventually the money for kollel checks – which are already greatly rationed and limited – will come to an end.

P.S. Some of these alternative ideas will be shared in later posts – however, it is most important to realize what is wrong with the current distribution system than to raise alternative plans. Only once the problem is recognize can we really move forward towards a successful resolution.

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Is Kollel a Contributer to Kids at Risk?

aaron — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 04:16:03 +0000

Recently, I had the opportunity to question Rabbi Yakov Horowitz of Monsey, who is known for his work with teens at risk within our community. My question was – Is there a higher incidence of kids at risk with kollel families than from the general community? Some of the reasons why there would be a higher occurrence in kollel families could perhaps be due to the tight financial situations faced by most families whose fathers learn full time in kollel, thereby causing children to perhaps feel materially deprived. Another contributing factor could be when those kollel yungerleit who find themselves feeling unfulfilled, that feeling can pass through to the children and give them a negative attitude towards learning and yiddeshkeit in general.

He replied that those people who learn in kollel and have simchas hachayim generally have good kids. However, he referred me to a recent article of his regarding internet and kids at risk. There, he points out the five of the most common contributing factors why children abandon a Torah lifestyle. He granted me permission to republish his thoughts here:

If I were asked al regel achas (“on one foot”) to list the Top Five causes of kids going off the derech, they would be, in order:

1. Child abuse/molestation/neglect

2. Lack of simchas ha’chayim/shalom bayis at home

3. Poor parenting or overbearing parents

4. Undiagnosed or unaddressed learning disabilities.

5. Extremism (lack of flexibility in raising children and forcing them into the same mold)

According to Rabbi Horowitz, many of these factors can be directly linked to the parents’ lack of career/livelihood. Shalom bayis is negatively impacted when finances are tight, and if the husband is feeling unfulfilled due to a lack of occupation. Learning disabilities can be worked upon, if money is available to pay for the professional remediation.

So while kollel is not necessarily a direct cause of causing children to stray, the side effects of a poorly executed kollel life plan (hint: staying in kollel longer than one should) can bring about situations which are high at risk to breed children at risk.

Devoting your life to full time learning is a great sacrifice. But it must be done in a way that one doesn’t sacrifice his own children in the process.

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The “Glitter” of Parshas HaMon (Tuesday Parshas Beshalach)

aaron — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:03:46 +0000

(The following is a guest post from a talmid chochom in Lakewood who I share many views with.)

Undoubtedly, we will all receive emails today regarding the segula of parshas hamon which has become a yearly ritual religiously kept by yidden all over the world (even by those who are otherwise lax in observing mitzvos) in keeping with the words of Reb Menachem Mendel M’Riminov zt”l that saying parshas ha’mon on Tuesday of Parshas Be’Shalach, is a segulah for parnasah.

We would like to remind everyone about the words of the Rambam in the ninth perek of hilchos teshuva that we have a PROMISE from the Torah (and not merely a segula) that if we learn his Torah and keep his mitzvos with joy, then Hashem will remove from us everything that takes away from keeping his Torah like sickness, war, and starvation; and instead will bless us with all the good in the world so we can fulfill his Torah like satiation, peace, and much gold and silver.

רמב”ם יד החזקה – הלכות תשובה פרק ט “והבטיחנו בתורה שאם נעשה אותה בשמחה ובטובת נפש ונהגה בחכמתה תמיד שיסיר ממנו כל הדברים המונעים אותנו מלעשותה כגון חולי ומלחמה ורעב וכיוצא בהן וישפיע לנו כל הטובות המחזיקות את ידינו לעשות התורה כגון שובע ושלום ורבוי כסף וזהב“.

So the next time you receive the segula of parshas ha’mon in an email from a friend, send them back the PROMISE of the Torah……

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Twice as Much in Half the Time

aaron — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 04:10:45 +0000

As frum people, we have to accomplish twice as much is half the time.

Compared with the average family in the US, a frum family has at least double (most likely 3x) the expenses. Tuition, kosher food, clothing, summer camps, etc. Earning that extra money means having to work harder. But we also have much less time than the average person in the US. Between learning, davening, Shabbos & Yom Tov, family obligations, etc. much of the time is simply not available for work.

That leaves us with having to accomplish twice as much in half the time. Nevertheless, we somehow manage to do so.

The reason we are able to do 4x as much as the average person is because we have to. Its amazing what gets done when there is no other choice. Under pressure, a person accomplishes more than otherwise would be reasonable to expect.

The problem most kollel guys face is the lack of pressure. Why bother accomplishing, when there is nothing forcing them to do so? Of course they are dedicating their lives to Torah, but as long as there are no specific goals to accomplish, they are satisfied with the fact that they are simply learning.

If kollel would be a job with real goals and deadlines, how much more could be accomplished? Certainly, a lot more than is being done now. The real challenge of a kollel yungerman today is to treat his years in kollel like a true job, by setting challenging goals for himself. That way, he really comes out of kollel with a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.

Nothing is like the real world with its actual challenges and demands. However, a kollel yungerman can go a long way by artifically making it hard for himself. Pressure can be a good thing, for it makes us do things we otherwise would think are just not possible.

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Ready for the Long Winter Zman

aaron — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:05:30 +0000

As a bachur I always had a sense of dread when I returned to yeshiva for the winter zman. The winter zman is the longest one of the three, stretching five or six long months of uninterrupted learning during the freezing cold winter. When I got married and continued learning in kollel, I again experience this dread for the first few days of the winter zman.

What was behind this dread? After all, I was happy with what I was doing. I only wanted to learn, and while I learned I enjoyed it thoroughly.

I thought about this a lot, and I discovered a secret about learning which remains true with me (and many others) to this day.

Learning torah is not something that is naturally pleasant to most people. It takes a long time and tremendous effort to get to the point that the experience is so enjoyable that all you want to do is continue learning non-stop. Think about this past bein hazmanim – how much learning did you expect to accomplish, and how much did you actually end up doing? Most of the time you will come up way short of your original estimate.

Learning Torah is a tremendous undertaking – at first. Only after you throw yourself into the learning, even when you are truly not in the mood and there are 100 other things going on in your life, do you begin to enjoy the learning.

The long winter does appear daunting at first. But that makes the challenge all the more appealing. Dive right in, before you know it, you’ll be savoring the experience.

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