Should Kollel Have Term Limits?
The debate surrounding instituting term limits is not only for politicians, but for kollel yungerleit as well. Should kollel yungerleit receiving a check from their kollel also be subject to a specific time limit, say 5 or more years?
In Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim in Queens, the kollel program is a 6 year program, during which the yungerleit actively engage in preparing for a career in rabbanus or chinuch either by taking courses in teaching and / or focusing on practical halacha.
The Gruss kollel in Eretz Yisroel is a 2 year program as well. The goal is that after 2 (or sometimes 3) years, the kollel member should move on to assume a position of leadership back in the states.
However, most kollelim have no limit. Once someone is accepted into a kollel, they can stay as long as the kollel functions, with no chance of every being asked to leave.
On the one hand, a kollel is designed to allow someone to devote himself to learning while providing a small stipend. Torah should not have limits placed upon it, and if the yungerman feels that his still able to devote himself to full time learning, why put a stop to it?
On the other hand, if there is no real accountability there is a tendency to underperform. Imagine if politicians didn’t have to get reelected ever. Ever walk into a post office or a motor vehicles office and wonder why the service is so poor? Because they have no fear of ever getting fired, there is no need to provide good service. If kollel would be for a limited time only, the members would perhaps use their time more carefully than if kollel is “endless”.
Lakewood yeshiva floated this idea many years ago, in an effort to both save money as well as to provide a stimulus for those “older yungerleit” to make their exit while they still could. Rav Shach ZT”L ruled that Torah cannot have any limits placed on it, and kollel checks should not stop after 5 years.
What do you think should be done today? Should kollel stipends have limits on the length of time they are given, or should there be no restrictions?
Feel free to add your comments below.
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Filed Under: Rabbinical Advice
While there may not be official, set limits to kollel terms, my experience has shown that those kollelim – especially out-of-town kollelim – that pay full salaries will generally ease their yungerleit out the door after five years or so. When your salary budget is half a million dollars a year, there simply have to be limits.
Beyond that, IMHO, any rosh kollel who doesn’t have the guts to speak frankly to his yungerleit about their future lives isn’t doing them any favors.
I learned for seven years at full salary and a still greatly appreciate the real service my rosh kollel did for me in gently pushing me out. It has made the subsequent twenty years infinitely better!