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.

bookmark this post

More »