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Kollel

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Chicago Chassidishe Kollel
Chicago Chassidishe Kollel
Kollel Birkat Yitzchak inMoscow

Akollel(Hebrew:כולל,pl.כוללים‎,kollelim,a "gathering" or "collection" [of scholars]) is an institute for full-time, advancedstudyof theTalmudandrabbinic literature.Like ayeshiva,a kollel featuresshiurim(lectures) and learningsedarim(sessions); unlike most yeshivot, the student body of a kollel typically consists mostly of married men. A kollel generally pays a regular monthlystipendto its members.[1]

History[edit]

Original sense[edit]

Main article:Halukka

Originally, the word was used in the sense of "community". Each group of European Jews settling in Israel established their own community with their own support system. Each community was referred to as the "kollel of[place-name]"to identify the specific community of theOld Yishuv.The overwhelming majority of these Jews were scholars who left their homelands to devote themselves to studyTorahand serve God for the rest of their lives. The kollel was the umbrella organization for all their needs.

The first examples wereKolel Perushim(students of theVilna Gaonwho established the firstAshkenaziJewish settlement in Jerusalem) andColel Chabadfor theRussianHasidim.ThePolish Jewswere divided into many kollelim:Kolel Polen(Poland), headed by RabbiChaim Elozor Wax;Kolel Vilna Zamośćwas under different leadership; and theGalicianswere incorporated underKolel Chibas Yerushalayim.The last initially included the entireAustro-Hungarian Kingdom,but as each subparty looking for more courteous distribution, the Hungarians separated intoKolel Shomrei HaChomos.

Modern sense[edit]

The first kollel – in the modern sense of the term – in theJewish diasporawas theKovno Kollel( "Kolel Perushim"[2]) founded inKovno(Kaunas, Lithuania) in 1877.[3][4]It was founded by RabbiYisrael Salanter[5]and directed byRabbi Isaac Blaser.The ten students enrolled were required to separate from their families, except for theSabbath,and devote themselves to studying for the Rabbinate. There was a four-year limit on one's membership in the kollel.

Two people can be considered to have spearheaded[6][7]the kollel philosophy and outgrowth in today's world: RabbiAharon Kotler(founder ofBeth Medrash Govoha,Lakewood, New Jersey,the largest yeshiva in the US) and RabbiElazar Shach,one of the most prominent leaders of the Jewish community in Israel until his death in 2001. The community kollel movement was also fostered byTorah Umesorah,the National Society for Hebrew Day Schools.[8][9]

Currently, the term is applied in America to any stipend given for yeshiva study and is now a general term for the yeshivah approach to life.[4]

Philosophy[edit]

The philosophy of the kollel, in which members are subsisting on support from others, is part of an overall philosophy of some Orthodox Jews, that God desires that the children of Israel primarily occupy themselves in this world with the study of theTorah,and gave certain Jews more of a propensity to work with the intention that they should support the 'learners'. InOrthodox Judaismthis has become known as the 'Yissachar-Zebulun' partnership,[10][11]after theMidrashiclegend that the tribe of Zevulun financially supported the tribe of Issachar so that they could occupy themselves with Torah study.[12]The reward of the supporter in theWorld-to-Comeis seen to be equal to that of the scholar's reward.

Structure[edit]

Leadership[edit]

Most kollels have a scholar serving as arosh kollel,or head of the kollel.[13][14]He decides on the subject matter studied by the kollel. In many cases he also has to spend considerable time fund-raising to support the kollel.

Many kollels employ former students –avrechim(אברכים),sg.avrech(אברך) – as fundraisers, often giving them titles such as Executive Director or Director of Community Programming. Fundraising projects may include sponsorships of specific events or "day(s) of learning."

Student body[edit]

Many Orthodox Jewish yeshiva students study in kollel for a year or two after they get married, whether or not they will pursue a rabbinic career.[15]Modest stipends, or the salaries of their working wives, and the increased wealth of many families have made kollel study commonplace for yeshiva graduates. The largest United States kollel is atBeth Medrash GovohainLakewood, New Jersey.More than 4,500 kollel scholars are attached to the yeshiva, which has 6500 students in total. Large kollels also exist inNer Israel Rabbinical College,numbering 180 scholars, and inYeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin,with more than 100 scholars. In theIsraeliHaredi Jewishcommunity, thousands of men study full-time for many years in hundreds of kollelim.

Kollel has been known at times to cause a great deal of friction with the secularIsraelipublic at large. It has been criticized by theModern Orthodox,non-Orthodox, and secular Jewish communities. The Haredi community defends the practice of kollel on the grounds that Judaism must cultivate Torah scholarship in the same way that the secular academic world conducts research into subject areas. While costs may be high in the short run, in the long run the Jewish people will benefit from having numerous learned laymen, scholars, and rabbis. (See also:Religious relations in Israel)

Yeshiva students wholearnin kollel often continue their studies and becomerabbis,[16][17]poskim( "deciders" ofJewish law), or teachers of Talmud and Judaism. Others enter the world of business. If successful, they may financially support the study of others while making time to continue their own learning.

Community kollelim[edit]

In the late 20th century, community kollelim were introduced.[18][19]They are anOrthodox outreachtool, aimed to decrease assimilation and propagate Orthodox Judaism among the wider Jewish population.[20]In the early 1990s community kollelim (or kollels) in North America were functioning inLos Angeles,Toronto,andDetroit;a kollel was also established inMontreal.Other locations with community kollelim includeAtlanta,Dallas,Jacksonville,Las Vegas,Miami Beach,Minneapolis,Pittsburgh,Philadelphia,Phoenix,St. Louis,andSeattle.

In the past years about 30Haredicommunity kollelim in North America have been opened by yeshiva-trained scholars to serve, in addition to the full-time study by the members of the kollel, as centers for adult education and outreach to the Jewish communities in which they located themselves.[21][22]Topics include everything from basicHebrewto advanced Talmud. In addition to imparting Torah knowledge, such kollels function to impart technical skills required for self-study.

ManyModern Orthodoxcommunities host aTorah MiTzionkollel, whereHesdergraduates learn and teach, generally for one year.

In recent years there have been established a number ofChassidisheKollelim as well, such as theChicago Chassidishe Kollel,[23][24]theLos Angeles Kollel Yechiel Yehudah,and others. Unlike most community Kollelim that primarily focus on in depthTalmudstudy, Chassidishe Kollelim usually focus more on the study ofShulchan Aruchandposkim,[25]including tests on the material by leadingPoskim.[25][26][27]

Criticism[edit]

Maimonidesin his code of Jewish law,[28]is very critical of those that study Torah without having a source of income and rely on charity, to the extent that he calls it a disgrace to God and to the Torah.

However, the kollel system is both a popular and accepted one in many Orthodox Jewish circles, yet some maintain that a distinction must be made between a situation of mutual desire for such by both the learner and the supporter and, on the other hand, communities that put pressure on the learner to join and remain in a kollel while simultaneously putting pressure on the community to support such an individual.[29]

Some other criticisms of the modern kollel system include:

  • The difficult financial burden placed on individuals who are less than willing to support institutions for kollel studies.[30]
  • The complexhalachicpermissibility of receiving financial support for Torah study, while avoiding preparation for a future occupation.[31]
  • The community-wide poverty that often accompanies the system[32]along with its effect on the larger economy.[33]
  • The convention of isolation from daily life, social interactions and a career resulting in studies being divorced from actual day-to-day practice.[34]
  • The lack of standardized testing and regular supervision which allows for misuse of time intended for study.[35]
  • The focus on thorough examination of a relatively few number of pages ofTalmud,as opposed to completion of the entire Talmud with a focus on practicalhalachahand other areas of Jewish literature.[36]

References[edit]

  1. ^"Kollel".kollels generally pay a regular monthly stipend to their married members.
  2. ^"Kovno Kollel".Spectroom.The Kovno Kollel also known as Kollel Perushim of Kovno or Kollel Knesses Beis Yitzchok, was...
  3. ^Shimon Yosef ben Elimelekh Meler (2006).Prince of the Torah Kingdom: Excerpts.Feldheim Publishers.ISBN1583305831.Kollel Kovno was the first kernel of the yeshivah, established in 5637 (1877).
  4. ^ab"Kollel".The first kollel.. was the Kovno Kollel, the "Kollel Perushim" founded in Kovno (Lithuania) in 1877. The ten students were required to separate from their families, except for the Sabbath, and devote themselves to studying for the Rabbinate.
  5. ^"herbert ta - The Breman Museum"(PDF).Yitzchak Elchanan Yeshiva is also known as the Kovno Kollel (also known as... It was founded in 1877 by Rabbi Yisrael Lipkin Salanter[permanent dead link]
  6. ^"It takes a Kollel"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2020-09-29.Retrieved2018-10-23...Kollel... under the guidance of Rabbi Aharon Kotler. At first, he traveled to each community...
  7. ^"Rabbi Aharon Kotler".The Legacy Of Maran Rav Aharon Kotler: A Vivid Portrait of... the kollel philosophy...
  8. ^"An Orthodox community comes of age in Waterbury".The Jewish Ledger.May 18, 2010.This year, the Waterbury Jewish community turns 10.... a little extra, so they bring in a yeshiva or a kollel or more young families.... until the dreamer approached Torah Umesorah, the national society of Orthodox day schools and...
  9. ^"The Emergence of the Community Kollel: A New Model".February 22, 2016... communities in North America: the community kollel..... as a unique movement within American Orthodoxy.... the Torah Umesorah educational network
  10. ^"The Torah-Business Partnership".... person supports the other who learns Torah, and the reward is shared between the two of them, has come to be known as a "Yissachar-Zevulun" partnership.
  11. ^"Yissachar/Zevulun Relationships".13 April 2018.Tzitz Eliezer on Yissachar/Zevulun Relationships... who study Torah, but this kind of arrangement only works if it's a partnership
  12. ^"Bereshit Rabbah 99:9".
  13. ^"The Kollel Community".JewishJournal.7 March 2002.Rabbi Chaim Fasman now holds the position of rosh kollel (head) of Kollel Los Angeles Bais Avrohom, the largest of six kollels in Los Angeles, with 15 full-time learners.... you need years of training to become a Torah scholar.
  14. ^"History".... Sunday morning by the Rosh Kollel Harav Shlomo Miller Shlita
  15. ^Helmreich, W.The World of the Yeshiva(The Free Press, 1982), p. 261
  16. ^"Our Faculty & Staff - Shapell's Darche Noam".Archived fromthe originalon 2018-10-23.Retrieved2018-10-23.... studied at Yeshiva University's Gruss Kollel, where he earned smicha.
  17. ^"Kollel Toronto".January 11, 2017.Toronto's Kollel graduates have become Rabbis
  18. ^"Kollel: What is it and why is everybody doing it?".... kollelim, lit. a "group" or "collection" [of scholars]) is an... and are supported by... the Jewish community (or sometimes...).... recent innovation that was introduced in the late 20th century as a response to...
  19. ^Adam S. Ferziger."Emergence of the Community Kollel"(PDF).... analogy to the twentieth century "community kollelim" in which young families... The introduction of a new, organized framework...
  20. ^Ferziger, Adam F. (2006)."The Emergence of the Community Kolel: A new model for addressing assimilation"(PDF).The Rappaport Center for Assimilation Research and Strengthening Jewish Vitality, Bar Ilan University.RetrievedFebruary 13,2010.
  21. ^"Adult Education - Vaad Hoeir of St. Louis".Archived fromthe originalon 2017-12-24.Retrieved2018-10-23.That purpose is to offer Jewish education to all Jews, regardless of level of... to the values of community, family and educational outreach. The Kollel provides...
  22. ^"Community: Bensalem Jewish Outreach Center".
  23. ^"JUF: Guide to Jewish Living: Chicago Chassidishe Kollel".
  24. ^"The Chesed of Chicago".8 September 2022.
  25. ^ab"Kollel Zichron Yitzchok Zev/ The Chassidishe Kollel… | The Chicago Jewish Home".2019-01-03.Retrieved2024-02-09.
  26. ^"Happening in… Issue 941".20 December 2022.
  27. ^"Photo Gallery: Yungeleit from the Chicago Chassidishe Kollel are tested on all of hilchos basar b'chalav and taaruvos by hagaon Rav Avrohom Hersh Wosner, shlit".
  28. ^Laws of Torah Study, chapter 3 halacha 10–11
  29. ^Sokol, Sam (November 26, 2014)."US haredim seek to share kollels' 'burden'".JPost.The Jerusalem Post.
  30. ^Prager, Dennis (December 1, 2010)."Ultra-Orthodox Yeshivas and secular universities".Jewish Journal.
  31. ^Levi, Yehudah (1990). "Accepting Payment for Torah Study - Halakhic Opinions".Torah Study: A Survey of Classic Sources on Timely Issues.Jerusalem: Feldheim Publishers. p. 44.ISBN1-58330-556-4.Archived fromthe originalon 2016-08-12.Retrieved2016-06-22.
  32. ^Leibler, Isi (June 19, 2016)."Israel and Diaspora Jewry – A Looming Crisis".The Algemeiner Journal.This has economic implications and dooms most haredim to poverty, dependence on welfare or on the earnings of their wives.
  33. ^Goldman, Mordechai (January 28, 2016)."Israel support for yeshiva students up by 53%. Is it enough?".Al-Monitor.There is nothing in Jewish history that compares to this society of learners. It is very serious and very dangerous for us to encourage ultra-Orthodox men to remain in kollels. It causes enormous harm to the economy.
  34. ^Prager, Dennis (December 1, 2010)."Ultra-Orthodox Yeshivas and secular universities".Jewish Journal.
  35. ^Novick, Akiva (October 24, 2010)."'We yeshiva students barely study'".Ynet News.
  36. ^Kahane, Libby (2010).Beyond Words: Selected Writings of Rabbi Meir Kahane 1960-1990 Volume Two.Jerusalem: Institute for Publication of the Writings of Rabbi Meir Kahane. pp. 452–453.ISBN978-965-7044-06-3.One of the great deficiencies in yeshiva students is their absorption with depth of study to the exclusion of quantity. Thus, after many years of study they are shockingly ignorant of huge amounts of Talmud. At the same time there is a vast ignorance of the practical halachic rulings in everyday life.

Sources[edit]

  • The World of the Yeshiva: An Intimate Portrait of Orthodox JewryWilliam B. Helmreich, KTAV Publishing House;ISBN0-88125-641-2;Augmented edition (February 2000)
  • The way we were before our destruction: Lives of Jewish students from Vilna who perished during the HolocaustYulian I. Rafes, VIA Press;YIVO Institute for Jewish Research;ISBN1-885563-06-X;(July 1, 1998)
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