Q: How long should one remain in full-time learning?
A: As long as his wife is willing that he should do it. If your wife says, “Chaim, you remain in the kollel; I’ll be the breadwinner,” so you should do it. But make sure you get up early! She gets up early in the morning to go to work, so don’t go to the kollel at a quarter to ten. הם רצים ואנו רצים, your wife is running early to go to work, so you should be running early to the kollel. But הם רצים ואנו שוכבים על המטה, they run to work and we sleep on our beds?! No, that’s not the way.
You’re sitting reading a newspaper, you’re taking a long time to eat breakfast, and she’s already traveling on the bus from Lakewood to New York to work?! No, that’s not a kollel man.
But if he’s in the kollel and she tells him “I’m working hard so that you should learn,” so you should make sure to also learn with heavy labor, you should learn with y’giah, and then as long as she’s willing, so you have to learn.
TAPE # E-64
I love the clarity he had, and gave over.
What’s the reason for this post? So many lakewood and all over the world chosheva kollel yungerlite are learning b’yigia putting in more hours of learning then those of us who work. I am jealous of their capabilities to sit and learn. To their lifestyle. To their commitment. To the zechusim they are acquiring. How many live in financial poverty and struggle day to day but they and their children are content with what they have. Their marriages are truly based on values and care for one another. Their values are not based on any financial status. Their marriage is not based on the mighty dollar or to show off (to others) with anything materialistic.
May we the balabatim be zoche to support these gedolie yisroel. May we ourselves have the strength and zchus to emulate or better become once again a kollel person. Our exsistance is because of the bnei Torah and gedoley kollel yungerlight hasmada And “sacrifice”