According to the Torah

Rena K

Tue, Jan 28 2020, 12:59 pm

We have a diverse group of contributors to this thread. From my point of view, the "kollel" style upbringing was centered on a lot of idealism. The only way to entice young adults to marry kollel guys was to talk about financial responsibilities in vague terms and paint an idealistic picture of kollel life. Importantly, the ones teaching the peak kollel generation were not practicing the typical kollel lifestyle as it exists today.

There are great benefits to having an entire generation of kollel families dedicated to idealistic pursuits. It would not have happened if financial security were stressed in schools. I know this almost for certain as I have seen how quickly idealism crashes in young people's minds when the reality is presented to them close to home.

Our presentation matters to our children. I think this is a serious matter, and those raising children in the communities where chinuch is mostly geared toward kollel life should seriously consider what message they provide for their children. If your children are in schools where they glorify kollel and put down work, don't go the other extreme and frighten your kids about finances, or they will be messed up in the long run. Work with the system but guide your kids to be more realistic while retaining the idealism that will help them in their lives.