in praise of work

[aphar]

There is an unfortunate trend in the contemporary Orthodox Judaism when able-bodied men spend their whole lives in "Kollelim" - "colleges" where all they ever do is learn Torah, receiving a meager stipend. Note that the vast majority of these men will never "graduate": they will never teach, never make a halachic decision, they will never write a book, they will never say anything new or even ask a new question.
This would have been fine if it were their private business.
Alas, it is not:

1. They dodge the draft in Israel


2. They are supported by the Israeli taxpayers


3. They spread the poisonous anti-work ideology: e.g., a teacher at a Chabad day care in Brooklyn, NY, USA, told her 5 y.o. pupils that Yakov was good because he learned Torah, and Eisav was bad, because he worked (not murdered/robbed/raped, but merely worked).

I wonder how those people reconcile their behavior with these quotes from Ethics Of The Fathers (Mishnah Pirkei Avot):

• 1:10: Love work


• 2:2: All study of the Torah which is not supplemented by work is destined to prove futile and causes sin

and with many stories from the Talmud about various great Rabbis who worked for a living.

Comments

[magicmirror.livejournal.com]

Semka, good points, but if you are looking for a response from an ultra-orthodox, post in a corresponding community.

[aphar.livejournal.com]

before I do, I want to get some replies here - to hone my language and thought on the matter. :-)
see, however, here

[anna-i.livejournal.com]

It's weird about the Chabad day care, because the Lubavitch don't spend their lives in yeshivot, the haredim do. It is appalling though.

[aphar.livejournal.com]

chabad have their own "dream career" - shlichus.
(although it is different from kollel - and, arguably, more meaningful).

[anna-i.livejournal.com]

They do, and I am not complaining :) It does help a lot of people quite a lot. But those who don't make it as shlichim don't stay in yeshivot either, so I really don't understand what was in that teacher's head.

[anna-i.livejournal.com]

По ссылке правильно сказали что больше похоже на литовский садик :) А может это дурное влияние Нью-Йорка. Мои дети тут в литовской ешиве учились, им тоже никто такую лапшу на уши не вешал, но это Бостон, тут своих мало, приходится пускать посторонних вроде нас и стараться их не отпугнуть. Это правда было уже лет 10 назад, с тех пор мне кажется всё хужеет и хужеет.

[magicmirror.livejournal.com]

I do not remember well, but I think you were telling me, that either Jos'ka's or Sarka's classmates divided themselves into "best" (kollel students' kids) and the rest. Sorry if I remembe wrong.

Oh - maybe it was in Lisha's class...

[anna-i.livejournal.com]

No, I don't remember anything like that. The kids weren't exactly friendly, but that's a different story. Yoska did make a few friends but none of them were "kollel" kids :) Actually the chabad kids were some of the nicest, he was a good friend with Zuber kids. Lisha's class is the one that Sarka had, they were very cliquey, but too young to divide themselves up that way.

[ymarkov.livejournal.com]

Лиша долго ходила, задрав нос: "мой папа - бухгалтер, единственный такой среди пап в классе, не то что остальные - сплошные раввины, понимаш, на пучок пятачок!"

Не думаю, что это было очень серьёзно.