Kollel life with no parental support

Sechel, one can and should enjoy this world to an extent, in order for it to be an assistance to him lefakayach daato, as the tanya writes about one who eats בשרא שמינא דתורא in order to have a clear head for learning. We have a guf and we learn better when that guf is taken care of. But it’s obviously not something to do all the time… avoidance of pleasures is something that is mentioned in the rambams shvil hazahav; one cannot be turned towards materialism, but neither should he go into asceticism.

Then there’s torah mitoch hadchak, which is another madrega.

Sechel, it’s funny but you don’t mention the largest reason for the need for a second salary. Yeshiva tuition!!.

Thirty years ago, a close friend , a civil servant, applied for a reduction in tuition from a major litvish yeshiva. He was denied because his wife didn’t work

Dear Always,

Your argument seems to add up to that the working people should learning more. Both during their work and by taking off more.

Most Kolleliet do not learn enough today. Money is not the primary factor for people leaving kollel. Those that do, are unusually saintly yeshivaliet and yearn to be back in Beis Medrash the rest of their lives.

You seem to value making money much more than I do. Maybe that is the crux of our debate here.

n0 > working people should learning more. Both during their work and by taking off more.

Sort of. I just would not call someone who learns and works a “working person”. He is a Talmid Chacham (if he is) who supports himself, or who does chesed and gets paid for it (that chesed may include to his wife so that she does not need to work, or to work that hard, or can buy herself a dishwasher or a second dishwasher or jewelry).

“During work” would be fine for builders and pub-owners but not for plumbers or lawyers.

Taking off more – this is where our society is not doing well. We have people working 80 or 0 hours a week, with no option in between. In part, this might be Americanization – goyishe Europeans work less and have longer vacations even without any Daas Torah. Maybe we need a part-timer movement. Recent trends in work-from-home are definitely helping – at least those who want to, but also creates new challenges: hope that nobody is billing clients and learning Mussar at the same time!