What Is the Charedi View on Learning Torah Full Time?
In a world driven by career ambition and financial success, the Charedi emphasis on full-time Torah learning may seem puzzling—or even extreme—to many. But to a Torah Jew, it is not extreme at all. It is the most natural expression of what it means to be part of a nation whose very identity is rooted in Torah.
The Charedi world views full-time Torah learning not as a luxury, but as a fulfillment of the highest calling a Jew can have.
The Command for Every Jew: Learn Torah
The Torah’s commandment to learn is not reserved for rabbis or scholars. It is for every Jew.
“ולִמַּדְתֶּם אוֹתָם אֶת בְּנֵיכֶם” — “You shall teach them to your children.” (Devarim 11:19)¹ “והגית בו יומם ולילה” — “You shall contemplate it day and night.” (Yehoshua 1:8)²
These are not poetic metaphors. They are halachic obligations.
The Rambam codifies the mitzvah of Talmud Torah as a daily requirement for every Jew, regardless of occupation or age³. And yet, the highest level of fulfillment is to make Torah the central focus of one’s life.
“Talmud Torah K’neged Kulam”—Torah Is Equal to Everything
The Mishnah in Peah famously states:
“תלמוד תורה כנגד כולם” — “The study of Torah is equal to all other mitzvos combined.” (Peah 1:1)⁴
Why? Because Torah study is not just another mitzvah. It is the engine that gives life and direction to all the others. Rav Chaim Volozhin writes in Nefesh HaChaim that Torah study creates spiritual energy that upholds the world.⁵
Torah Is Our Crown and Identity
When Hashem offered the Torah to the nations of the world, only Klal Yisrael accepted it. Why?
Because our essence is Torah. It is not merely a set of laws—it is our life, our light, our truth.
“כי הם חיינו ואורך ימינו” — “For they are our life and the length of our days.” (Maariv prayer, based on Devarim 30:20)⁶
The Charedi world sees this as literal: Torah is not a subject. It is life itself.
The Yissachar-Zevulun Partnership
The Torah itself outlines two valid paths: one who learns, and one who supports the learner. The tribe of Zevulun supported Yissachar so that he could learn uninterrupted. And they shared the merit equally⁷.
But both sides understood the hierarchy. Learning was primary. Supporting it was secondary—essential, beautiful, but still secondary.
The Model from Sinai Through Bavel to Today
From Moshe Rabbeinu to Ezra HaSofer, from the Tana’im and Amora’im to the Rishonim and Achronim, the greatest Jews were those who immersed themselves in Torah day and night.
The Rambam writes in Hilchos Talmud Torah that the way of the tribe of Levi—to separate themselves from the burdens of earning a living and dedicate their lives to spiritual service—is not exclusive to Levi. It is open to any Jew who wishes to rise to that level.⁸
The Chofetz Chaim zt”l repeatedly warned that without Torah learners, the Jewish people would collapse spiritually. He compared Torah to oxygen. Even if most people are “just breathing,” someone has to generate that oxygen.⁹
In Every Generation: Gedolim Who Carried the Flame
The Chazon Ish zt”l, who founded much of the Torah world in Eretz Yisrael, emphasized that full-time Torah learning was not just permitted—it was a halachic obligation for those capable of it. He held that in our times, when Torah knowledge is threatened by distraction and secularism, anyone who can learn full-time must do so.¹⁰
Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l famously said: “Torah is not a career. It is the life of Klal Yisrael.”¹¹ He built the Lakewood Yeshiva to house generations of full-time learners who would uphold the spiritual backbone of the Jewish people.
Rav Shach zt”l, Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l, Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv zt”l—all taught that the zechus of full-time Torah learners is what protects Klal Yisrael, more than armies or politicians.
It’s Not for Everyone—But It Must Exist
Not every Jew is meant to sit and learn all day. But the Charedi view is that there must be some Jews doing so at all times—just like there must always be a Kohen Gadol, a Beis Din, and a Sefer Torah.
The world needs people who are fully immersed in Torah to keep the flame alive.
“אם לא בריתי יומם ולילה, חוקות שמים וארץ לא שמתי” — “If not for My covenant day and night [Torah], I would not have established the laws of heaven and earth.” (Yirmiyahu 33:25)¹²
In Summary
The Charedi world treasures Torah learning as the essence of Jewish life. It is not merely permitted to learn Torah full-time—it is the greatest possible use of one’s time, energy, and soul.
And in a world spinning ever faster, we need people who are willing to stand still—with a Gemara in their hands, and the light of Hashem in their eyes.
Sources and Footnotes
- Devarim 11:19 – Commandment to teach and study Torah
- Yehoshua 1:8 – Obligation to study Torah day and night
- Rambam, Hilchos Talmud Torah 1:1–3 – Daily obligation to study Torah
- Mishnah Peah 1:1 – Torah equals all other mitzvos
- Nefesh HaChaim 4:11 – Torah learning sustains creation
- Devarim 30:20; Siddur Maariv – Torah is our life and the length of our days
- Midrash Bereishis Rabbah 99:9 – Yissachar-Zevulun partnership
- Rambam, Hilchos Shemitah v’Yovel 13:13 – Any Jew can choose the path of Levi
- Chofetz Chaim, in Shemiras Halashon and public talks – Torah as spiritual oxygen
- Chazon Ish, Emunah uBitachon ch. 3 – Obligation of full-time Torah learning in modern era
- Rav Aharon Kotler, Mishnas Rav Aharon vol. 1 – Centrality of Torah as Jewish life
- Yirmiyahu 33:25 – Torah as the basis of the universe