When Did the Idea of Kollelim Start?
The Eternal Backbone of Klal Yisrael: Torah Learning Through the Ages
The concept of kollel is not a modern invention. It is the continuation of a sacred tradition stretching back to Har Sinai, when the Jewish people accepted the Torah with the immortal words:
"נַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמָע" – “We will do and we will hear.”
(שמות כד:ז, Shemos 24:7)
This was the moment that established us as an Am HaTorah—a nation whose very essence is defined by its devotion to Torah. And ever since, there has never been a generation without a segment of Klal Yisrael whose primary avodah was full-time immersion in Torah learning.
1. Torah Learning as a National Foundation
The Torah makes clear that the success and protection of the Jewish people depends on Torah learning:
"וְהָיָה אִם-שָׁמוֹעַ תִּשְׁמְעוּ אֶל-מִצְוֹתַי... וְנָתַתִּי מְטַר-אַרְצְכֶם בְּעִתּוֹ"
“If you will listen diligently to My commandments… then I will give the rain of your land in its season.”
(דברים יא:יג-יד, Devarim 11:13–14)
Rashi (ibid.) explains that this refers to learning Torah diligently, which is the condition upon which all physical blessing rests.
In other words: Torah is not optional. It is the battery of creation.
2. The Shevet Levi Model: Torah Learning as a Lifelong Mission
The Rambam famously writes that although Shevet Levi was designated for full-time avodas Hashem, any Jew can take on that role:
"ולא שבט לוי בלבד... אלא כל איש ואיש מכל באי העולם אשר נדבה רוחו אותו... הרי זה נתקדש קודש קדשים..."
“Not only the tribe of Levi… but anyone whose spirit moves him… he becomes sanctified as holy of holies.”
— Rambam, Hilchos Shemittah V’Yovel 13:13
This is the original kollel lifestyle. The Rambam legitimizes—and praises—those who separate themselves from worldly pursuits to devote themselves entirely to Torah and avodas Hashem.
3. The Talmudic Yeshivos: Torah as Full-Time Work
Throughout the times of the Tana’im and Amora’im, Torah scholars learned day and night, supported by the community.
- Rav Yochanan says:
"גדול תלמוד תורה יותר מהצלת נפשות."
“Torah study is greater than saving lives.”
— Megillah 16b - Rav Chisda and his talmidim were so dedicated to Torah that they barely slept during the week (Shabbos 83b).
- The Gemara (Kesubos 105a) says that supporting Torah scholars is one of the greatest merits, and those who enable Torah study share in its reward.
This wasn’t a hobby or side occupation. It was a full-time, sacred mission, with the entire Jewish people recognizing its centrality.
4. Rishonim and Achronim: Upholding Torah Above All
The Rosh (Teshuvos 15:8) writes explicitly that it is a mitzvah to financially support those who learn Torah, and that such giving takes precedence over other tzedakah.
The Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De’ah 246:1) codifies this:
"העוסק בתורה שאין לו מה לאכול—על הציבור לפרנסו."
“One who is learning Torah and lacks sustenance—the community must support him.”
The Vilna Gaon and Chasam Sofer upheld this tradition, encouraging the formation of Torah centers and the funding of scholars. The Chasam Sofer even said that Torah study is the only real guarantee of Jewish survival, especially in times of crisis.
5. The Modern Kollel Movement
The modern “kollel” as an institution—married men learning Torah full-time, supported by donors or communities—took shape most prominently in the 19th and 20th centuries.
- Kollel Perushim in Yerushalayim, established by talmidim of the Gra in the early 1800s, was among the first.
- Rav Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor, Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzinsky, and the Chofetz Chaim all supported kollelim in Europe.
- After the Holocaust, Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l established the concept of the American-style kollel in Lakewood, NJ, with the revolutionary idea that Torah should be learned full-time even outside of Eretz Yisrael and even when no communal crisis was at hand.
Rav Aharon Kotler said:
"Torah is not a privilege. It is the lifeblood of the world."
Today’s kollelim are the continuation of this unbroken chain—from Moshe Rabbeinu, to Ezra HaSofer, to the Tana’im, Amora’im, Rishonim, Achronim, and the Gedolim of our generation.
6. Why Is Kollel Life So Important?
Because Torah is our oxygen.
Without full-time learners, the spiritual lungs of the Jewish people would collapse. Most Jews—rightfully—engage in work and family and other mitzvos. But someone has to be in the beis medrash, learning the fine details of halacha, keeping the chain unbroken.
This is not an elitist class. It is a sacred division of labor.
As Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l wrote:
"אלה שיושבים ועוסקים בתורה כל היום הם מגיני הדור."
“Those who sit and learn Torah all day are the protectors of the generation.”
— Igros Moshe, Yoreh De’ah III, 94
7. Kollel Today: Not Just a Tradition—A National Imperative
Kollel life is not for everyone. But everyone benefits from it. Every Jew who supports a kollel is keeping the world alive.
As the Zohar says:
"בשביל אורייתא אשתמודע קוב”ה בעלמא."
“Through Torah, Hashem is known in the world.”
— Zohar, Parshas Terumah 141a
Rav Chaim Kanievsky zt”l
"הישיבה מגינה על כל העיר כולה. גם אם יש רק עשרה שלומדים שם."
“A yeshiva protects the entire city—even if only ten people are learning there.”
— Cited by his close students and family in Derech Emunah and personal letters
"קיום התורה תלוי באלה שמוסרים נפשם לשבת כל היום ללמוד."
“The survival of Torah depends on those who devote themselves to learning all day.”
Rav Chaim saw every avreich as a soldier in Hashem’s army. He once told a donor who asked if supporting kollel avreichim was worthwhile:
“It is the best investment in Olam HaBa—and in this world too.”
Rav Aharon Leib Shteinman zt”l
"כל אחד הלומד תורה בכולל, הוא לא סתם לומד. הוא מקיים את העולם."
“Each person who learns in kollel is not just studying—he is upholding the world.”
— Alei Shur, Vol. II, based on his talks and letters
He was asked why he fights so hard for kollelim when there are budget cuts and political battles. He answered:
"אם לא יהיו אברכים בכוללים, לא יהיה עם ישראל."
“If there are no avreichim in kollelim, there will be no Am Yisrael.”
Rav Shmuel Auerbach zt”l
"אין שום תחליף בעולם ללימוד תורה בהתמדה ובמסירות."
“There is no substitute in the world for Torah learned with dedication and consistency.”
He emphasized that the kedushah of a kollel is comparable to the kedushah of the Beis HaMikdash, and that even avreichim who don’t become poskim or roshei yeshiva are creating spiritual foundations for Klal Yisrael just by learning.
Rebbe Shlomo Halberstam zt”l (Bobov)
"זכותם של לומדי תורה מגינה על כלל ישראל, גם על אלו שאין להם שייכות עם התורה."
“The merit of Torah learners protects all of Klal Yisrael—even those who feel no connection to Torah.”
He constantly encouraged support for kollelim and Torah learning, reminding his chassidim that the world stands on “הבל פיהם של תינוקות של בית רבן”—and the ongoing kol Torah of the kollelim.
Rebbe Yekusiel Yehuda Halberstam zt”l (Klausenberg)
After the horrors of the Holocaust, he rebuilt Torah life in America and later in Eretz Yisrael. He opened kollelim in every community he built and declared:
"אם היהודים לא ילמדו תורה במסירות אחרי השואה, בשביל מה ניצלנו?"
“If Jews do not learn Torah with devotion after the Holocaust, why were we saved?”
Chacham Ovadia Yosef zt”l
"מי שמחזיק לומדי תורה—זכותו גדולה יותר ממי שלומד."
“One who supports Torah learners—his merit may be even greater than the one learning.”
— Yechaveh Daas, Vol. 4, Siman 3
"הכוללים הם חומת המגן של העם היהודי."
“The kollelim are the protective wall of the Jewish nation.”
Chacham Ovadia constantly urged Sephardim to learn in kollelim and not to feel pressured by society’s disdain. He viewed kollel life as the highest spiritual calling.
Chacham Shalom Cohen zt”l (Rosh Yeshiva, Porat Yosef)
"אם יפסקו הכוללים, לא תהיה לנו המשכיות."
“If the kollelim stop, we will have no continuity.”
He was a fierce defender of the yeshiva world, insisting that even one avreich’s limud can be the zechus that brings rachamim to Klal Yisrael.
Conclusion
To say that kollelim are a modern invention is like saying Shabbos or kashrus is new. From Har Sinai until today, there has always been a segment of Klal Yisrael devoted entirely to Torah, supported by those who believe in its eternal value.
The kollel is not a luxury. It is our national heartbeat.
Sources
- שמות כד:ז – Shemos 24:7
- דברים יא:יג-יד – Devarim 11:13–14
- רמב"ם הלכות שמיטה ויובל פרק י"ג הלכה י"ג
- מגילה ט"ז – Megillah 16b
- שבת פ"ג – Shabbos 83b
- כתובות ק"ה – Kesubos 105a
- תשובות הרא"ש ט"ו:ח
- שולחן ערוך יו"ד רמ"ו:א
- אגרות משה יו"ד ח"ג צ"ד
- זוהר תרומה קמ"א ע"א