There is a post on a blog called DovBear that today tackles the issue of whether the time spent daily by someone learning in a Yeshiva or Kollel is indeed on par with the time spent by those typically working at regular jobs. He bases it on a typical Yeshiva schedule sent to him by a anonymous poster.. (although I'm sure this was actually first posted in one of the comments on my blog.) Here is the 5 day per week schedule (Friday and Shabbos are off):
9:15 - 1:15 morning seder
1:15 (1:20 in the summer) - Mincha
1:30 -3:30 - Break
3:30 - 6:45 - afternoon seder
6:45 Maariv in the winter
He then adds that one cannot count night seder since many Baalei Battim learn at night too in addition to their jobs. And if you factor in vacation schedules and Yomim Tovim the amount of time actually spent is far less than the average worker spends at his job. Does this mean that we should be insisting that they put in even longer hours? No.
I have often said that my son, who until last year (when Yeshivas Mir, Yerushalyim, hired him as a Shoel uMeishiv) was in Kollel full time (for over twelve years) was the hardest working person I knew. I still think he is. True, his schedule resembled the one above and his vacation schedule was also the same. But what makes him hard working is the intensity of the time he spends doing the work. It isn't just about just about quantity of time spent. It is equally about quality of time spent.
If everyone would put the intensity into their jobs that my son and thousands of other Bnei Torah put into their learning, the workforce would be far more productive.
That being said, I realize that many people who work in the workforce are also dedicated to their jobs and work with the same kind of intensity. But the idea that Bnei Torah are just living the 'laid back' lifestyle with lots of time off is not accurate. (Altough just as in the workforce... there are slackers in Yeshivos and Kollelim who work as little as they can get away with.) How many slackers are there in Kollelim and Yeshivos? Plenty. And they shouldn't be there. They waste precious resources that could be put to better use for Klal Yisroel. But that is the subject of a different post.
I am here to tell you about the importance of Limud HaTorah. While that should be obvious to anyone who ever attended a Yeshiva, I have dectected a bit of a cynicism about it by many who call themselves Modern Orthodox. I don't mean to say that learning Torah is totally bashed by them. But I do sense a sort of second class citizenship being given to it. And by no means should this be the case. Limud HaTorah is the number one endeavor one can particpate in. 'Talmid Torah K'Neged Kulom' says the Mishna in Peah when speaking about the relative importance of learning Torah versus all other Mitzvos. And Centrism believes this no less than does Charedism.
The differences between the two Hashkafos have nothing to do with how we view Limud HaTorah. Both Hashkafos believe that Limud HaTorah is number one. Our differences are in other areas, not in this one. And those who learn Torah L'Shma and for whom the phrase Torah Umnaso apply deserve our unqualified moral and financial support. Their 'profession' is at least as important a factor in the eyes of God and therefore in our lives as is any other vital profession.
The 'cream' of the Torah learning world is vital to our existence and our future. We do in fact need rabbinic leaders who know Torah at the highest levels. We need Poskim who can answer difficult Shailos which requires massive amounts of Torah knowledge. And their training ground is the Beis Hamedrash. And it requires many long years of dilligent study. How many should be doing it versus how many are doing it is beyond the scope of this post.
But it cannot be emphasized enough that the true leaders of Klal Yisroel have always been those who were Moser Nefesh to gain that highest level of Torah knowledge that very few people in any generation can achieve. We need more people like Rav Moshe and this is the only way to get them.
