Editing Kollel (section)

==Criticism==

[[Maimonides]] in his code of Jewish law,<ref>Laws of Torah Study, chapter 3 halacha 10–11</ref> is very critical of those that study Torah without having a source of income and rely on charity, to the extent that he calls it a disgrace to God and to the Torah.

However, the kollel system is both a popular and accepted one in many Orthodox Jewish circles, yet some maintain that a distinction must be made between a situation of mutual desire for such by both the learner and the supporter and, on the other hand, communities that put pressure on the learner to join and remain in a kollel while simultaneously putting pressure on the community to support such an individual.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Sokol|first1=Sam|title=US haredim seek to share kollels' 'burden'|website=JPost.com|publisher=The Jerusalem Post| url = https://www.jpost.com/Diaspora/US-haredim-seek-to-share-kollels-burden-382900 | date=November 26, 2014}}</ref>

Some other criticisms of the modern kollel system include:
*The difficult financial burden placed on individuals who are less than willing to support institutions for kollel studies.<ref name="jewishjournal.com">{{cite web|last1=Prager|first1=Dennis|title=Ultra-Orthodox Yeshivas and secular universities|url=http://www.jewishjournal.com/dennis_prager/article/ultra-orthodox_yeshivas_and_secular_universities_20101201|website=Jewish Journal|date=December 1, 2010}}</ref>
*The complex [[halachah|halachic]] permissibility of receiving financial support for Torah study, while avoiding preparation for a future occupation.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Levi|first1=Yehudah|title=Torah Study: A Survey of Classic Sources on Timely Issues|date=1990|publisher=Feldheim Publishers|location=Jerusalem|isbn=1-58330-556-4|page=44|url=http://www.feldheim.com/torah-study.html|chapter=Accepting Payment for Torah Study - Halakhic Opinions|access-date=2016-06-22|archive-date=2016-08-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160812163646/http://www.feldheim.com/torah-study.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*The community-wide poverty that often accompanies the system<ref>{{cite news|last1=Leibler|first1=Isi|title=Israel and Diaspora Jewry – A Looming Crisis|url=http://www.algemeiner.com/2016/06/19/israel-and-diaspora-jewry-a-looming-crisis/#|publisher=The Algemeiner Journal|date=June 19, 2016|quote=This has economic implications and dooms most haredim to poverty, dependence on welfare or on the earnings of their wives.}}</ref> along with its effect on the larger economy.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Goldman|first1=Mordechai|title=Israel support for yeshiva students up by 53%. Is it enough?|url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/01/yeshiva-budget-poverty-university-rabbinical-college.html|publisher=Al-Monitor|date=January 28, 2016|quote=There is nothing in Jewish history that compares to this society of learners. It is very serious and very dangerous for us to encourage ultra-Orthodox men to remain in kollels. It causes enormous harm to the economy.}}</ref>
*The convention of isolation from daily life, social interactions and a career resulting in studies being divorced from actual day-to-day practice.<ref name="jewishjournal.com"/>
*The lack of standardized testing and regular supervision which allows for misuse of time intended for study.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Novick|first1=Akiva|title='We yeshiva students barely study'|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3974053,00.html|publisher=Ynet News|date=October 24, 2010}}</ref>
*The focus on thorough examination of a relatively few number of pages of [[Talmud]], as opposed to completion of the entire Talmud with a focus on practical [[halachah]] and other areas of Jewish literature.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kahane|first1=Libby|title=Beyond Words: Selected Writings of Rabbi Meir Kahane 1960-1990 Volume Two|date=2010|publisher=Institute for Publication of the Writings of Rabbi Meir Kahane|location=Jerusalem|isbn=978-965-7044-06-3|pages=452–453|url=http://mkwords.com/text/index.php?i=100&a=A%20Different%20Kind%20of%20Yeshiva|quote=One of the great deficiencies in yeshiva students is their absorption with depth of study to the exclusion of quantity. Thus, after many years of study they are shockingly ignorant of huge amounts of Talmud. At the same time there is a vast ignorance of the practical halachic rulings in everyday life.}}</ref>