Maran HaRav Elchonon Wassermann Hy'd, citing the Vilna
Gaon, said that the passage describing Yaakov Ovinu's return
to Eretz Yisroel following his exile in Padan Aram alludes to
the period of Ikveso deMeshicho. "And he placed the
handmaids and their children in front," indicates that during
the Ikveso deMeshicho the descendants of the Eirev
Rav will head the nation; "and Leah and their sons behind
them," hints that the masses of kosher Jews will be
subjugated to them; "and Rochel and Yosef last of all,"
refers to talmidei chachomim, who will be the most
debased of all (Bereishis 33:2).
HaRav Wassermann then explains how Yaakov's battle with the
angel also hints to the period of Ikveso deMeshicho
where the verse reads, ". . . and he touched the upper joint
of his thigh" (32:26) — the part of his leg that
supported Yaakov Ovinu — a reference to tamchin
de'Oraiso, i.e. the supporters of the lomdei Torah
who allow them to learn with peace of mind. Ever since Am
Yisroel became a nation, Jews have conscientiously
fulfilled this mitzvah (such as the relationship between
Yissochor and Zevulun), but in the days of Ikveso
deMeshicho the mitzvah is forsaken everywhere. HaRav
Elchonon explains that even countries that today still give
financial support give money for various different purposes
whereas for the Torah not a cent remains (see booklet
Ikveso deMeshicho).
There should be no need to demonstrate at length that the
malicious government that ruled in Israel until recently in
Ikveso deMeshicho struck out against the Torah world
with every means at its disposal. Even the funding cut in
Child Support Allowances (which was really designed to harm
bnei Torah families) is being implemented
incrementally and we have not yet felt its full force, while
the yeshivas and kollelim absorbed the full impact
immediately. Today an avreich kollel over the age of
21 receives NIS 280 ($63) per month from the government! This
means every rosh kollel who wants to provide his
talmidim a minimal allowance has to seek hundreds of
shekels per month for every avreich. Even with the
entry of UTJ into the government, most of these cuts are
unlikely to be restored. The hope is that discriminatory cuts
of support for more basic education will at least be rolled
back.
The immediate result of the drastic cuts is the threat of
closing many kollelim to new avreichim. In a
situation of uncertainty, roshei kollelim are not
willing to commit to provide budgeting for additional
avreichim. Dozens of young avreichim who got
married in recent months have found it difficult to find a
learning framework or are offered only the support available
through the Ministry of Religious Affairs—NIS 280 per
month— and the results are easy enough to imagine.
The fundraising drives in the Torah world, which are critical
to its continued survival, are being brushed aside. Perhaps
this is because every rosh kollel tries to operate on
his own and encounters a limited circle of donors rather than
working through a central body that would invest in bringing
the matter to the public's awareness.
Without detracting from the importance of other fundraising
drives, bnei Torah must be made aware that their
tzedokoh money should be directed toward supporting
lomdei Torah, and clearly this is one of the best ways
of fulfilling the mitzvah of tzedokoh—lest we
too leave scanty amounts for the support of Torah study.
Under current circumstances the very existence of the
kollelim is in question, not to mention the task of
expanding existing frameworks to take in new
avreichim. Perhaps now is also the time to set up an
organization headed by rabbonim and askonim, that
would initiate an organized fundraising drive to strengthen
the kollelim, particularly to pay for the absorption
of new avreichim. In addition to aiding the survival
of kollelim for lomdei Torah this would also
help prevent subsequent waves of fundraising drives for
people in need of tzedokoh.
Eisov's emissary struck out against tamchin de'Oraiso.
The crown of Torah is being neglected, few are those who take
an interest in it, but for whoever wants the merit it is here
for the taking!
