kollel

A kollel is a post-high school, full-time program for advanced Talmudic study within a yeshiva framework, typically intended for married men. The participants, known as avreichim, devote most days to intensive study of the Talmud, halakhic authorities, and related rabbinic literature. Kollels may be affiliated with a larger yeshiva or operate as independent institutes; in some communities there are also programs for single men or, less commonly, for women.

Structure and activities commonly include a regular daily schedule of shiurim (classes) and chavrutah (paired study), with emphasis on in-depth analysis, sugyot (topics) across tractates, and later responsa literature. A rosh kollel (head of the kollel) oversees study tracks and progression, and there is often attention to developing scholarship that can serve the broader community. Participants typically receive a stipend or subsistence support, funded by charitable foundations, community endowments, or municipal funds, enabling full-time study.

Purpose and impact: kollels support ongoing Torah study, the training of future rabbinic and educational leaders, and the provision of communal spiritual and intellectual leadership. Career paths for avreichim may include teaching, community leadership, or positions within rabbinic courts, though formal ordination is not always required or pursued.

Variants and geography: kollels are widespread in Israel, North America, and Europe, sometimes linked to national yeshivas or local congregations. In some places, programs for women exist under names such as women’s kollel or beit midrash for women, focusing on similar intensive study within a female instructional framework. The term itself derives from Hebrew and connotes a collective pursuit of Torah scholarship.