Josh31,
Rav Moshe Feinstein ZT”L paskened against you in his Igros Moshe (YD 2:116 and YD 4:36), along with the other roshei yeshiva. There is no bizyonos when one is being an eved hamelech. That said, my Rosh Hayeshiva ZT”L felt that one still shouldn’t take the real low-level stuff. I agree 100% that we should all support the benei torah so they don’t have to take it. Being that we are not, the choice is government assistance or stop working. The better of those 2 options is continuing to learn and taking government assistance.
Gregaaron,
there is more than one derech to avodas Hashem, and not everyone is meant to sit and learn in kollel. In fact, my rebbe ZT”L used to believe that for most peole there were diminishing returns after 5 or 6 years, and then tey were better off working (hopefully in klei kodesh) to get to the next level in avodas Hashem. You still have a chiyuv to learn as much as you can before and after work, however. Rashi in parshas Bechukosai says “Bechukosai teileichu” means “tihyu ameilim batorah”- working hard in Torah. That applies to everyone, not just the kollel yungeleit. “Bechukosai tim’asu” means NOT being ameilim in torah, as Rashi says too. Even we baalei battim have to learn. Not everyone is meant to sit and learn in kollel all day. But everyone is meant to learn.