cantoresq — I don’t understand your last post — until this point I disagreed with you but heard where you were coming from. But “mitvah habah b’aveirah??” Taking food stamps may or may not be hashkafically justified, but assuming you honestly qualify, what aveirah is there? And “naval birshut haTorah” as far as I’ve ever heard it be used is talking about behaving inappropriately without technically violating any aveiros (Rashi’s famous example in Kedoshim is one who gorges himself in an excessive feast, but all the food is kosher). It is not talking about doing a mitzvah — it is talking about something that is muttar — neutral so to speak, but not in the spirit of how a Jew should behave. I’m having a lot of trouble understanding the application here.
As far as the original question, I personally belief the whole welfare system in the US is set up in a ridiculous fashion, and that these government programs should be designed to be only a stop – gap measure for true emergency situations. I think our community as a whole would benefit more from lower taxes (and therefore more of a maaser obligation) than from continuing to subsidize these programs which after everything benefit other, far less deserving communities much more than Kollel learners. HOWEVER, as long as that is not the case, and the system continues the way it is, why must someone in Kollel be more stringent than the government? If everything is yosher (obviously I am not referring to the stories above describing abuses of the system — I think we all understand that stealing is an aveira), and one honestly qualifies, why can’t they benefit just like anyone else?
As a former union member in NYC, I once read a column in one of the union newspapers, lauding an individual who decided to boycott Walmart even though as a result he was forced to apply for food stamps as his cost of living went up when shopping in more expensive stores. He was admired for his principles — and no one had a word of criticism for his “sponging off the government.” Those who resent Jews, or frum Jews, or Jews who learn will always find fodder for their resentment, but if one is not doing anything wrong, that usually does not constitute a chillul Hashem.
Just for the record, I never received any government welfare while my husband was in Kollel, except for about 1 year while I was still finishing graduate school and was expecting and qualified for the WIC program only. Once I graduated my income was such that we never qualified for anything, B”H.