To Menachem Shmei
Let me explain my situation. I daven in a Chabad shul in my neighborhood. I listen to the Rabbi’s speeches and read the materials he brings in. From these sources I’ve learned about Chabad and the Rebbe. In a similar vein, for many years I attended a yeshiva run by Rabbi Avigdor Miller’s Talmud Muvhak. From the Rosh Yeshiva I learned Rabbi Miller’s shitas. In addition, I grew up on the Lower East Side and developed lifelong friendships with the Feinstein families. Finally, despite going to Yeshiva, I wasn’t fully frum until I turned 30 and I didn’t begin seriously learning until I was fifty. Long story short, I don’t have the time nor the ability to study all the available sources firsthand as I’m a practicing doctor and I learn Gemara about 7 hours a day. I agree that it’s best to study original sources but I’m doing the best I can to arrive at the truth. As for your comment that I theorized the Rebbe’s opinion. That’s incorrect. What I said is what I heard in shul, and I trust that the Rabbi accurately reported what the Rebbe said because he was reading one of the Rebbe’s letters. If I misrepresent any of the Rebbe’s views, by all means correct me. I’ll then check it out to verify what you said. I readily admit that most of the people in the thread have more Torah knowledge than I, but few can match my logic and love of truth.