The headline speaks about the "Hasidic world", but Chabad is not the Chasidic world. They are "chassidim" like Mormons are Christians: they think they are, and claim they are, but everyone else thinks they aren't.
In that regard, the claim that he "taught himself to read and write English" rings very false. Even genuine chassidim like Satmar are taught to read and write - but we are to believe that an American Chabadsker, the child of ballei Teshuvah, was never taught even basic English?? It's just not true. And if that's not true, ask yourself what else he says isn't true.
It is difficult to believe that a man who has left the orthodox community. has chosen to detach himself so far from it that he no longer believes in God. In my case my twin brother lives in Bnei Brak and is strictly orthodox. whilst I live not far away in Petach Tikva and follow a few of our Jewish customs and beliefs and might be regarded as a kind of liberal class Jew. But to give it up Jewish beliefs completely, especially after being married to a more observant wife is very unusual and that part I do not understand.
It wasn't clear that Zalman's wife having a PhD in Talmud means that she is observant. But I was wondering something similar. I wish he had explained why "going off the derech" from Chabad took him all the way to atheism. There are so many intermediate stopping points where he could have been free to interact with the wider world -- denying God's existence means walking away from a lot more than Hasidism.
If his parents had the freedom to become religious then it's only fair that he have the option to discard it
(Slight correction, if I may: I think you meant to write strictures - not structures.)
100 percent agree and if only all baalei teshuva actually had that attitude.
And no, structures is what he meant.
Couple of quibbles:
The headline speaks about the "Hasidic world", but Chabad is not the Chasidic world. They are "chassidim" like Mormons are Christians: they think they are, and claim they are, but everyone else thinks they aren't.
In that regard, the claim that he "taught himself to read and write English" rings very false. Even genuine chassidim like Satmar are taught to read and write - but we are to believe that an American Chabadsker, the child of ballei Teshuvah, was never taught even basic English?? It's just not true. And if that's not true, ask yourself what else he says isn't true.
It is difficult to believe that a man who has left the orthodox community. has chosen to detach himself so far from it that he no longer believes in God. In my case my twin brother lives in Bnei Brak and is strictly orthodox. whilst I live not far away in Petach Tikva and follow a few of our Jewish customs and beliefs and might be regarded as a kind of liberal class Jew. But to give it up Jewish beliefs completely, especially after being married to a more observant wife is very unusual and that part I do not understand.
It wasn't clear that Zalman's wife having a PhD in Talmud means that she is observant. But I was wondering something similar. I wish he had explained why "going off the derech" from Chabad took him all the way to atheism. There are so many intermediate stopping points where he could have been free to interact with the wider world -- denying God's existence means walking away from a lot more than Hasidism.
Read his book! He goes a lot more in depth