whattosay

Joseph: AFAIK the minhag among afar Din is not to do yibum. Rav Ovadia says Beis Din should push a guy to if he is lshem shamayim. Still, AFAIK the last yibum(at least in Israel) was in the 50’s

@SY
I believe you are correct that there is an element of “anti-chabad”. If I may, I’d like to explain why this element exists.
I am not chabad, but I have been connected to chabad and have chabad family and friends.
One thing that upsets people, is the feeling of “primacy” of chabad. You will hear people(mostly baalabatim) saying things like “everyone is chabad, they just don’t know it yet”, and “everyone wants to be chabad and are jealous of us”. Obviously, this upsets people out of chabad, making us feel like our drachim are being put down and rejected our of hand. And yes, this does exist by many other groups. However, when this combines with the other issues (that I hope to lay out) it gives people an automatic negative association of chabad.
The Moshiach thing is obviously another issue. Most non-chabad will believe that thinking the Rebbe ztz’l is Moshiach is at best stupid, and at worst kfira. Leading many people to suspect the average member of chabad of being a kofer(obviously, that is wrong.)
Another problem is the rabid members. The tzfatim, the lunatics who eat on fasts. While these are a minority of a minority, they get a lot of airtime and attention. And yes, almost every groups has it’s madmen, but the chabad madmen are twisting legitimate chabad philosophy into actual kfira(I once was told by an earnest flag-pin wearing tzfasnik, that as soon as we show the Rebbe we want it he will send Moshiach.)
And the final, and hardest to pin down point. At many of the tfillin donning stations, there are signs saying things like “the Rebbe said to put on tfillin”. Leading many of us to wonder -didn’t God say to put on tfillin? Isn’t that why we do it?
Now, everyone is mechanics in such a way, we tell children if they make a brocha their parents will be proud, when we should Ben focusing on God’s pride. But with Chabad, there isn’t already a vocal group that focuses more on the Rebbe than on God. This adds to the suspicion that all chabad thinks about is the Rebbe.

It isn’t a combination of these points(I believe) that leads people to automatically distrust Chabad with regards to religious matter. Add to that our different drochim, Andy people come across as hating you.

I hope this hasn’t at least helped to clear up for you the background from which many of the people attacking your theology are coming from.

The Zohar this weeks parsha makes a drasha that all lands other than eretz yisroel are called Tevel. Perhaps that’s pshat in the midrash. Ashmedai brought a man from the other side of the world (hence, sun shining etc) and couldn’t put him back because of מעלין בקודש ואין מורידים

DY—Why is weed worse than alcohol or tobacco? Too much alcohol can kill, destroy the liver,kidneys, brain.
Too much weed cannot kill you. It is impossible to overdose on marijuana. Physical addiction does not occur with pure marijuana(but, like I said earlier, a ridiculous amount of street weed is laced with fat heavier drugs)
I believe weed is most definitely Assur, but it is no worse than drinking to excess.

Galus—there is more than one type of marijuana. The differences between Sativa, Indica and hybrids are enormous. Pure Sativa would help in learning, as it energizes and enhances. However, the hybrids generally focus on keeping the “energy” of Sativa and mixing it with the “head high” of Indica. Certain hybrids can even cause hallucinations!!!(Even though weed generally does not). Besides for that, the general culture around Marijuana use is not at all conducive for learning.(i was part of that culture for three years ignored my teens את חטאתי אני מזכיר היום).
Gadolhadora—Many poskim would in fact say that tobacco is Assur. I don’t know of anyone who allows casual “heavy” (enough to get one drunk) drinking. Even Chabad, which is known to drink much—it is meant to be 4 shots of vodka at a tish—correct me if I’m wrong chabadshlucha and seichel.

I have personall witnessed a soldier being shouted at. He was frum.
A friend of mine was in the army. When he went to a shtiebl in beis yisroel (not his brightest decision) he was spat on, shouted at and forcibly removed. Before Rosh Hashona the ringleader of the teens who were involved called him crying, asking for mechila.
A different, close friend of mine(who, strangely enough was chozer bitshuva im the army) told me how he almost threw away everything he had gained (in frumkeit)since one of the first times he went out in public with a kippa on, he was in uniform and a chassidishe child shouted at him from a balcony, calling him a nazi

The source is a Midrash brought in the Eisenstein Oitzer Midrashim. Tosfos in Menachos brings this story as well.
http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=2585&st=&pgnum=261
The story starts halfway down the left column