LUBAVITCH-----yechi? 3
whatheheck Posted - 27 December 2000 21:35
Wait, how is saying the Rebbe alive AGAINST the torah?
Ok, the people that say that are crazy and have no clue what they are talking about but why do should we care?
Yeah if some ones not frum we should correct them but if they are NUTS then what can we do about it.
I mean didn’t you tell this story in another forum about this woman who tells her rabbi that her son is crazy bcuz he dances with women and eats pig?
Well their not doing anything that’s AGAINST halacha, they are eating women and dancing with pigs.
Is their any source that says it’s AGAINST torah to say shlita at the end of someone’s name?
MODERATOR Posted - 27 December 2000 21:50
If the reason they thought their Rebbe was alive was because they don't believe the doctors, or they think aliens switched the body, or they have a chemical imbalance that causes them to think this, you'd be right.
But the problem is, they get this belief by twisting the Torah. It says that Moshiach will be "hidden" from us, before he redeems us, similar to how Moshe was "hidden" on Har Sinai, and people will think he's dead but he's really alive, in Shamayim...
The "the Rebbe is alive" business comes from the "Rebbe is Moshiach" business. It's not a distortion of medical science (in which case you would be right) but a distortion of the Torah that tells them that their Rebbe is alive.
And not only does it stem from distortion, it leads to distortion as well. They need to find sources for this in the Torah so they distort more and more, please see the above "proofs" that they bring.
If they want to have psychological problems, you're right, what can you do, but once they purposely start messing with the Torah itself, with Chazal and the seforim, then it becomes a sin.
Q1 Posted - 01 January 2001 13:12
If nobody disagrees w/ the sefer HaChinuch and Ibn Ezra you mentioned above how would you explain the Ohr Hachaim in Breishis 37:21?
My understanding was that he was arguing with this idea.
rachel2001 Posted - 01 January 2001 13:14
In "teshuvos chasam sofer" and many other sources it says that the godol hador is the moshiach of the generation.
So you can believe whoever you want is the godol hador. We Lubavitchers can believe it is the Lubavitcher Rebbe is the godol hador.
You seem to avoid the text of the Abarbanel where it states moshiach will rise from the deceased using the Gemora in Sanhedrin as an example. This proves that in that Gemora they were talking about the actual moshiach who would take us out of golus.
Sdei chmed also speaks about the actual moshiach that that will take the Jews out of golus. the idea of "moshiach of the generation" is that if moshiach would come in that generation, it would be him.
The Rambam says that every person has a mitzva to believe that moshiach will come today.
Why would somebody guess who the moshiach of their generation is if they do not believe he will come in their generation.
Are you saying that these great tzadikim were specifying somebody as a moshiach that won’t come? what would be the point of that?
And if they did believe that moshiach would come in immediately, like the Rambam says, then they basically are specifying who the ultimate moshiach is.
MODERATOR Posted - 01 January 2001 14:52
Yeah, except there is no such Chasam Sofer. In fact, the Chasam Sofer says the opposite of what you would like him to say. It's in Likutim CM 98. Here's the quote:
"Regarding the coming of Moshiach I need to explain one thing, that is, just as Moshe Rabbeinu, who was the first redeemer, needed 80 years and he did not know or feel that he himself will be the redeemer, and even when Hashem told him “Go, for I will send you to Pharoh”, he resisted and did not want to accept upon himself [that he was the Moshiach], so too will IY”H be the last redeemer.
For from the time of the destruction of the Bais haMikdash there has been born someone who is worthy I his righteousness to be the redeemer, and when the time comes Hashem will reveal Himself to him and will send him, and then the spirit of Moshiach, which has until now been hidden on high will enter him … and so as it was with the first redeemer so it will be with the last one.
And this Tzadik himself will not know. And unfortunately because of our sins there were many who already died and we were not worthy that the spirit of Moshiach should rest within them. For even though they were worthy of it, nevertheless, the generation was not worthy. However, IY”H when the time comes Hashem will reveal Himself to him, just as he revealed Himself to Moshe by the burning bush, and will send him to Klall Yisroel or to some king, like [Moshe] was sent to Pharoh to say “Let my people go!”
So the Chasam Sofer says:
1) The Moshiach of each generation may not be the Moshiach because the generation is not worthy
2) Until the potential Moshiach is visited by hashem and told that he is the redeemer, even he himself does not have any idea that he is Moshiach
As far as the Abarbanel and the rest, you are missing the point. The Gemora does not identify who Moshiach will be.
It says Moshiach the redeemer will be Like so-and-so, or will have the attributes of s-and-so, or a name like so-and-so. It does not identify who Moshiach is.
You are stuck in the Meshichist propaganda fabrication that
“This idea is explicit in the Gemora in Sanhedrin (98a) – and from the indication of the Gemora there [we see that] this was a simple custom among Yeshiva students to try and derive that their Rebbi is the Moshiach (of the generation), as the Gemora says ‘The
This a lie. That’s not what the Gemora says, as we saw above. There is no such Gemora.
Ps -- There is no such Rambam either.
chochma Posted - 01 January 2001 15:04
I posted a source about Tzaddikkim being more alive spiritually after they pass away, then when they are physically alive.
Why was it never posted? Moderator- can you explain what you censor?
MODERATOR Posted - 01 January 2001 17:02
Mostly things that are repeats of what was said already. We keep the old posts here so that we don't have to repeat conversations.
What you are saying was discussed above. It has nothing to do with the topic at hand.
MODERATOR Posted - 01 January 2001 17:10
Q1,
I am starting a new topic in the "Bechirah" forum, titled "Can We Overturn Hashem's Plans?" to discuss your question.
chochma Posted - 01 January 2001 23:32
Okay then here is the source: Lekutei Omrim Tanya - section Egeres HAkodesh, perek chof zayin. Please check this out.
mel Posted - 02 January 2001 17:56
Moderator,
On Sunday, December 31 I posted a reply. I worked hard at it, and I was careful that it should NOT just repeat old information. unfortunately, I see that even though the site has been updated, my message does not appear.
I would greatly appreciate it if you could add it in.
thank you.
lubavgirl Posted - 02 January 2001 18:02
I’d like to make a few points as a Lubavitcher- firstly, we do have a right for believing that our Rebbe is Moshiach, everyone does, and they should, we know that it says in gemora (sanhedrin 98b) that there were a bunch of Rabbis sitting together, and they were each arguing that their rebbes name was the name of Moshiach, are we going to say that they were all wrong, no, they were all right- everyone should believe that their Rebbe is Moshiach or has the ability to be.
Now, what you said before that this piece of gemora is speaking about the qualities that each of the name holders had, that is obviously not the simple explanation of the text, it is how one mefaresh explained it, but looking at the text itself, they are each saying there Rebbe’s name. We know that a persons name is his essence- it says in tanya that the letters of a name come from the asarah mamuros- and you get your life force directly through them- so by saying that Moshiach’s name was the name of their Rebbe meaning their rebbes essence- himself- THEY ALL FELT THAT THEIR REBBE WAS MOSHIACH.
The majority of Lubavitch does not think that the Rebbe is physically alive, but they consider him- his essence, which is the Neshama still alive. At the end of parshas noach, rashi says in reference to reshayim that- af b'chayahem kruyim masim- even during their life they are called dead, rashi also says in reference to tzadikim- af b'misasam kruyim chayim- that even in their death they are called alive- why is that, because they are kept alive through their teachings- the Rebbe taught many things, and by us continue to learn them after his passing we are keeping him/his spirit alive.
This is like Yaakov- when it says Yaakov Avinu lo mais it is not saying that this reference solely to Yaakov, but to anyone similar to Yaakov, one who spent their entire life devoted to spreading Yiddishkeit.
Id also like to comment on the fact that your putting down all of Lubavitch for what a few people do/say (still calling the Rebbe shlita) we see that in every sect there are fanatics, people that go way beyond what is considered normal, this to is in Lubavitch, there will be those who take the Rebbe living literally and blow it completely out of proportion, but those few people do not represent all of Lubavitch, on the contrary, the fanatics are the ones that are causing a rift in Lubavitch.
As to you comparing the Rebbe to other great people who went off the derech, I strongly disagree with that, because here it is not the Rebbe himself that is saying all these things, but it is what we are saying about the Rebbe, so I feel that it is improper to be putting down a Tzadik for what others make him out to be.
MODERATOR Posted - 02 January 2001 18:13
Lubav,
You are wrong on all counts. Your arguments are all discussed already above. Please scroll up. There is no basis for them. If you can't find the refutation to any of your points, please tell me which one and I shall point you to it.
Everyone SHOULD think their Rebbi is Moshiach? Really?
I am a teacher. Should my students say that I am Moshiach? Please. Such a thing is out of this world totally, and a terrible sin, as explained above.
Nobody said anything here about your Rebbe.
Nobody judged all of Lubavitch.
I don't think you really read these message boards.
Mel,
I am fully aware of the Tanya there. It has zero to do with this. He says that a Tzadik's influence is greater when he is dead then when he is alive. That is not the discussion here.
chochma Posted - 03 January 2001 20:47
If that is the case, How is it possible for a Tzaddik to influence After he is dead?
IT does NOT say over there anything about the Tzaddiks Works and seforim being the influence.
mayokid2000 Posted - 03 January 2001 22:49
Hi moderator
I’m not gonna comment on the fact about moshiach and all regardless how I feel but please you can’t say OH WELL AM A REBBE SHOULD ME STUDENTS THINK I'M MOSHIACH..we are talking about RABBIS not teachers ..LEADERS not ppl trying to make sense of what they have taught us
Anyway neither here nor there but from reading how you write..about moshiach or about anything it seems like you begrudge Lubavitch ...also you are much more learned then us of course ...you are older and probably more respected so I’m not looking to be disrespectful ...but would you be willing to talk to someone who is more informed with all of the above....it seems so unfair for you to be so harsh ...
MODERATOR Posted - 04 January 2001 0:40
I am not a big Rebbe but to some people - especially some who I was Mekarev and made frum - I am their leader. Halachicly, hashkafically, and regarding life in general. So why shouldn't they believe I am Moshiach? What are the requirements?
From the Gemora that you wish exists, if you want to compare to what is says there, the Lubavitcher Rebbe certainly does not qualify because maybe you can only say your Rebbe is Moshiach if he is a Talmudic sage.
Even a "talmid chacham" Halachicly does not exist nowadays.
So if you can't compare your Rebbe to the sages of the gemora, you have no source.
If you want to say that the point is merely their leaders, then every father of his kids if he is their spiritual and life leader (it happens a lot) is Moshiach to them.
But there is no such Gemora anyway. No commentary - NONE! - learns the Gemora like you do. Of course not. The "name" of Moshiach is not the same as "moshiach" as we saw above. When I say you have the same name as my friend it does not mean you are one person. And when I say you are like my friend it does not mean you are one person.
I do not begrudge anyone.
You can ask anyone you want to post their "proofs" here, rabbis included. But don't hold your breath for anything better than the above.
It is not unfair to be harsh here. It is unfair to teach teenage girls and boys things that are not true and to misquote Torah to them knowing full well that they are not scholarly enough to recognize the errors. That is unfair. Exposing the misrepresentations for what they are is benevolent.
Don't you ever wonder why, if this is what the Gemora means, only Lubavitch fulfills it? Why hasn't every student of every Rebbi and Rebbe throughout history declared their Rebbeim as Moshiach?
From the Rambam's students to the GRA's to the Chofetz Chaim and from Satmar to Ger to Belz. Nobody did this. Nobody does this. Except Chabad. Why doesn't anyone else know about this Gemora except you?
The few cases where a great Tzadik said another great Tzadik is Moshiach is not the point. The point is why is Lubavitch the only group of students who have declared the Rebbe to be Moshiach if the Gemora says it is common practice.
Maybe the whole Klall Yisroel for the past 2,000 years isn't wrong?
It's futile for me to tell you that the Halachah is Lo Rainu Raiyah B'Maasim B'chol Yom - that if people commonly had an opportunity to do something and they do not, that shows that they hold is should not be done (Shach YD 1).
It's futile because we don't need that or any other complex Halachah to discredit this idea. It has no basis to begin with.
whoever Posted - 05 January 2001 5:11
I would like to remind everyone again that just like the -na na nach- ppl. are breslove chasidim it doesn’t mean that all breslov chasidim are like that.
So too even though some ppl. that are Lubavitch behave like this and hallucinate obscene things and spread them etc.
These ppl. don't in any way represent lubavitch/chabad b/c I have had a very positive experience w/ chabad and I don't want ppl. To think for a second that this is what Lubavitch is.
Me Posted - 07 January 2001 16:56
I never heard before that it says about e/o's Rebbe is Mashiach but if it is quoted somewhat somewhere I think it has definitely been misinterpreted b/c it would be referring to we have to treat our torah rabbeim, yes even our teachers, as if they were moshiach or a king... And that is the only thing I can come up with that must have been distorted to some lubav's and I guess some ppl have selective hearing and only hear what they want to hear.
MODERATOR Posted - 07 January 2001 23:32
Yeah, except that this twisted idea is all over Meshichist literature, here's a quote:
“This idea is explicit in the Gemora in Sanhedrin (98a) – and from the indication of the Gemora there [we see that] this was a simple custom among Yeshiva students to try and derive that their Rebbi is the Moshiach (of the generation), as the gemora says ‘The
This book was written with the approval of 20 Chabad Rabbis, Roshei Yeshiva and Mashpiim. The idea was distorted not from the place you mention, "me", but form the Gemora in Sanhedrin quoted above which totally says nothing of the kind.
But you are correct, Boruch Hashem not everyone in Lubavitch believes these rabbis.
Maidel123 Posted - 17 January 2001 0:15
Hi...
The "extra" celebrations of Lubavitch are to thank Hashem for nissim that happened on those days, or birthdays or commemoration of yarzheits. I don't understand what the problem with celebrating Yud Tes Kislev as the day of the Alter Rebbe's release from jail, or Yud Alef Nissan as the Rebbe's birthday.
Also, what is the big deal with the fax machine? Chassidim and non-Chassidim write to tzaddikim or ask them through tefila to intervene to Hashem on their behalf.
Not taking a picture of the Rebbe was probably a measure of respect. If you went to see R' Moshe Feinstein or the Steipler Gaon, would you whip out a camera to take their picture?
These gedolim are not celebrities or movie stars. They're great tzaddikim who deserve respect.
And the letters is not necessarily such a crazy concept.
It is known that the Gra would do a similar thing. In addition, as far as I know, people don't take their answers from the Rebbe as Halacha.
It's an aitza, and when I put my letter into a Tanya (some people also use the books of the Rebbe's letter, the Igros Kodesh), I ask Hashem for His hashgacha to give me an answer to my questions that I can clearly understand.
As far as the Rebbe being alive or not alive, no one believes he is physically alive. There is a debate about his spiritual status, though.
Also, please don't refer to Lubavitchers as "those people" in what may be perceived in a derogatory sense.
I was talking recently to a non-Lubavitch friend of mine, and she asked me what the essential difference is between Lubavitch and "regular" Jews.
I answered her that it is an issue of Chassidus versus non-Chassidus, and that is not a Lubavitch issue, it's a Chassidus issue, I.e., Ba'al Shem Tov.
At the core, there is no difference between Lubavitch and everyone else--we're all shomrei mitzvos and are waiting for Moshiach just like everyone else.
Lubavitchers (and other Chassidim) go about it via Chassidus, while non-Chassidim go about it in a different way. No one's wrong, no one's right...we're just relating to Hashem and the mitzvos differently.
May we be zoche to greet Moshiach soon.
MODERATOR Posted - 17 January 2001 0:15
Maidel,
Nobody writes letters to dead Tzadikim.
The letters are a baseless misbelief of some Lubavitcher Chasidim, with no precedent anywhere. The GRA’s “gorel” is not the same. He did not just open a Sefer to get advice. It is done a specific way, according to Kabbalah.
You don’t just open a sefer to wherever and think the letter has to do with you. There’s no such thing.
And what is happening today in Lubavitch – the Rebbe being alive, the Rebbe being Moshiach etc. has nothing to do with Chassidus. The Baal Shem Tov is not responsible for this mess.
It’s a pity that some people think they can make up their own beliefs and blame it on the Baal Shem Tov. It is a defense mechanism for many people in Lubavitch today to explain away those who properly object to many things they are doing, as “misnagdim.” Nothing can be further from the truth.
If the Baal Shem tov were alive today, he would be the first one to condemn these practices.
Rav Lazer Shach shlita wrote in a letter about Lubavitch that once upon a time, Lubavitch was following the Tanya and their Rebbes, and they were a legitimate Chassidic group.
But today the Meshichist stuff and some other stuff that is happening is unacceptable, and it is a lie to say that any of that has to do with Chasidus, even Lubavitch Chasidus.
It’s just the invention of some of the Chasidim today, with no tradition or Chasidus to back it up whatsoever. He also adds that no, he is not a misnagid at all, nor does he chas v’sholom have anything against chasidim.
He adds that he could not imagine what the world would look like today if not for the chassidim.
But what is happening today in certain segments of Lubavitch has zero to do with Chasidus at all.
I know that when a certain magazine here in
When the merchants were asked about the fact that the magazine has written about the controversy in Lubavitch in the past, in much harsher ways, yet nobody had a problem with that, they answered that they don’t care if they write against Lubavitch, because they can always dismiss such things to their children by saying they are “misnagdim”.
But to let their children see that Rav Shach has nothing against Chasidim, that he is not a misnagid, and that his gripe is only with today’s Chabad and not even with previous Lubavitcher Chasidus, that they cannot allow their children to read.
21 Posted - 17 January 2001 20:08
What percentage of Lubavitch are legitimate compared to the messianic ones??
MODERATOR Posted - 17 January 2001 20:12
Depends who you ask. Everyone says they're the majority. There's no statistics on this.
starlight00 Posted - 17 January 2001 23:18
Moderator, what’s wrong with opening up a sefer to any place and expecting an answer?
Why does that make people who do it cracked up?
I mean it WORKS so it can't be total ****. I mean I know people PERSONALY who did it and it worked.
And I know they're not made up because I was there when it happened.
Ok, the Rebbe is not alive physically but the important part, his soul, is still the same. so why is it crazy for people to communicate to the Rebbe through his sefer? Because he HAS answered people.
I mean don’t put us down for no reason. and even if we were crazy then fine, were crazy but its not against the torah to think that, maybe we are all just crazy.
Why is it such a big deal but unless we all hallucinate and imagine the words answer are questions when they really say something else..... then were all normal...
MODERATOR Posted - 17 January 2001 23:24
Starlght,
Nobody would ever think of communicating with Moshe Rabbeinu by opening a Chumash, would they? Nor did anyone ever do this in history except some of today's Lubavitchers. It has no source, and no logical reason behind it. As far as it working, I have seen some of these "successes". They were more like a person fitting what he wants into the message that he saw.
Why don't you just throw the dice or use a fortune cookie? Don't you think the Rebbe can't communicate with you that way if he wanted? Or never mind the Rebbe - why not ask the Baal HaTanya -- open up a Tanya to somewhere and ask him if what you're doing makes any sense. But why stop there? You should open a Mishnayos and ask the Tanaim and Amorayim what to do? If you have Rabi Akiva and Rav yehuda Hanasi, why bother the Rebbe?
Starlight, in our religion, we do not make things up. We do not believe things at random. We have Torah sources. Our religion and all its ramifications are given from Hashem. This behavior has no source in Hashem's Torah, hence it is not part of it. And it has no basis in logic either. So what's left?
Maidel123 Posted - 19 January 2001 16:41
Um, what's so far-fetched about using a Tanya as a means of obtaining an answer to a question?
I do so since I don't have access to an Igros Kodesh. And it's not a weird or whacked out thing. I have learned of many gedolim who used the Parsha of the week to understand or decide how to deal with certain current events.
And by the way, from the way people are "asking" questions about Lubavitch Chassidus and its customs, I'm getting the feeling that people are asking answers, not questions. To say something along the lines of "what's with these people?" does not connote curiosity or a desire to understand; it gives me the impression that people want to have a lashon hara forum masked as a Torah one.
omigosh! Posted - 19 January 2001 16:42
Mod, how can you compare a fortune cookie to a Rebbe? The ppl. that write letters to the igros kodesh-book of letters they don't just do it like that , you don't just say ok I wanna know if I should go to school tomorrow, then open the sefer, you have to have the right thoughts and intentions and even preparations before you just go opening seforim & looking for some guidance on a certain matter.
That notion about opening chumash or gemara is pathetic, b/c although they were great leaders & all that, the Lubavitcher Rebbe is someone who ppl. In this present decade relate to. He was in our times not hundreds of years ago like moshe.
I personally don't think it's something proper to do & it prob. doesn’t have a source either but there must b some logic behind it & until you are a lubav chossid you will claim there is no logic b/c it has no significance to you.
eliezer Posted - 19 January 2001 16:42
I have been following this debate very closely.
I would just like to add my '2 cents':
1) The Lubavitcher Rebbe, zi"a, never declared himself to be Moshiach. Not only that, the Rebbe said and wrote on numerous occasions that he is against such declarations being made about him.
2) There is a difference between identifying someone as Bechezkas Moshiach (probably Moshiach) or Mashiach Vadai (Definitely Mashiach). According to the conditions that the Rambam writes at the end of Hilchos Melochim, the Rebbe could have fulfilled the conditions of Chezkas Mashiach. It is obvious, however, that the conditions for Mashiach Vadai were not fulfilled once the Rebbe passed away.
3) Regarding using the Igrois Koidesh to find answers to questions in life, I think that those that do it are not following the Rebbe's clear instructions. The Rebbe clearly said publicly, in a slightly veiled reference to the situation after his eventual Histalkus, that in matters of health, doctors should be consulted; in matters of business, understanding friends should be consulted; in all other matters, Chassidishe Rabbonim should be consulted.
4) To all those that say that the Rebbe is Mashiach, I have one very simple question: What difference does it make who Mashiach is or will be? Does the Rebbe become greater if he is Mashiach? Maybe your Rebbe does. Mine does not. I really cannot understand - never mind agree with - those that have chosen to take such a great Rebbe and transform him into such a little Mashiach.
MODERATOR Posted - 19 January 2001 19:53
The messages in all of the weekly parshios are consistent, so no matter what week it is, them message is the same. As opposed to the letters of the Rebbe which were given to the individual recipient, and it is likely that two different individuals with 2 diff circumstances could get two different answers. You are assuming - for no rational reasons - that by opening a sefer to a random page that the message on that page applies to you, as opposed to them message on the other page. This is silly. There is zero correlation between your opening the sefer and whether the letter you opened it to applies to you. Perhaps another letter with opposite advice applies to you. Or maybe none.
As opposed to the parsha where nobody would randomly use the lesson of the parsha unless it applies to him objectively, in which case it is valid all year round.
It is the method of application, the "gorel", the random opening of letters that is a concoction out of thin air.
What you write "some Chasidim believe", is the problem. In our religion, we do not incorporate our beliefs into our religion, We incorporate what the religion says into our beliefs. That's the difference between us and the Goyim. They believe, therefore it becomes true; we know it is true, therefore we believe.
Since this random letter opening thing has no source in our religion, it is not part of our beliefs. For people to take their own personal beliefs - beliefs without reason - and incorporate it into the religion, which is what they are doing, because how we get "messages" from other-worldly places is certainly in the jurisdiction of religion, is plain messed up. Because someone "believes" it does not make it so. At least, not in Judaism. Chas v'sholom.
And the fact that you say only "Lubavitchers" can understand it is another problem, because if we are following the same Torah as you assume we are, then there should be no reason why only Lubavitchers are capable of understanding how this works. Even other Chasidim don't do it. It's only Lubavitch, and if only they can understand it, that means they are clearly following a different set of rules than the rest of us, Chasidim and non-Chasidim both. And this problem is underscored by the outrageous claim that ONLY the Lubavitcher Rebbe's letters work, since he was "closer" to our generation, whatever that means. So in how many years will his letters no longer be valid in this way, like you say Moshe Rabbeinu does not relate to us this way?
And what's this about having the "right kavonos"? Who decided this? What kavonos? This is something some Chasidim made up out of thin air, or as you put it "believe" to be true, so who's to say what Kavonos are right or wrong?
All this are clear examples of people adding their own ideas into our religion, something that is unacceptable anywhere except in these segments of Lubavitch. And if you add anything to Judaism it is totally like another religion. It is sad that this is what has become of the Chabad Chasidus.
I am not comparing a fortune cookie to a Rebbe. You are stating that the Rebbe communicates with you from the next world in this way - I am asking how you know it is this way he communicates - maybe he communicates through fortune cookies, after all, isn't it Hashgocho what your fortune cookie message is?
Eliezer,
I would appreciate if you could show me where the Lubavitcher Rebbe wrote denunciations of those who call him Moshiach. I am not aware of any such writings.
Second, the Letter-openers would claim that they ARE asking advice of a Chasidish Rebbe by opening the letters, I.e. the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
Third, the Lubavitcher Rebbe did not meet the criteria of "chezkas Moshiach" any more than anyone else. One of the criteria - the most measurable one - is that he will "force (kofin) all Jews to do Teshuva", and that has not happened in our times, unfortunately. With an over 60% intermarriage rate in the Lubavitcher Rebbe's own home country, that did not happen. Furthermore, Teshuva is not merely limited to the non-religious. In fact, the Halachah is that religious people are MORE obligated to do Teshuva than non-religious, since the non-religious are (perhaps) tinokos shenishbu and therefore are not really guilty of since. The religious, on the other hand, are responsible for their sins and therefore responsible to do Teshuva for them more. And there has been very little influence of Lubavitch in making Yeshiva people or religious Jews do Teshuva. Their focus has been on the non-religious. Of course, it is difficult to focus on all Jews, religious and non-religious, but that's what is needed to be B'chazkas Moshiach, among other things.
And as far as the importance of being Moshiach, they will say the point is not that he HAS TO be, but rather that he just simply is.
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