Chabad messianism

Chabad messianism or Lubavitch messianism,also: Habad messianism, Lubavitcher messianism, mishichism, meshichism. is a term used to describe a spectrum of beliefs within the Chabad Hasidic movement regarding their late leader Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson and his purported position as the Messiah.Another 'Second Coming'? The Jewish Community at Odds Over a New Form of Lubavitch Messianism, George Wilkes (2002). Reviews in Religion & Theology 9 (4), 285–289. While some believe that he died but will return as the messiah, others believe that he is merely "hidden." Other groups believe that he has "godlike powers,""Mosiach is here now: just open your eyes and you can see him" Simon Dein, Anthropology & Medicine, Volume 9, Number 1/April 1, 2002 or is the "creator" while a few negate the idea that he is the messiah entirely. The prevalence of these views within the movement is disputed,Messianic Excess, David Berger, The Jewish Week, June 25, 2004The Rebbe's Army: Inside the World of Chabad-Lubavitch by Sue Fishkoff, p. 274.http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/newscontent.php3?artid=7839 though very few will openly say that Schneerson cannot be the Messiah. Traditional Jewish philosophy relating to the messiah's identity does not provide clear guidance as to who the individual is and opinions exist that the Messiah exists as a "spark" within the Jewish soul of any individual.
The belief that Schneerson is the messiah can be traced to the 1950s; it picked up momentum during the decade preceding Schneerson's death in 1994,See section "Before Schneerson's Death" and has continued to develop since his death.See: "After Schneerson's Death". The response of the wider Haredi and Modern Orthodox leadership has been almost universally antagonistic to this belief. The issue remains controversial within the Jewish world."After Rebbe’s Death, Lubavitchers Continue to Spread His Word", Matthew Hirshberg, The Columbia Journalist, February 21, 2006Toward the Millennium: Messianic Expectations from the Bible to Waco, Peter Schäfer, Mark R. Cohen
==History of Messianism==
thumb|The Messianist Flag in Jerusalem
Before Schneerson's death in 1994 a significant body of Chabad Hasidim believed that he would soon become the Messiah by ushering in the Messianic Age and constructing the Third Temple. Books and pamphlets were written containing arguments for the Rabbi's status as Messiah, some of which Schneerson opposed, but some he also encouraged on occasions.
During the later years of his life Schneerson's teachings were interpreted by many to mean that he was claiming to be the Messiah. His death in 1994 did not quell the messianist fervor, as believers found rationales to explain the belief that Schneerson was the Messiah despite having passed on. Some argued that he had in fact not died at all and was still physically present, but in a concealed state. Others argued that even though he had died, proofs existed within Judaism that legitimize the Messiah returning from the dead.
The development of this messianism and its impact on Chabad in particular — and Orthodox Judaism in general — has been the subject of much discussion in the Jewish press, as well as within the pages of peer-reviewed journals.
===Early developments===
One of the earliest proponents of the idea of Schneerson as the Messiah was Rabbi Avraham Parizh. As early as 1952 Parizh printed a poster proclaiming him as the Messiah. When word reached the United States that the poster had been seen around Tel Aviv, Schneerson forbade its distribution.The Messiah of Brooklyn: Understanding Lubavitch Hasidim Past and Present, M. Avrum Ehrlich, ch.9 notes, KTAV Publishing, ISBN 0881258369
Again, in 1961, in a letter dated Tamuz 5721, Pariz, wrote of Schneerson as having near God-like essence:
:
According to Aharon Lichtenstein this concept bears resemblance to the Da'as Torah phenomenon present in other Hasidic and Haredi populations following the Holocaust. Where before World War II, leading rabbis authoritatively spoke on religious matters only. Following the war, their authority expanded to encompass more aspects of their followers' lives. The catastrophic social and geographic dislocations caused by the war and genocide increased the authority invested in leading Hasidic and Haredi rabbis.R. Aharon Lichtenstein, "Legitimization of Modernity: Classical and Contemporary" in Leaves of Faith (Ktav: 2004), vol. 2 pp. 294-298Feitman, Rabbi Yaakov. "Daas Torah: Tapping the Source of Eternal Wisdom". In: Torah Lives, ed. Nisson Wolpin. Brooklyn, NY: Mesorah Publications, 1995. Pg ix-xxviii. ISBN 0-89906-319-5.
===During Schneerson's life===
According to research by Rachel Elior, the expectations that the Rebbe was the messiah built slowly through the 1980s. While she argues that the messianism of Chabad can be traced back to the 1950s and the previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, she cites evidence that the 1980s saw an upsurge in messianism. People would write letters addressed to Moshiach instead of the Rebbe, conversations centering around the Rebbe's true identity became more prevalent, and as the Rebbe spoke more and more frequently on the issue of Moshiach, the fervor grew. Elior argues that the development of Chabad Messianism was in response to the holocaust and constituted an attempt by Schneerson to offer an explanation and purpose in the face of such destruction offered "eschatological certainty and messianic purpose — what appeared to be the only rational response from a theological point of view.""The Lubavitch Messianic Resurgence: The Historical and Mystical Background 1939–1996", Rachel Elior in Toward the Millennium: Messianic Expectations from the Bible to Waco ed. Peter Schäfer and Mark Cohen, 383–408. (Leiden: Brill, 1998)
According to Paul R. Carlson, Schneerson became more direct about the messianic age during the Gulf War of 1991. Schneerson was quoted in the Jewish Telegraphic Agency as telling his followers that it would "herald the coming of the Messiah" quoting from the Midrash Yalkut Shimoni: "Humble ones, the time of your redemption has arrived." Other evidence for this included the fall of communism and the mass immigration of Russian Jews to Israel. Carlson cites Rabbi Chaim Bergstein in the Detroit Jewish News as saying "I'm not saying he is or isn't Mashiach, but there is no one as learned ...in this generation."Christianity After Auschwitz: Evangelicals Encounter Judaism in the New Millennium by Paul R. Carlson, Xlibris, 2000, p43
Menachem Friedman wrote in 1991 that "...the fact that he has no children and has never groomed a successor... renders the issue of continuity in the Chabad dynasty a threatening question. The messianic response is virtually the only one capable of allaying these fears."Menachem Friedman, "Habad as Messianic Fundamentalism", in Marty, Accounting For Fundamentalism, U of Chicago Press, 1994 He added: "...the spread of belief in the Rebbe as the messiah is facilitated by the total absence of checks and balances in Chabad Hasidism. There is no-one ...to offer a word of criticism. Many who surround him are financially dependent on him and consider him a super-human being. Is it any wonder that they are tempted to believe he is the messiah?"
During the late 1980s Chabad rabbis across the United States not only declared the coming of the messiah as imminent, but said that it would be Schneerson. for example, one Rabbi Asher Zeilingold told the press that he "expect[s] the messiah to come at any moment" and that Schneerson "soon will be recognized by God as the saviour.""Lubavitch Sect expects saviour at Yom Kippur", Clark Morphew, St. Paul Pioneer Press, September 21, 1988
Rabbi Shalom Dov Wolpo brought up the issue in 1984 by publishing a booklet declaring Schneerson to be the Messiah.The Revelation of Melech HaMashiach (King Messiah), "Yechi HaMelech", Sholom Ber Wolpo, "The Committee for Fulfilling the Rebbe's Directives" Schneerson responded by writing "It has come to pass that because of Wolpo's activities ... hundreds of Jews have stopped learning Chassidus, and now oppose the Baal Shem Tov and his teachings in actuality."The Revelation of Melech HaMashiach, published by The Committee for Fulfilling the Rebbe's Directives.
Anthropologist Vanessa Ochs spent the year of Schneerson's death living among women in the Chabad congregation in Stamford Hill, London. She writes that:
By 1992 Chabad Messianism was gaining wide publicity. As the health of their leader deteriorated some Chabad followers became more vocal and explicit in their messianism. Time M Magazine journalist Lisa Beyer reported on the issue that year, noting that the followers in Kfar Chabad were expecting Schneerson to reveal himself as the Messiah imminently. She reported that Rabbi Adin Even-Yisrael had openly declared that Schneerson should reveal himself as such, and arguing that even if he were to die "the leader's death would not disprove his Messianic potential.""Expecting the Messiah — An Ultra-Orthodox sect says the Redeemer is due to arrive any day now — and he might be an American" Time Magazine, Lisa Beyer, March 23, 1992
A group of Chabad hasidim led by Rabbi Shlomo Ezagui took their message to the streets of Palm Beach County with ten billboards declaring, "Now!! 1900 Years Waiting. It's Here-Messianic Era." Ezagui told the Miami Herald that "...we are declaring through the billboards that the time's about to happen.""Billboards hold a big message: the messiah is here", Michael Crook and David Hancock, Miami Herald, April 15, 1992
===="Coronation"====
By late 1992 a movement to crown Schneerson as "King Messiah" had gained prominence within the Chabad movement and a major rally was organised in Crown Heights where the Rebbe was to be crowned under the leadership of senior Chabad rabbi and youth movement director Shmuel Butman."Letter from Crown Heights", Malcolm Gladwell February 2, 1993 The Washington Post He organised the rally on January 30, 1993 that was billed as Schneerson's coronation ceremony. Before the rally Butman informed the press that "This will be the coronation of the Rebbe as King Messiah."Mashiach Madness reaches frenzy as lubavitch 'anoint' the Rebbe, Debra Nussbaum Cohen, Jewish Telegraphic Agency January 28, 1993Rabbi to be anointed Messiah, Press Telegram, January 30, 1993 The rally was held on January 30, 1993 and was attended by 8,000 in New York and countless others via satellite link-ups around the world. Butman was forced to backtrack during the event, announcing that Schneerson's appearance did not represent his acceptance of the role of Messiah. He told the 8,000 assembled followers (plus many more around the world watching via satellite) that the event "is not to be interpreted as a coronation.""Rabbi's appearance fails to reveal messiah", Deseret News, February 1, 1993
====Death====
As Schneerson lay dying in the Intensive Care Unit of Beth Israel Medical Center, some 2,000 followers gathered outside in Stuyvesant Square. Many could be seen singing and dancing — anticipating the end of days. Others were prayerful, some could be seen stroking the wall of the hospital as though it was the Western Wall."The Happy Vigil: As the Lubavitcher rebbe lies ill, his followers dance and sing and envision the end of days", Jonathan Mark, The Jewish Week, March 31, 1994
===After Schneerson's death===
Schneerson's death led to a rethinking of the theology of Messianism within Chabad. While the funeral was attended by a few dozen extreme messianists who danced throughout the procession and argued that his death was a required part of the process of him returning as Messiah — most messianists were taken aback."What Really Happens When Prophecy Fails: The Case of Lubavitch." Dein, Simon. Sociology of Religion, 9/22/2001.
The Washington Post reported from the funeral that the death had left Chabad stunned and in crisis:Death of Lubavitcher Leader, Rabbi Schneerson, Stuns Followers , Laurie Goodstein, Washington Post, June 13, 1994 
Within three days of Schneerson's death The Forward was reporting that the movement was splitting over the death with some claiming that he was alive and some claiming that he would be resurrected:
Schneerson's will proved to be a blow to the messianists as the sole executor was arch anti-messianist Rabbi Yudel Krinsky."Battle Among Lubavitch Erupts Over Rebbe’s Will", Jeffrey Goldberg, The Forward, June 17, 1994
The witness to the will was Rabbi Leib Groner an open messianist. While the sums involved in the will were quite small it gave Krinsky custody of many of the important organisations within the Chabad movement and was a bitter blow to Groner.
The appointment of a successor failed to achieve momentum — no individual was designated in the will and Krinsky refused the mantle answering "heaven forbid" when asked if he would accept it; rumors that Rabbi Yoel Kahn was named as a successor in a secret second will came to nought.
===Chabad Regroups===
Within months however, messianism had regrouped and soon became one of the two major forces within the Chabad movement. Many Chabad followers preferred to refer to Schneerson's passing as a mere transition. In time Schneerson's passing began to be known as "Gimmel Tammuz" - the Hebrew date of his death."Still waiting for the messiah." Jewish Chronicle 6790, 11 June 1999."The Nine Lives of Chabad", Gaby Wenig, The Jewish Journal, July 2, 2004
Schneerson's collected speeches from the last two years of his life were collected into pamphlets and published during his life under the title Besorat Hageulah. These especially were distributed by the messianists after his death to bolster the case that he was still the Messiah. These contained some of the strongest comments by Schneerson that the messianic age was imminent. Such evidence - along with other sources and a rabbinic decision declaring Rabbi Schneerson to be the messiah signed by over 250 rabbis — was used to bolster the case for belief in his return.
In his later years, the rebbe repeatedly returned to the millenarian theme that had begun to envelope his writing. For example, a U.S.-Russia agreement on nuclear proliferation lead to the Rebbe declaring that this was linked to the biblical prophecy "they shall beat their swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore". (Isaiah 2:4)Besuras Hageula, Schneerson compendium. p. 173
A group of messianists took out a full-page ad in the New York Times in 1996 entitled "The Third of Tammuz is not the Rebbe's Yahrzeit";God Centered or Rebbe/Messiah — Centered, Chaim Dov Keller, The Jewish Observer June 1997. Can be seen here: http://identifyingchabad.org/rabbikeller.html in 1998 another Times ad proclaimed that Schneerson 
A messianist publication elucidated the theology as early as 1995:
 
===770 Eastern Parkway as the Temple===
The requirement that the Messiah must rebuild the temple has led messianists to take 770 Eastern Parkway as a Temple analogue.
Full size replicas of 770 Eastern Parkway have been constructed in Kfar Chabad and in Jerusalem.Building 770 in Kfar Chabad: Changing Israeli Landscapes: Buildings and the Uses of the Past, Alex Weingrod, Cultural Anthropology, Vol. 8, No. 3 (Aug., 1993), pp. 370-387 Other replicas or near-replicas have been built in New Jersey, in Los Angeles, Melbourne, Milano, Rio, and Buenos Aires. David Berger cites a senior Chabad Mashpia in Kfar Chabad, Rabbi Yehuda Zev Segal describing the messianist position of the Rebbe in the world:"On the Spectrum of Messianic Belief in Contemporary Lubavitch Chassidism", 
David Berger, Yated Ne'eman, July 13, 2006 
The centrality of 770 to messianist thought is explained by Chaim Dov Keller. Since one of Maimonides preconditions that a true messiah must fulfill to become "Moshiach Vadai" - "certain messiah" is to rebuild the temple, the messianist must view 770 as the temple to justify their beliefs, since otherwise he failed one of the conditions and thus cannot be the messiah.This is dealt with in depth by David Berger, The New Messianism, pp. 35–42, Similarly, another of Maimonides conditions was that "all Israel" be returned to the Holy Land - messianists argue that Chabad adherents constitute "all Israel". The messiah must have "Fought the Lord's Wars" - Schneerson's predictions of the collapse of the USSR in the 1980s fulfilled this criterion in messiant thinking.
==Expressions of Messianism==
There is a wide range of degrees of messianism within Chabad. The terms meshichist and anti-meshichist are loosely used with many of the later still taking the position the Schneerson is the Messiah, but that he died so the term is potentially misleading. There is considerable dispute regarding the relative strengths of the various factions which is discussed below.
Anthropologist Simon Dein has noted: "Lubavitchers held that the Rebbe was more powerful in the spiritual realm without the hindrance of a physical body. However some have now claimed that he never died. Several even state that the Rebbe is God. This is a significant finding. It is unknown in the history of Judaism to hold that the religious leader is God and to this extent the group is unique. There are certain Christian elements which apparently inform the messianic ideas of this group.""Mosiach is here now: just open your eyes and you can see him" Simon Dein, Anthropology & Medicine, Volume 9, Number 1/April 01, 2002
===Primary Groupings===
In broad terms Chabad is divided into two camps, with a wide range of belief within each camp:
====Messianist====
One camp, loosely known as "meshichist", believe that the Rebbe's public words and actions in the early 1990s constituted an almost formal declaration of his messiahship, that he authorised the campaign to publicise this claim, and that this authorisation continues today. They believe that the only obstacle remaining before the final redemption is the fact that the Rebbe's messiahship remains unrecognised by most of the world, and therefore the most important task of all Chabad hassidim ought to be to spread the word and persuade people to accept the Rebbe as the "Anointed King". This group believes in reciting the Yechi slogan. Beis Moshiach magazine is a major organ for views within this camp.
People within this group differ widely in their attitude to the Rebbe's death.
=====An Eternal Tzaddik=====
Some meshichists insist that despite appearances the Rebbe did not in fact die on 12 June 1994. They argue that just as, according to the Talmud, the patriarch Jacob did not die,Taanit 5b nor did the Rebbe. He therefore remains the messiah just as he was before 1994. These believers refuse to put the typical honorifics for the dead (e.g. zt"l or zecher tzaddik livrocho, "may the memory of the righteous be for a blessing") after Rabbi Schneerson's name. They do not visit his grave, or mark his Yahrtzeit. They rely upon Schneerson's statement that the world has entered a new period in its history and that, contrary to what has happened in the past, the leader of the generation will not be hidden "even through burial", but that he would remain alive until the revelation of the Messiah.Dvar Malchut, Parashat Shoftim, 5751; Sefer Hisvaadiyus 1991 vol. 4 Page 204
However, there are many sources that seem to support the idea that a tzaddik's life does not end with his physical demise. In addition to the Talmud's statement about the patriarch Jacob, in the blessing of the new moon, Jews say, "David the King of Israel is alive and well". There is also the Tanya's explanationIgeret Hakodesh #27b of the Zoharic statement (III, 71b), "When a tzaddik departs he is to be found in all the worlds more than during his lifetime". The Baal HaTanya explains that the tzaddik's life is "not a physical life, but a spiritual life", and therefore physical death does not affect this state of living.
=====A resurrected Messiah?=====
Others in this camp accept that the Rebbe did indeed die in 1994, but still believe that he will return as the messiah. They point to various sources in Jewish tradition that can be interpreted as allowing for such a possibility.e.g. the Talmud's suggestion (Sanhedrin 98b) that Daniel could be the messiah. They also emphasize the belief that the classic meaning of death does not apply to a truly righteous person.Example of Chabad exegesis on the death of a great man In this view Schneerson never "died" spiritually despite his physical death, and is still alive in some way that ordinary humans cannot perceive. Thus they believe that while Schneerson is dead he will later return to be revealed as Messiah.Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Ginsberg, formerly of Kfar Chabad Yeshiva, in his book Mashiach Akhshav, volume IV, 1996
Folio 98 of tractate Sanhedrin has a strong focus on Moshiach and the Messianic era. Lubavitchers of this camp most commonly cite Sanhedrin 98b as a source of support for the idea of a Moshiach that returns from the dead. Here Rav Nachman says, “If Moshiach will be from the living he is someone like me”, the word "if" seems to imply that Moshiach could also come from the dead. In the next sentence, Rav opines, “If Moshiach will be from the living, then he will be like Rabbeinu Hakadosh, if he will be from the dead he will be like Daniel”, again implying that a belief in a Moshiach that returns from the dead is not antithetical to Judaism. Rabbi Aharon Feldman, in a 2003 ruling argues that Rabbi Schneerson never attained a stature comparable to Daniel.Public Responsa from Rabbi Aharon Feldman on the matter of Chabad messianism (Hebrew), 23 Sivan, 5763 See also Rabbi Feldman's letter to David Berger: http://www.stevens.edu/golem/llevine/feldman_berger_sm_2.jpg Feldman, as well as Rabbi Zev Leff,http://www.rabbileff.net/shiurim/ask/index.htm, Question #1174 are of the belief that in the Mishneh Torah, the only halachic work on the idea of the Moshiach, the Rambam rejects the idea of a potential Moshiach being killed only to return to complete his work. However Lubavitchers clearly hold their Rebbe to have been comparable to Daniel in righteousness and also differentiate between Moshiach dying or being killed.
In a letter addressed to Professor David Berger, Feldman points out that included in the Rambam's qualifications for the Messiah is that he "forces all of Israel to go in the way of (Torah and Mitzvot)...and fights the wars of Hashem...", and Feldman states that Schneerson has not fulfilled these credentials.http://www.stevens.edu/golem/llevine/feldman_berger_sm_2.jpg
====Extremist messianism====
====="Elokists"=====
Some elements within the Meshichist camp go further still, and insist that in order for the Rebbe to be revealed everybody must acknowledge his Messiah position. Those who oppose public declarations of this belief are seen as deliberately delaying his revelation, and therefore must be dealt with forcefully. This group is most common in Safed, and is associated with the Chabad yeshiva in that city. This group also has a presence in Crown Heights and is active at the main synagogue at 770 Eastern Parkway. The group are known as the Elohists.
=====Schneerson as God=====
A small number of people termed boreinuniks have gone so far as to call Schneerson God. The first record of this was in 1996 when the words "our rebbe" were substituted with "our creator" in a messianist publication.Habad’s dead Messiah: A review of The Rebbe, the Messiah and the Scandal of Orthodox Indifference, by David Berger, Judaism magazine - Winter, 2002, Arnold Jacob WolfSichos Hage'ula 1996, cited in Keller, 1997. These people (Meir Baranes, Ariel Sokolovsky, and two or three othersPublic condemnation of those who call Schneerson God signed by chabad rabbisJolkovsky, Binyamin L., "The "Messiah Wars" heat up: Online gets out-of-line", Jewish World Review, February 19, 1998A letter by Rabbi Bistritzky condemning the action of Meir Baranes"Waiting for a revelation", Yair Sheleg, Haaretz, 26 February 2004.]) have been ostracized by all factions of Chabad.
A central source-book of Chabad messianism, Al ha-Zaddikim, collates many proofs for Schneerson's messianic status and argues that it is permitted to kneel before a Rebbe, to pray to him and ask for interventions from him, since "bowing to a man devoid of ego and annulled to the will of God is no different from bowing before God himself."The Messiah of Brooklyn: Understanding Lubavitch Hasidim Past and Present, M. Avrum Ehrlich, Introduction, page xiii, KTAV Publishing, ISBN 0881258369
====Anti-messianist====
Another camp, loosely called "anti-meshichist", is strongly opposed to all public claims that the Rebbe is the messiah, though they may not be against the idea itself. All major Chabad organisations, including Agudas Chadei Chabad and Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch, take this position. Kfar Chabad magazine is a major organ for views within this camp.
====="Anti-publicity"=====
A larger group within the anti-meshichist camp still believe that the Rebbe will be the messiah, but accept that this is difficult to understand, let alone to explain. They therefore revert to what was Chabad's official policy until the late 1980s, at the Rebbe's direct orders, which was to increase public awareness and anticipation of the messiah while strictly avoiding any speculation as to who the messiah might be.
====="No longer the Messiah"=====
A very small number of peripheral Chabad leaders express the belief that Schneerson was the best candidate for the Messiah in his generation, but now say that people were mistaken to believe that he was the Messiah. Rather, he could have been the messiah if God willed it to be so, but it was not to be. As such, the Messiah will come nonetheless in the person of some other great leader. The only significant exponent of this position is Yechezkel Sofer of Be'er Sheva. Others, such as Adin Steinsaltz and who held this position are no longer a part of Chabad while Sofer is widely shunned. Rabbi Shmuley Boteach though peripheral to the movement is another example of a self-describing Chabad adherent who rejects the idea that Schneerson may be the messiah.Was the decision correct?, Jewish Chronicle, January 18, 2008
==Prevalence of Messianism==
thumb|280px|right|A private sign in Crown Heights.The prevalence of the various views listed above amongst Chabad supporters is disputed. According to David Berger in his book The Rebbe, the Messiah, and the Scandal of Orthodox Indifference and other observers, very few Chabad adherents will say that "the Rebbe wasn't/isn't the Messiah". Some will say that "he might be", but a very large number will say that he certainly is the Messiah. Indeed, this appears to most observers to be the mainstream position — the difference between the Messianists and the anti-Messianists being over whether Schneerson is dead or not. Berger argues that:
He notes that in the movement's largest Yeshiva Oholei Menachem, the administration ordered that Yechi be recited. He said that the chief rabbi of Kfar Chabad was "one of the first signatories of a 1998 halachic ruling requiring belief in the Rebbe's Messiahship" as did 250 other Chabad Rabbis.
In a sworn affidavit, in a case regarding the control of 770 Eastern Parkway, Rabbi Sholom Kalmanson argued that while "most Lubavitchers believe that the rebbe is the messiah, others believe that while the scenario is possible, it should not be a public position. A very small minority have abandoned the notion that the rebbe is Moshiach."Lawsuit Over Chabad Building Puts Rebbe’s Living Legacy on Trial, Nathaniel Popper, The Forward, March 16, 2007
A Chabad rabbi in Rehovot cited by David Berger argued in a messianist publication that "everyone knows that all Lubavitch Chassidim, despite the differing opinions, believe that the Rebbe is Melech HaMoshiach. This is the most open secret of the last decade."Beis Moshiach 424, 25 Tammuz, 5763, p. 10
Berger notes in a recent article for Yated Ne'eman that he is"unfamiliar with a single public declaration formally affirming that Lubavitch chassidim should not accept the belief that the Rebbe is the Messiah."On the Spectrum of Messianic Belief in Contemporary Lubavitch Chassidism, David Berger, July 2006.
Schneerson's messianism or divinity is not advocated in any of Chabad's official literature.Chabad Gathering: No Jew Left Behind, The Jewish Week by Jonathan Mark
11/14/2007Chabad's Global Warming The Jewish Week, December, 2005 by Mark, Jonathan. An online version of this article can be found at 
According to Zalman Shmotkin, director of the website Chabad.org: "People don't actually believe the Rebbe is the Messiah. They say they believe, but really they want, they hope, they pray. But believe this no.""Years After Death, Messiah Question Divides Lubavitchers" Liz Leyden, Washington Post, June 20, 1999 Of those who agitate for the belief that the rebbe was or is the messiah, Rabbi Shmotkin, the Chabad spokesman, said Chabad-Lubavitch leaders have “repeatedly condemned them in the strongest possible terms.”http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/newscontent.php3?artid=9558
Journalist Sue Fishkoff notes that the idea that most Lubavitchers are messianist is "a claim Lubavitchers say is patently absurd. Here everyone is treading on thin ice, for no one can know precisely how deep Chabad messianism goes. When Berger and other critics claim that it infects the majority of the Chabad movement, they have no greater statistical backing than do those who suggest it is on the decline."The Rebbe's Army: Inside the World of Chabad-Lubavitch by Sue Fishkoff, p. 274.
Berger responds that many Chabad messianist are coy about their beliefs ostensibly not to scare people away. He notes that even Menachem Brod, the leader of the moderates in Israel, will not say that Schneerson is not the messiah.
Many of the major institutions of the Chabad movement are controlled by messianists. Berger argues that "that the major institutions in the three primary population centers of Crown Heights, Kfar Chabad, and Safed are either dominated by overt believers in the Rebbe's Messiahship or suffused by that belief." He notes that in the movement's largest Yeshiva Oholei Menachem, the administration ordered that Yechi be recited. 
He said that the chief rabbi of Kfar Chabad was "one of the first signatories of a 1998 halachic ruling requiring belief in the Rebbe's Messiahship" as did 250 other senior Chabad Rabbis.
According to Berger and others even the most anti-messianist Chabad followers do not currently claim that the Rebbe is not the Messiah. The most senior openly anti-messianist rabbi is Yoel Kahn. Kahn does not however argue that Schneerson is not the Messiah, but does argue that he is dead. In a 2003 proclamation by KahnAlgemeiner Journal, 19 Adar I, 5763 "messianists" are condemned for saying Schneerson is alive but not for describing Schneerson as the Messiah. A pamphlet produced by the anti-messianist camp including Menachem Brod makes a similar pointHaNekudah haChabadit 1 Tishrei, 5764
A report in Israeli daily Haaretz in February 2007 confirms Berger's assertions about messianism in Tzfat and in Crown Heights. The article describes daily rituals of tending to Schneerson's chair and praying for his long life in the synagogue at 770 Eastern Parkway, and quotes students in Tzfat and 770 who appear to hold extreme messianist and even Elokist viewpoints."Lubavitcher Rebbe as a God" Haaretz, Saul Sadka, 02.14.07
===Prevalence of Extremist Messianism===
The number of Elokist Chabad adherents is thought to be small. Berger notes that "very few chassidim actually pronounce the sentence, "The Rebbe is the Creator", though the number is not as negligible as one might imagine.""The Fragility of Religious Doctrine: Accounting for Orthodox Acquiescence in the Belief of a Second Coming" Modern Judaism, Volume 22, Number 2, May 2002, pp. 103-114 In an interview with the Jerusalem Post in 2001 Berger explained that in the view of some elohists:
==Response to Chabad messianism==
=== Schneerson's response ===
In 1984, Rabbi Shalom Dov Wolpo published a booklet declaring Schneerson to be the Messiah. Over the course of Sukkot 5745 (1984) Schneerson several times denounced actions that drove people away from Chabad and its message. On Simchat Torah, he returned to this theme, saying that those involved were starting a new war against Chabad, even including the eventual messiah, and that he should never have to speak about it again.Sefer Hisva'aduyos 5745, Vol. 1, p. 465 On Shabbat Bereshit, when Wolpo began singing a song that had long been popular in Lubavitch, which referred to Schneerson as the messiah, he abruptly stopped the singing and ordered that it never be sung again.needs citation
In 1985, a year later, Schneerson gave a long talk about moshiach in general and the leader of the generation being the moshiach. Stating "I will not be troubled if one will translate 'Moshiach' literally, i.e. the righteous Moshiach, since that is indeed the truth. The leader of the generation is in fact Moshiach of the generation."Eve of Simchas Torah 5746, October 27, 1985 This, coupled with Schneerson's frequent statement that ours is the "Last Generation of galut (exile) and it is the first generation of Geulah, the redemption" is one of the arguments put forward that the Rebbe is the messiah. The logic behind this is that if the leader of the generation is the messiah, and this is the last generation, then it follows that he is the "final" redeemer.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s Schneerson's talks became increasingly focused on the topic of Moshiach, that Moshiach was about to come, and what was needed to accomplish this. These talks would often take on a sense of urgency. On one occasion, during the rebbes talk at the International Conference of Shluchim, he stated "the work of the Shluchim has already finished, and the only task left is to welcome Moshiach".
In the early 1990s Hasidim became more vocal about Schneerson being the Moshiach, even submitting a petition to him asking that he reveal himself as the long-awaited messiah.
In 1991 hasidim began singing a new song ("Yechi") proclaiming him to be the messiah. On at least one occasion, the Rebbe appeared to gesture his approval.video from May 28, 1991 But a few months later when some chassidim started to sing it, he said that it was strange that he should remain sitting there, and that the only reason he did not stand up and leave was his reluctance to disrupt the brotherly atmosphere of a farbrengen.Sichos Kodesh, Parshas Noach 5752
After Schneerson's stroke in 1992, which left him partially paralyzed, it became customary for chassidim to recite the Yechi chant after prayers and at general prayer gatherings for his recovery. Whenever he was present he encouraged this.
In the fall 1992, on Rosh Hashanah, Schneersohn was brought to a window constructed on the upper level of the synagogue at 770 Eastern Parkway overlooking the main sanctuary. Hasidim sang the full version of Yechi, and he made encouraging motions with his left hand (his right side had been paralyzed by the stroke). On certain occasions; the rebbe made increasingly big signs of encouragement such as on Rosh Chodesh Kislev 1992 (5753); when the Rebbe moved his hand back and forth with extreme energy.
Haredi response
The response of Haredi gedolim to Messianism both before and after the death of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson has been mostly negative, though they differ on the appropriate response and remedy.
====Pinchas Hirschprung====
Rabbi Pinchas Hirschsprung, Chief Rabbi of Montreal, who shared a very close relationship with the Lubavitcher Rebbe and served as Rosh Yeshiva at the Chabad Yeshiva Tomchei Tmimim Montreal, wrote a lengthy letter about Chabad messianism to Baruch Frishman, executive director of Association of Advanced Rabbinical and Talmudic Schools (AARTS), in response to efforts by some Haredi rabbis to decertify Oholei Torah/Oholai Menachem (a major Lubavitch yeshiva in which the messianist belief is proclaimed) from this organization. In the letter Hirschsprung wrote that there was no shadow of a question in Halacha about (the permissibility of) the singing and proclaiming of the Lubavitcher Rebbe as the messiah, that it was based on clear passages in the Talmud, Zohar, and Kabbalists whom the Jewish people all rely upon for contemporary Halacha. He also pointed to the fact that the Rebbe himself used such references on his father-in-law Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, and that he himself was someone to rely on. He also praised the efforts of the Lubavitcher Rebbe and his followers in the task of bringing Jews closer to Judaism, saying "who knows this work better then them".The letter was dated the 13 of Iyyar 5757 (1997), and was printed in the Algemeiner Journal Friday, May 30, 1997
====Elazar Shach====
Rabbi Elazar Shach, the Rosh Yeshiva of the Ponevezh Yeshiva and a leader of Lita'im, objected to the call for "forcing" the Messiah's appearance, an idea advocated by the Lubavitcher Rebbe.Faith and Fate: The Story of the Jewish People in the 20th century, Berel Wein, 2001 by Shaar Press. pg. 340 
Shach was the first major Jewish leader to openly criticise Schneerson and Chabad over Messianist fervor. Schach repeatedly and bitterly attacked Schneerson and his followers on a number of issues, among them messianism, describing Schneerson himself as "insane" an "infidel" and a "False Messiah".Christianity After Auschwitz: Evangelicals Encounter Judaism in the New Millennium by Paul R. Carlson, Xlibris, 2000, p59 
When certain elements in Chabad actually identified Schneerson as the possible Messiah, Rabbi Elazar Shach advocated a complete boycott of Chabad, its institutions and projects by its constituents. Faith and Fate: The Story of the Jewish People in the 20th century, Berel Wein, 2001 by Shaar Press. pg. 340 The Messiah of Brooklyn: Understanding Lubavitch Hasidim Past and Present, M. Avrum Ehrlich, Chapter 10, notes, KTAV Publishing, ISBN 0881258369
Pointing to an assertion by Schneerson in a passage dealing primarily with his predecessor that a rebbe is ‘the Essence and Being [of G-d] placed into a body,’ Rabbi Shach spoke of nothing less than Avodah Zara [idol worship]. His followers refused to eat meat slaughtered by Lubavitch shochetim or to recognize Chabad Hasidim as adherents of authentic Judaism.The Rebbe, the Messiah, and the Scandal of Orthodox Indifference by David Berger, 
2001, published by the Littman Library of Jewish Civilization of Portland. Page 7.
====Chaim Shaul Karelitz====
Rabbi Chaim Shaul Karelitz, former Chief Rabbi (גאב"ד) of the She'erit Yisrael Kashrut organization of Bnei Brak wrote: "All know of the battle of Gedolei Yisroel, past and present, against the well known movement, which in our generation deviated from the Torah way, and has undermined the principles of religion and faith, and even produced a False Messiah".http://chareidi.shemayisrael.com/archives5761/behaaloscha/abbrav.htm
====Menashe Klein====
The Ungvarer Rov, Rabbi Menashe Klein writes in his 17th volume of Mishnah Halachos that people who go about declaring that the Lubavitcher Rebbe is still alive bring his reputation into disrepute, and are therefore “apikorsim.”Mishneh Halochos vol 17 ch 255
====Aharon Kotler====
Rabbi Aharon Kotler (1892–1962), founder of the Lakewood Yeshiva in New Jersey, was severely critical of Lubavitch, in part because of the extreme emphasis on messianism evident even at that time.The Rebbe, the Messiah, and the Scandal of Orthodox Indifference by David Berger,
2001, published by the Littman Library of Jewish Civilization of Portland. Page 7.
====Aharon Feldman====
Rabbi Aharon Feldman, Dean of the Ner Israel Rabbinical College penned a public response to a question from Gil Student asking how orthodox Jews should relate to Chabad messianists in 2003. He expresses wonderment at the fact that the "Great Halachic Authorities" have not published rulings on this subject and reluctantly agrees to issue a ruling himself. He makes a clear distinction between what he terms the "Mishichists" and the "Elohists". He rules that it is forbidden to associate with Elohists under any circumstances due to their heresy and they cannot be counted for a Minyan. He rules it is also forbidden to support the mishichists in any way that lends credence to their messianic beliefs though they are not strictly heretics. He argues that although there is a Talmudic source (Sanhedrin 98b) that the Jewish messiah may come from the dead, nevertheless that source indicates that this messianic candidate must be similar to the prophet Daniel; Rabbi Feldman rules that anyone that can believe that the last Lubavitcher Rebbe was similar to the prophet Daniel has entirely compromised judgment and should not be given any leadership position. "...it is clear that [messianists] are ignorant of Torah, thus, it is impossible to rely on their decisions in Torah matters... One who believes that amongst all those who have ever lived, the late leader of the Chabad movement is the best candidate to be our redeemer shows that he lacks any understanding of Torah values. The rulings of such a man cannot be relied upon in any matter of Torah, and a fortiori he cannot serve as a leader or Rabbi."
In a letter addressed to Professor David Berger, Feldman points out that included in the Rambam's qualifications for the Messiah is that he "forces all of Israel to go in the way of [Torah and Mitzvot]...and fights the wars of Hashem...", and Feldman states that Schneerson has not fulfilled these credentials.
====Shlomo Eliyahu Miller====
Rabbi Shlomo Miller, a Rosh Kollel (Dean) of the Kollel Avreichim Institute for Advanced Talmud Study in Toronto and head of its Beth Din (Rabbinical court), said in an interview, "The belief that Moshiach is in the embodiment of a deceased person is definitely assur (forbidden) and our mosdos must convey this issue to students as part of their education... However, I would not say the Mashichistim are pasul but rather they're very mistaken in an important part of Yiddishkeit. Perhaps, I won't accept such a person as a Rav (you can't be a Rav if you're deluded), or to work as a schochet, but I won't say their shechita is prohibited... "Mishpacha magazine April 2008 
====Moshe Heinemann====
Rabbi Moshe Heinemann, Rav of the Agudath Israel of Baltimore and the Star-K kosher organization, said in an interview, "It's a distortion to say the Rebbe is Moshiach and anything which is not the truth, we can not agree to, even though Chabad in general does many good things."
Dr. Abraham Pollack, president of the Star-K kashrus organization, was asked if the star-k would approve of a Chabad messianist shochet. Dr. Pollack answered that we look for ‘Yerai Shomayim’ shoctim and chabad has many of them that are ‘Erlich’, however if one of the shochtim claim openly ‘Yechi Adoneinu Moreinu V’Rabbeinu Melech HaMoshiach’ that is definitely a red flag and will most likely not be hired by us.Vos Iz Neias - (Yiddish:What’s News?) » New York - Star K Kosher Supervision: Claiming The Rebbi Is Moshiach, Is Not In Our Kosher Hired ‘Shochtim’
====Elya Svei====
Rabbi Elya Svei, one of the Rosh Yeshivas of the Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia, said in his eulogy for Rabbi Elazar Shach, "Another area in which Rav Shach took the sole initiative and responsibility was in the less than popular task of protesting Messianic proclivities within Lubavitch. Rav Shach assumed the responsibility of decrying this perversion. Rav Shach started to fight this battle alone. He illuminated the truth so that others could also see the posed threat and follow his lead."Hesped for Rav Shach by Rav Elya Svei Shlit”a at Beis Medrash Govoah, Lakewood
Rabbi Svei and others launched an effort to decertify Oholei Torah/Oholai Menachem (a major Lubavitch Yeshiva in which the Messianist belief is proclaimed) from the Association of Advanced Rabbinical and Talmudic Schools (AARTS).The Rebbe, the Messiah, and the Scandal of Orthodox Indifference by David Berger, 2001, published by the Littman Library of Jewish Civilization of Portland. Page 85.
====Yehuda Henkin====
Rabbi Yehuda Henkin, an American Posek, in a responsa to Gil Student ruled that messianists are merely foolish and need not be shunned but he was more stringent regarding the Elohists:Responsum by J. H. Henkin to Gil Student, 23 Tamuz 5763, published in Bnei Banim Vol IV (Hebrew). "However anyone who has even a spark of confusion about the boundaries between his Rebbe and God...is an apostate. His shechita cannot be consumed, he cannot be counted for a Minyan and his testimony [in a Beth Din] and his rabbinic judgement is unsound."
====Zev Leff====
Rabbi Zev Leff was asked if the Lubavitcher Rebbe is Moshiach. Rabbi Leff answered, "The Lubavitcher Rebbe is no longer alive. The Rambam says very clearly that if someone claims to be Moshiach and he dies before he builds the Temple and brings all Jews back to Eretz Yisrael, then it is clear that he was not Moshiach. So according to the Rambam the Lubavitcher Rebbe cannot be Moshiach... Also, even if people will claim to have found sources that seem to say that Moshiach can be somebody who died and will come back from the dead to become Moshiach, those sources are not obviously what the
sources means because for 2,000 years one of our objections to Christianity across the board was that the concept of a dead Moshiach who comes back to be Messiah is not a Jewish concept."http://www.rabbileff.net/shiurim/ask/index.htm #413 See also #229, 236, 448, 541, 726, 880, and 1174
Leff was also asked the following: "May one eat in a restaurant whose proprietor feels that the Lubavitcher Rebbe is the
moshiach, if it is under a widely accepted hashgacha? Furthermore, is it permitted for a person to daven in a shul where the majority of the congregants feel that the Rebbe zt"l is moshiach, and perhaps participate in the recitation of Yechi?"
He answered, "The restaurant really depends on who the supervision is and if it is a reliable supervision. Even if the proprietor is not Jewish, certainly if he is Jewish and has wrong ideas about Yiddishkeit, you can eat in that restaurant. On the other hand, to daven in a shul where the majority have crooked ideas about Yiddishkeit and recite things that have no place as part of the davening, better not to daven in a shul like that."http://www.rabbileff.net/shiurim/ask/index.htm #373
====Satmar Rebbe====
According to anthropologist Robert Eisenberg who studied the relationships between the various Hasidic groups in New York Satmar Hasidim hold extremely hostile views towards the Lubavitchers in general viewing them as "damaged goods" and "idolaters" on account of their beliefs concerning Schneerson.Robert Eisenberg, Boychiks in the Hood: Travels in the Hasidic Underground (HarperCollins, 1995), pp. 14–15, 232. He notes that following Schneerson's death, the Rebbe of Satmar was said to have commented "Now we have to wait for the real Messiah."
====Chaim Dov Keller====
One of the first commentators to document the development of Elkoist thought was Rabbi Chaim Dov Keller. In a 1997 article, he asks of the Lubavitch movement: "Will it be set back on a true course to reach out and bring Jews closer to HaShem and His mitzvos, or evolve into a huge messianic cult whose purpose is to propagate the divinity and worship of the Rebbe?"
====Yaakov Kamenetsky====
Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky expressed concern in the early 1980s that what he regarded as Chabad's nascent personality-centric thinking could morph into something more objectionable. He advised Bezalel Landau not to publish a few chapters in a book he had written on the Vilna GaonHa-Gaon he-Hassid mi-Vilna, Betzalel Landau. that dealt with his opposition to Hasidism as such material could split families, pitting husband against wife. He noted that he should keep them in reserve in case "someone was to do an ugly thing" a reference that Kamenetsky's son says"He was referring to messianic fantasies simmering in a hasidic circle — in Israel, the adherents of that group had fomented a political feud along hasidic-misnagdic lines — and my father felt that the eventual publication of these chapters would help the general hasidic public shake off the messianics should their fantasy get out of hand. As it turned out, my father's concerns were well founded: a large segment of that hasidic cult did declare its leader to be the Messiah." refers to the Chabad movement.The making of a Godol, Nosson Kamenetsky, pp. xxvii–xxviii.
A certain Jew in Toronto came to Rabbi Kamenetsky and told him, "Rabbi, I have decided to stop the work at my business on the Sabbath and try to be Shomer Shabbat in my house as well. The reason for my decision was because Chabad people revealed to me that soon their Rebbe will be revealed as the Messiah. I said to myself, 'How will I appear when the Messiah comes, and I am desecrating the Sabbath?'" Rabbi Kamenetsky responded, "Don't believe them. The messiah, to our disappointment, is still not omed lavoh. . . Even though we hope every day that the Messiah will come, it is incorrect to believe what they told you, that the messiah will come in the very near future. It is on us to believe that even though the Messiah delays, we still have hope that he will come." After the man left, those present asked Rabbi Kamenetsky, "Why did our teacher withhold this Jew from keeping Shabbos? Now, after our teacher has nullified the words of the Chabad people, he will for sure continue to desecrate Shabbos?" Rabbi Kamenetsky responded, "This understanding of the Chabad people is an imaginary understanding, that its benefit will be outweighed by its detriment. In the near future, when this Jew sees that the assurance has not been fulfilled and the Messiah has not come, he will begin to desecrate the Sabbath again. More than this, until now he believed with simplicity and certainty in the coming of the messiah, and if he is to be disappointed, he will lose one of the important foundations in Judaism — the belief in the coming of the Messiah."B'Mechitzasam Shel Gedolei Hador, Vol. 2. Jerusalem. by Shlomo Lorincz. Pg. 588
====Avraham Ravitz====
Rabbi Avraham Ravitz, head of Israel's Degel HaTorah party, is quoted as saying, "If it were not labeled Jewish, you would say it is a cult. The Rebbe has great influence, and his movement has many followers. But it is a strain on Judaism and a strain on Israel."http://www.michaelspecter.com/times/1992/1992_03_15_mag_oracle.html Regarding the arrival of the messiah: "When he comes, he comes. It's crazy to force the Messiah to come by selling him like Coca-Cola, with jingles and stickers and billboards."http://www.rickross.com/reference/lubavitch/lubavitch18.html "They don't want to bring the Messiah, they want to bring their rebbe as the Messiah. Chabad has become a cult."http://www.rickross.com/reference/lubavitch/lubavitch6.html
====Yaakov Weinberg====
Rabbi Yaakov Weinberg, a Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Ner Yisroel, told an enquiring student (even before the Rebbe's death) that he should pray alone rather than in a Chabad synagogue because 'they pray to a different deity [eloah]'.The Rebbe, The Messiah, and the Scandal of Orthodox Indifference, David Berger, The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization, 2001. pg 105.
===Religious Zionist response===
====Shlomo Aviner====
Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, the Rosh Yeshiva of the Ateret Cohanim Yeshiva in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem and the rabbi of Bet El, was asked "Is the last Lubavitcher Rebbe the Moshiach (Messiah) as many Chabad Hasidim claim," and Rabbi Aviner leaves open the possibility that the Rebbe will be resurrected and then become the Moshiach, concluding however that in the meantime, one cannot say he is the Moshiach. "It is clear that he will arise during the resurrection of the dead, and it is even possible that he will arise before others and perform salvations, as our Rabbis wrote. In the meantime, however, a proclamation regarding the Redemption before the Redemption does not make him Moshiach."http://www.ateret.org.il/new/rmf/pdf/Rebbe.pdf
===Modern Orthodox response===
====Rabbinical Council of America====
In 1996 the largest Orthodox rabbinic grouping in the United States, the Rabbinical Council of America approved the following resolution. The resolution read: "In the light of disturbing developments which have recently arisen in the Jewish Community, the Rabbinical Council of America in convention assembled declares that there is not and has never been a place in Judaism for the belief that the Messiah will begin his mission only to experience death, burial and resurrection before completing it."Christianity After Auschwitz: Evangelicals Encounter Judaism in the New Millennium, Paul R. Carlson, Xlibris, 2000, p69. Berger felt that the RCA resolution was a very significant turning point for his cause, as he recounts in his book that after the resolution was approved, "the thunder-bolt struck."
====Ahron Soloveichik====
In June 28 1996, The Jewish Press published a paid advertisement signed by Rabbi Ahron Soloveichik follows: 
"Before the passing of the Rebbe, I included myself among those who believe that the Rebbe was worthy of being Moshiach. And I strongly believe that had we, particularly the Orthodox community, been united, we would have merited to see the complete Redemption. Insofar as the belief held by many in Lubavitch - based in part on similar statements made by the Rebbe himself concerning his predecessor, the Previous Rebbe, including prominent rabbanim and roshei yeshiva - that the Rebbe can still be Moshiach in light of the Gemara in Sanhedrin, the Zohar, Abarbanel, Kisvei Arizal, S’dei Chemed, and other sources, it cannot be dismissed as a belief that is outside the pale of Orthodoxy. Any cynical attempt at utilizing a legitimate disagreement of interpretation concerning this matter in order to besmirch and to damage the Lubavitch movement that was, and continues to be, at the forefront of those who are battling the missionaries, assimilation, and indifference, can only contribute to the regrettable discord that already plagues the Jewish community, and particularly the Torah community"
Many messianists believe that Soloveichik defended their position and bring him as a source to back up their arguments. The letter was a reversal of Soloveichik's previous position on the matter. In 1994, Soloveichik had told The Forward that Schneerson "can't be the Messiah — he is not living — a Messiah has to be living. A living Messiah, not a dead Messiah." He had also expressed shock at the idea that anyone could suggest that the Messiah could be from among the dead noting that "that could be possible in the Christian faith, but not Judaism" adding that this was "repugnant to everything Judaism represents."."Rabbis Blast Lubavitcher Messianism, Warn Resurrection Talk Echoes Christian Themes", Lucette Lagnado, The Forward, December 2, 1994 Reb Aron altered his view after carefully reviewing all the mentioned sources, that were shown to him by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg of Buffalo, NY.
Berger provides a letter from Soloveitchik to a friend in 2000, that resolves the contradiction between his two positions. Soloveichik writes:
====Norman Lamm====
Other Modern Orthodox leaders have also responded to Chabad Messianism. The trend of messianism itself was criticized strongly by Rabbi Norman Lamm, chancellor and former president of Yeshiva University. Lamm argues that Schneerson's statements could be misinterpreted to create a "distortion" leading to "moral nihilism." Lamm further argued that such open efforts to declare Schneerson the messiah would not have been tolerated before his death: "When he was alive, no one would have dared to discuss this.""Conference Weighs Rabbi's Legacy" The Forward, Steven I. Weiss, November 11, 2005 On another occasion Lamm argued “I do not believe that the rebbe thought himself to be moshiach. But I do think he considered himself a possible candidate." Lamm decried the movement's over-emphasis on messianism and belief that the rebbe is the messiah but simply concealed from view. "To continue this myth of his being moshiach is utter ridiculousness. It is easy for the messianically-oriented to distort the rebbe’s teachings and say “that the Rebbe is part of the Godhead. That is completely heretical and quite dangerous. I wonder if this distortion could and should have been avoided by responsible leadership of a movement that has not lost its vitality.""Lubavitcher Rebbe Meets The Academy" The Jewish Week, Debra Nussbaum Cohen
====Tzvi Hersh Weinreb====
The Executive Vice President of the Orthodox Union, Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb commented on the fragmentation of the Chabad movement since the Rebbe's death in a July 2007 comment piece for the Jerusalem Post:Orthodox Opinions: The Rebbe's legacy, Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, Jerusalem Post Online, June 18, 2007 He bemoaned the fact that "...the Rebbe's great piety, scholarship, and love of Israel should be sullied by such an unacceptable heresy is a grievous tragedy." 
====Chaim Brovender====
Rabbi Chaim Brovender, president of ATID (Academy for Torah Initiatives and Directions in Jewish Education), said in an article in the Jerusalem Post:http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1218710363890&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
====Gil Student====
Rabbi Gil Student an Orthodox writer and publisher has written and self-published a book examining and rebutting the theological claims made by Chabad messianists.Can the Rebbe Be Moshiach?: Proofs from Gemara, Midrash, and Rambam That the Rebbe Cannot Be Gil Student, Universal-Publishers, 2002
In 2002, Rabbi Gil Student published a book called "Can The Rebbe Be Moshiach? Proofs from Gemara, Midrash, and Rambam that the Rebbe zt"l cannot be Moshiach."Details about this book can be seen at http://moshiachtalk.tripod.com/ A synopsis of the book goes as follows: 
===Israeli Chief Rabbinate===
====2000 Announcement====
In January 2000, the Chief Rabbinate of Israel released the following announcement:
At the meeting of the Council of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel held on 10 Shevat 5760 [17 January 2000], a discussion was held regarding the newspaper advertisement signed by many rabbi shlita requiring that one obey the words of a prophet including the assertion that he is the King Messiah. By agreement of the Chief Rabbis of Israel and the members of the Council of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, the following decision was adopted unanimously:
In recent days announcements and declarations are being publicized that can confuse and mislead simple people with messianic propaganda that a certain Hasidic rabbi is the King Messiah and one should call to him with various proclamations.
We have no intention, God forbid, of diminishing the greatness and the global activities of the Rebbe of blessed memory, but because we are dealing with the foundations of the faith and there is danger in this propaganda, it is necessary to warn against this approach. It is concerning such matters that the Sages said,' Wise men, be careful with your words.'
Individuals who are undesirable in the eyes of rabbinic scholars are exploiting the signatures of Rabbis and turning the simple faith in the coming of the Messiah into propaganda whose end cannot be foreseen. One must be careful and warn people that one must believe in the straightforward faith that the Messiah will come as our Rabbis have taught us, and anyone who adds diminishes.Hatzofeh, 11 Shevat 5760 (18 Jan. 200), 5. The Rebbe, the Messiah, and the Scandal of Orthodox Indifference by David Berger, 2001, published by the Littman Library of Jewish Civilization of Portland. Page 128–129.
====2007 Conversion Case====
In December 2007, the case of a Chabad educated man attempting to convert to Judaism came before a senior conversion Beth Din to authorize his conversion. During an interview before the panel of 3 rabbis the man espoused messianist views. The panel escalated the case to a group of four of Israel's most senior rabbis, two of whom were Modern Orthodox and two of whom were Haredi for arbitration. The Haredi rabbis were inclined to approve the conversion, while the Modern Orthodox pair were not, ruling that an exponent of messianist beliefs cannot be converted to Orthodox Judaism. Rabbi Shlomo Amar, Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel.agreed that he could be converted.Rabbinical Conversion Court refuses to convert Chabad messianist (Hebrew), Avishai ben Hayiim, Maariv, December 26, 2007
While Binyamin Ish-Shalom an educator at the centre that prepared the man for conversion argued that the beliefs were legitimate, a State Conversion Authority quoted the two opposing rabbis as arguing that Chabad messianism was "beyond the pale of normative Judaism":Gentile Lubavitcher refused conversion, Matthew Wagner, January 2, 2008
Responding to the case, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach criticized the rulings, arguing that Messianism was not heretical.Was the decision correct?, Jewish Chronicle, January 18, 2008
Rabbi Seth Farber, head of conversion advocacy group Itim, commented that
===Progressive response===
Philosopher Rabbi David Hartman expressed his concern about the developing messianism early on, while Schneerson was still alive, saying that "the outpouring of Messianic fervor is always a very disturbing development."Expecting the messiah, Lisa Beyer, Time magazine, March 23, 1992
Senior Reform Rabbi and humanitarian activist Arthur Lelyveld was also scathing about the messianist trends within the Chabad movement describing the organisation as having a "cult like" atmosphere.Jewish Arguments and Counterarguments: Essays and Addresses, Steven Bayme, KTAV Publishing, 2002. p260
===1998 Letter===
The actions of a Chabad rabbi who was active in the community of expatriate Russian Jews in Milwaukee, by the name of Alexander Milchtein lead to the publication of a response by about 30 Chabad rabbis.Rabbis reach out to next generation of FSU Jews, Andrea Waxman, Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle, 2002
Milchstein had been hired by Yaakov Elman, as a Russian-speaking rabbi to assist him with the influx of Russian-language immigrants, after Milchtein's views became public, his views were denounced by the local orthodox rabbinate in the November 20, 1998 edition of the Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle.
In response to the furore, a group of some 30 Chabad affiliated rabbis calling themselves the "Central Committee of Chabad-Lubavitch Rabbis in US and Canada"Note: No other record of any activity can be found for this group beyond this letter. sent a letter to the local newspaper addressed "To the Jewish Community of Milwaukee, Wisconsin", arguing that Chabad should not be preoccupied with the idea that Schneerson is the Messiah, (but as Berger points out falling short of arguing that Schneerson cannot be the Messiah): 
===Anthropology: Comparisons with early Christianity===
Some scholars of religion have made comparison with the development of early Christianity: Anthropologist Joel Marcus writes:
Such comparisons are something which makes many Orthodox Jews uncomfortable. Scholar Mark Winer has noted that "The Lubavitcher movement's suggestions that their late rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson is the Messiah, reflect Christian millenarianism""Be Ready When the Great Day Comes", Mark L. Winer; European Judaism, Vol. 37, 2004]
Anthropologist Simon Dein has noted: "Lubavitchers held that the Rebbe was more powerful in the spiritual realm without the hindrance of a physical body. However some have now claimed that he never died. Several even state that the Rebbe is God. This is a significant finding. It is unknown in the history of Judaism to hold that the religious leader is God and to this extent the group is unique. There are certain Christian elements which apparently inform the messianic ideas of this group.""Mosiach is here now: just open your eyes and you can see him" Simon Dein, Anthropology & Medicine, Volume 9, Number 1/April 01, 2002
Some have gone so far as to describe Chabad messianism as halachic Christianity. Judaism scholar Jacob Neusner writes:
===Breakaway movement===
In protest at Chabad messianism, Rabbi Shaul Shimon Deutsch started a split-off group known as Chabad-Liozna. Deutsch has a synagogue and a few followers in the Boro Park district of Brooklyn, NY.Jolkovsky, Binyamin L., "The "Messiah Wars" heat up: Online gets out-of-line", Jewish World Review, February 19, 1998"Dissidents Name 'Rebbe'," The Forward, December 6, 1996 His actions have made him an unpopular figure within the mainstream Chabad community.Heinon, Herb, "Bigger than Death," Jerusalem Post, August 15, 1997
===Support===
A few non-Chabad Jewish figures have expressed their concurrence with the belief that Schneerson is indeed the messiah. Yaakov Yosef, (son of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef) and Aaron Leifer, Rabbi of Nadvorna-Safed, both signed a 1998 halachic decree ruling that the Lubavitcher Rebbe is the Messiah.
==The "Yechi" Statement==
"Yechi Adoneinu Moreinu v'Rabbeinu Melech haMoshiach l'olam vo'ed!" (יחי אדוננו מורנו ורבינו מלך המשיח לעולם ועד) is a phrase used by many Chabad Hasidism to pray and proclaim that the seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson will be the messiah. It means "Long Live our Master, our Teacher, and our Rabbi, King Messiah, for ever and ever." The phrase can be seen printed in various settings, notably on pamphlets, posters and small prayer cards. It is chanted by many people at the end of daily communal prayers in Lubavitch congregations, including the main Lubavitch synagogue in Crown Heights, "770". Yechi has a complex and controversial history dating back to the mid-1980s and is often viewed as a litmus test to differentiate the messianists from the anti-messianists or non-messianists.
Yechi began as the phrase "Yechi Adoneinu Moreinu Verabbeinu," ("Long Live our master, teacher and Rebbe!") to which the response was a shout of "Yechi" ("May he live!"). It appears to be based on the statement made by Bathsheba, the wife of King David "Yehi adoni hamelech David le'olam," ("May my lord King David live forever!") (Kings I 1:31). When used by Lubavitcher Hasidim, it was originally recited in the presence of Rabbi Schneerson after twelve special verses known as "the Twelve Pesukim" whose recitation the Rebbe encouraged in his teachings.
A child honored with reciting the last verse of the Twelve Pesukim would call out the phrase, to which everyone would respond. This was repeated three times. The response would be accented on the second syllable. After three calls, everyone would chant the word Yechi together in a 2-3-2-3 pattern. This was followed by singing "We Want Moshiach Now".
In 1988 Rabbi Schneerson spoke of the importance of declaring the ancient Jewish cryA History of the Jews by Paul Johnson pg.399 of Yechi Hamelech (Hebrew: "May the king live") as a prayer to express their desire that the Jewish Messiah should come.Sicha 2 Nissan 5748 Later on, many of his followers began to consider this term synonymous with the above Yechi, using it to refer to Rabbi Schneerson himself.
==Notes==
==References==
*On the Spectrum of Messianic Belief in Contemporary Lubavitch Chassidism, David Berger
*Chabad and Messianism, Adam Dickter, Hadassah Magazine
*The Messiah of Brooklyn: Understanding Lubavitch Hasidim Past and Present, M. Avrum Ehrlich, KTAV Publishing, ISBN 0881258369
*Dalfin, Chaim. Attack on Lubavitch: A Response, Jewish Enrichment Press, February 2002 (ISBN 1-880880-66-0)
*Fishkoff, Sue. The Rebbe's Army: Inside the World of Chabad-Lubavitch, Schocken, 2003 (ISBN 0-8052-4189-2)
*The Once and Future Messiah in Early Christianity and Chabad, Joel Marcus
*2002 Irresponsible Slander, Prager, Dennis, Moment Magazine.
*The empty chair, Yediot Aharonot, Neta Sela, 02.12.07
*Lubavitcher Rebbe as a God Haaretz, Saul Sadka, 02.14.07
*Waiting for the Messiah of Eastern Parkway New York Times, Jonathan Mahler, 09.21.03
==Further reading==
*The Jewish Messiahs: From the Galilee to Crown Heights, Harris Lenowitz, University of Utah, 2nd ed. (Oxford, 2001).
*Salvation or Destruction? The Meaning and Consequences of Lubavitch Messianism, Kraut, B., Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies, Volume 20, Number 4, Summer 2002, pp. 96–108.
*Jewish Messianism Lubavitch-Style — an interim report, William Shaffir, Jewish Journal of Sociology 35 (1993) 115–128.
*The Messiah Problem: Berger, the Angel and the Scandal of Reckless Indiscrimination, Rabbi Chaim Rapoport (Ilford, 2002)
==External links==
*Beis Moshiach Magazine
*A "Psak Din," or ruling in Jewish law, signed by over 200 Rabbis, stating that the Lubavitcher Rebbe is the Messiah.
*Chabad and Moshiach
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