H/t Sherry
Rabbi Yitzchak Breitowitz with Rabbi Aron Sokol - 13 min video
Just by the way.... Rabbi Breitowitz is not officially "Chabad" at all, and everyone please restrain yourselves from writing any comments which may be deemed offensive, I know this is a controversial topic.... but as it's Rabbi Breitowitz you can all relax.
BH
ReplyDeleteAfter all these years, I still believe the Rebbe is Moshiach.
Please don’t! Please just wait for the real one
Deleteif you believe in it, it means he is not, simple
ReplyDeleteNo absolutely not.
ReplyDeleteThen what to believe...
ReplyDeleteSeems nothing one can depend on... no man.. no human...
Leaves us only with HaShem..
Also, please if you don't mind, explain more.. with clarity.
Toda..
Sc
A potential Moshiach exists in every generation. I think the Rebbe is working very hard up in Shamayim to bring the Moshiach, just as he did when he was down here. That was his major goal.... bringing Moshiach, especially at a time in history, following the Holocaust, when so many Jews had given up hope.
ReplyDeleteThank you Devorah,
DeleteTrying my best to hang on..
Difficult, when a member of family, is in much body pain, and its sad to watch one struggle, despite pain.
Lets hope his search for a proper doctor, works out..
Amen.S.c.
Refuah shelaimah.
DeleteAmen
DeleteNo, he is not Moshiach. Did he do many of the tasks that we are told Moshiach will do? Absolutely. Was he one of the greatest tzaddikim of our generation? Absolutely. He will not reincarnate as Moshiach. We are still waiting. May we please see Moshiach today.
ReplyDeleteno one is the actual moshiach until after they build the bais hamikdosh and in gather all jews. until then the rebbe is (and many other are also) fit to be moshiach. and can indeed be called "Moshiach" as explained in the book Kuntres Shmoi Shel Moshiach. its an english book and link was posted below.
DeleteThe Rebbe is the only Jew fit to be Moshiach.
ReplyDeleteidolizing human being is very dangerous
DeleteWhy all this fixation on who the Moshiach is? As for me, I don't care who he is, I just want him to come. We should be fixated on spending our time working hard to do what we need to do to hasten his arrival. Spending time on trying to figure out who he is does nothing to advance his arrival and is a total waste of time. As for Anonymous 2:41, I share in your pain and I've experienced and continue to experience the same thing for many years. What has helped me to hold on is to not emphasize the pain, though I have struggled with not trying to emphasize the pain because it's only natural and Hashem knows this, but to emphasize that Hashem is with you and your love one and be His partner in helping your love one. See it as a partnership. His "Arms" are wrapped around us and He and only He is our "doctor". As you search for the "proper doctor" pray to Hashem that you find the right shaliach (emissary) because that too is in the Hands of Hashem. The doctor is only a shaliach, he is not the healer. This is what got me through and continues to get me through. Refuah Shleima. Hope this helps. Rfael Yaakov
ReplyDeleteAnonymousJune 23, 2026 at 4:00 PM
Delete..I thank you... and following your advice.
You are right as also this blog, where so much help and uplifting, for people whose spirits seem down.
Hashem bless you, and all who come to this blog, and...
All followers of HaShem, Amen.
Gd, bless and keep Eretz Israel Under His Wings, which of- course He does... but to pray for the Chosen land and its People, is also good to do.. nu?
Thanks again. I so much feel better,
Sc.
I'm glad it was of some help. Again, refuah shleima. Rfael Yaakov
DeleteAnonymous @June 24, 2026 at 6:55 AM
DeleteThank you so very much , HaShem bless you and yours,
and, all of Eretz Isreal, Amen v'Amen.
Sc/
Speculation as to who is the Moshiach is widespread Minhag Yisroel since the Gemara and even before since the destruction of the bais hamikdosh ie Menachem Ben Chizkiya as stated in Yerushalmi and Medrash and later spelled out by the Sedei Chemed that said throughout the generations it was always estimated who moshiach is such as the Ari Zal..... ie its minhag yisroel and a result of yearning for moshiach.... similar to speculating who is the gadol hador
DeleteLove the people who say he is not Moshiach, firstly, whoever is Moshiach let him comealready.Secondly, you are not a Navi so you dont know if the Rebbe is or isn’t the Moshiach.
ReplyDeletebeing moshiach can come from the living or from those that have passed away. everyone can definitely regard the rebbe as fit to be moshiach
DeleteThe funny thing is, if everyone really wanted Moshiach now, they would never answer the way some of these commentators did. No, he is not, who are any of you to say no to a Tzadik. The proper response should have been, if he is let him come already.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with u!! I personally believe rabbi Berland is moshiach but only time will tell. Whoever he is just let him come Malky
DeleteNo one knows even Mashiach himself doesn’t know until they are chosen .
DeletePlease be wise. Please learn there is no possibility that he is the Mashiach. . He was incredibly gifted and had done a lot of good things in his lifetime. However, there are certain things that a person has to do in order to be the Mashiach and unfortunately, he was not in that category. He is buried in the ground and I have visited his Gravesite to pray. Please don’t start this Messiah madness campaign because this is how we ended up with false Messiahs. Yes, he had the potential to be the Messiah and was the closest thing possible because that’s what we saw in his kindness and his good deeds that and yet he did not fulfill all the tasks that a Messiah has to fulfill.
ReplyDeleteHe didn't do those extra things because Hashem did not allow it. Had the generation been worthy, then yes he would have done everything that Moshiach is supposed to do, but he himself said that he's done all he can, and now it's up to us. He did all he COULD do, but Moshiach was denied to us and so some things could not happen. You can't blame him, he did everything possible and then he was taken from us.
DeleteYou say there is no possibility that we is Moshiach! Then you are a Tzadik or a Navi or Hidden Tzadik or a Mekubal or are you a Malech? I’m guessing the answer is no, please be careful with how you answer the question and remember your talking about a Tzadik!
Deleteyou need to read Kuntres Shmoi Shel Moshiach. it got lots of praise from Rebonim from all different stripes including MO and Yeshivish.....
Deletejews don't believe in Resurrected Messiahs and Second Comings [ Jews follow the Rambam in Hilchos melachim ] . But J4J uses the Meshichistim as proof of their idolatry --- that just like Chabad believe in those concepts , those are valid concepts and the lubavachers are just waiting for the wrong person to come back ....
ReplyDeleteI am betting you didnot listen to the video because the Rabbi said maybe it's possible.
DeleteJust because the xtians ran with the idea does not mean it is not a Jewish concept as we know everything they took came from the Jews. so I say anything is possible and if it is unlikely to happen well so be it but don't say it is idolatry because it is not
The rabbi said it’s a “mistake”
DeleteThe Torah is clear on this only HaShem knows who Mashaich is and Halacha doesn’t allow a resurrected Mashaich
There are many great poskim that believe that the Rebbe is chezkat Mashiach, candidate for Mashiach, search for the list online you will be surprised.
DeleteRegarding missionaries: Many missionaries ‘keep’ Shabbos tzitzit teffilin etc. it doesn’t mean yidden should avoid those mitzvos. The same with Mashiach and techiyaat hametim.’
Like elsewhere in the answers, someone answered giving answers about Rambam and deep concepts of Mashiach without deeply learning about Mashiach is like (lehavdhil elef Havdalot) to teach Nuclear Physics by learning from TikTok.
Whoever Mashiach, is he should come fast. More importantly, who should increase in learning about Mashiach and especially Chassidus about Mashiach to help bring him.
It’s not about to the many great poskim to believe who Mashaich is as they don’t know themselves .
DeleteOnly HaShem knows and the Rebbe was not chosen by HaShem for this .
If only ‘HaShem knows’ why learn the Rambam’s criteria of the possibility of candidates of Mashiach?
DeleteAnd if only ‘HaShem knows’ how do you with certainty that the Rebbe will not be Mashiach?
You certainly agree he will merit to be resurrected along with David HaMelech and other great Tzaddikim etc. therefore continue to study his teachings and apply them because this will bring Mashiach whoever he may be.
Jews believe in Chazal and Chazal say moshiach can come from the living or from the deceased. please stop making up your own religion and creating malicious associations. speak to your LOR
DeleteThe Rebbe was the Nasi Ha'Dor without a doubt. He revitalized a broken traumatized Jewry and he began the original kiruv outreach programs when noone else was even aware of how massive a problem it would become and how much it would be needed. The Rebbe sent out an army of shluchim to span the globe and reach every Jew possible and that effort continues till this day. The Rebbe addressed every aspect of Jewish life and was readily available and approachable to every yid that needed his help. The Rebbe stood for hours every Sunday handing out dollars brochot and advice to every person that merited to walk in front of him and his secretaries were a phone call away for Jews that needed emergency advice or brochot. The Rebbe answered letters and questions from people all around the world and he mobolized Presidents to spread an awarness of God. And implemented a 7 mitzvot Bnei Noach campaign before anyone even realized thay should be done. If you had the zchit to meet the Rebbe you understood hou were standing in front of the Moshe Rabbenui of that generation. The Rebbe wasnt just a Rebbe, he was a leader in a way that was unique and recognizable.There is no doubt in my mind the Rebbe was the moshiach of that dor, he did all he could and in tye end the failure was on our part. We did not want Moshiach as desperately as we do now.
ReplyDeleteHaving said all that .....i dont care who Moshiach is just please Hashem let him come already,just let Moshiach come already...
CSF
Read the Rambam. This Rambam clearly states that it is up to us to identify someone as Moshiach [i.e. Moshiach Campaign] and if this individual completes all the tasks as laid out by the Ramban - then he is Moshiach Vidai. Please stop arguing with the Rambam.
ReplyDeleteright . the rambam is clear the tasks mashiach must accomplish in his lifetime . if he doesn't , then even if Rabbi Akiva thinks he is mashiach , he isn't . But you can't be a Lubavitcher and follow the rambam , because L's MUST believe their last rebbe was , is , and will always be the Messiah.....
Deletecheck out the website posted below about moshiach from the meisim. the author proves the point moshiach can come from the dead according to Chazal and Rambam
DeleteThis Rambam does NOT give a time frame in which to complete these all the tasks. Look at Daniel 7:13 where Daniel clearly states that Moshiach is in this World and then goes up to Shamayin to be given Kingship and Ruler ship over the world and then Moshiach is revealed back in this World as Moshiach. i.e Moshiach is revealed twice in this world
ReplyDeleteThank you. I looked it up, this is what it says:
Delete13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, there came with the clouds of heaven one like unto a son of man, and he came even to the Ancient of days, and he was brought near before Him.
The Torah teaches that the ultimate choice of Israel’s leader belongs to HaShem alone. In Parashat Shoftim, regarding a king, the Torah states: “שום תשים עליך מלך אשר יבחר ה’ אלקיך בו” — “You shall surely appoint over yourself a king whom HaShem your God will choose” (Devarim 17:15). This principle is reflected throughout Tanach. Shmuel HaNavi did not know in advance that David had been chosen until HaShem revealed it to him. Moshe Rabbeinu was chosen directly by HaShem. Chizkiyahu, according to Chazal, was considered for a unique redemptive role, yet was not chosen and he was considered one of the highest of all davidic kings because. only HaShem determines such matters. Likewise, Rabbi Akiva believed Bar Kochba could be Mashiach, but Chazal record that when Bar Kochba was killed, it became clear that he was not. The consistent pattern in Torah and Chazal is that no individual or movement can declare with certainty who Mashiach is before HaShem Himself makes it known with certainty.
DeleteThis principle is codified by Rambam in Hilchot Melachim 11:4, where he uses Bar Kochba as the model for evaluating a messianic claimant. Rambam rules that if a candidate does not complete the messianic mission, or if he dies before accomplishing it, “בידוע שאינו זה שהבטיחה עליו תורה” — “it is known that he is not the one promised by the Torah.” While some point to Midrashim, Kabbalistic teachings, prophetic verses, or later commentators such as Abarbanel to support alternative possibilities, these sources do not override the halachic framework established by Chazal and codified by Rambam. The Torah obligation is to believe that Mashiach will come, not to proclaim the identity of a particular individual before the criteria have been fulfilled.
Throughout Jewish history, many sincere people have speculated about potential redeemers, but the Torah’s standard remains unchanged: HaShem chooses, HaShem reveals, and the true Mashiach is recognized through the successful completion of his mission, not through declarations, campaigns, or belief alone.
May we all see
Redemption B”H
That was very helpful Anonymous above at 9:56, thank you.
DeleteIt doesn't matter who Moshiach is in the end only that we get the Geulah Shelaimah.... and I want to be very clear I think that dor with its opportunity of Moshiach on ananei hakavod has passed and we are probably looking at a different candidate for Moshiach.
ReplyDeleteBut Chabadnikim.aren't crazy and they don't deserve to be mocked. If you truly understood who the Rebbe was and the magnitude of what he accomplished in this world you'd think twice before being so dismissive.
CSF
Well said CSF
DeleteMy dear friends, truthfully we just don’t know anything. This will all make sense in hindsight. Even what was written in Daniel. We don’t know who will be Mashiach or when or how. And really I don’t think we should be getting stuck up on any of these ideas bc for all probability we can be totally wrong. Let’s just keep praying and trying to hasten the geula b’ rachamim! That’s it. I also keep having my guesses but I stop myself and wait each day hoping it will be sooner and come peacefully bzh!
ReplyDeleteTwo thoughts- The Rebbe stressed that we learn intonei Moshiach and stressed studying the topic of Moshiach and Geula in the Sichos & Mammorim of the Rebbes.
ReplyDeleteGiving an opinion on this topic without immersing in Chassidus is like giving an opinion on nuclear physics by watching a Tik Tok video. I don’t believe either Rabbi studied the Sichos, especially the Sichos of 1991-92.
Second, are you aware that the Rambam says that the vast majority of our sages believed like Rabbi Akiva, that Bar Kochba was the Moshiach. Since he was “killed” ( not “died”) he was disqualified..
All the questions s these Rabbis raised are addressed by the Rebbe in his Sichos.
If you think the Rebbe was a great Tzaddik, then study his works and you will find the answers because the Rebbe planned for this and left the solutions to those who seek.
Can you give us a link to some of his sichot in English that address this subject? That would be really helpful if possible.
DeleteThanking you
I think the distinction between “died” and “was killed” misses the central point of Rambam’s ruling. The key phrase is not how the candidate left the world, but Rambam’s conclusion: “If he did not succeed to this extent… it is known that he is not the one promised by the Torah.” The issue is the completion of the mission. Was the Beit HaMikdash rebuilt? Were all the exiles gathered? Was Jewish sovereignty fully restored? Was the world brought to universal knowledge of HaShem? If the answer is no, then the messianic mission was not completed.
DeleteRambam cites Rabbi Akiva and Bar Kochba precisely to teach this lesson. Rabbi Akiva was one of the greatest sages in Jewish history, and many sages believed Bar Kochba was a potential Mashiach. Yet once he was killed and the redemption did not occur, Chazal did not continue proclaiming him Mashiach. The lesson of the story is that even the greatest rabbis and sages can identify a candidate and still be mistaken.
Only HaShem ultimately reveals Mashiach through the fulfillment of the prophetic criteria.
Furthermore, the Torah consistently teaches that HaShem chooses His anointed leaders. “You shall appoint a king whom HaShem your God shall choose” (Devarim 17:15). Shmuel HaNavi did not know David was the chosen king until HaShem revealed it. Rabbi Akiva did not know with certainty regarding Bar Kochba. Chazal teach that the timing of redemption is hidden and warn against certainty in messianic matters. The pattern throughout Tanach is humility before HaShem’s plan, not certainty about a particular individual.
The question therefore is not whether a candidate was a great tzaddik, a great teacher, or inspired millions. The question is whether the Torah’s objective criteria were fulfilled. Rambam does not tell us to identify Mashiach through genius or popularity, or conviction but by completed tasks and. achievements.
Until those achievements are fulfilled, one may hope, believe, and await redemption, but one cannot claim that a deceased individual has been established as the Mashiach promised by the Torah.
Here is a link to Sichos in English 5751 https://www.chabad.org/therebbe/article_cdo/aid/2487364/jewish/Sichos-In-English-Volume-48.htm
ReplyDeleteto get the full understanding, read the entire text in the original Hebrew or Yiddish with all the footnotes where most of the esoteric secrets are hidden.
Re: anonymous 9:27 AM. You say that Rabbi AKiva and the majority of the Torah Greats were " mistaken", Rambam does not say it was a mistake. Upon whose authority do you base such a serious charge. You also imply that Rambam indiscriminately used the word "killed" instead of died? You realize Rambam was a master at using specific words to write Halachas in the mishne Torah. If he meant to say "died" he would have said died.
ReplyDeleteIn any event you missed my point. Your or my opinion is of little consequence. I wanted to communicate the Rebbe's heartfelt request repeated many times that people learn inyone geula and especially his sichos- and I believe this was open up many doors to understanding Moshiach on a higher level.
I did not say Rabbi Akiva was “mistaken” in a disrespectful sense. I am using the conclusion that emerges from Rambam’s own halachic analysis. Rambam writes that Rabbi Akiva and the sages considered Bar Kochba a potential Mashiach, but after the outcome became clear, “it was known that he was not the one promised by the Torah.” If someone is believed to be Mashiach and later it becomes known that he is not, then the assessment was not confirmed by reality. That is not a criticism of Rabbi Akiva; it is precisely the example Rambam chose to teach that even the greatest sages do not possess prophetic certainty regarding the identity of Mashiach before the mission is completed.
DeleteRegarding the word “killed,” I agree that Rambam chose his words carefully. However, the halachic point of the passage is not the manner of death but the failure to complete the mission. Rambam begins by listing objective criteria: fighting the wars of Hashem, restoring Torah observance, rebuilding the Beit HaMikdash, and gathering the exiles. He then concludes that if the candidate did not succeed in accomplishing these things, or was killed before doing so, it becomes known that he was not the Mashiach promised by the Torah. The emphasis throughout the halacha is on fulfillment, not on the technical cause of death.
My opinion is of little consequence I agree and your option is of little consequence too .
DeleteBut the bottom line is !! The Lubavitcher Rebbe was not chosen by HaShem to be King Mashaich this is really the bottom line and the discussion to end all discussions that he was not the chosen one or the final redeemer .
check out the Bar Kochba chapter on shmoishelmoshiach.com
DeleteThe operative phrase in Rambam is “if he did not succeed to this extent” (ואם לא הצליח עד כה). The Temple was not rebuilt, the exiles were not gathered, and the messianic mission was not completed. Rambam’s legal conclusion therefore is: “it is known that he is not the one promised by the Torah.” The decisive issue is not merely that the candidate was killed, but that he did not fulfill the Torah’s objective criteria by which HaShem identifies His anointed redeemer.
DeleteAnd most importantly HaShem didn’t choose him as set out in Parsha Shoftim .
Many of these ideas have been discussed in the Sefer free for download at
ReplyDeletehttps://shmoishelmoshiach.com/.
It has approbations from the Rav above in the YouTube video and from the Rabbi’s Rav, Rav Zeev Leff shlita who writes:
We pray every day to be a people who are modeh al ha’emes. In fact, one of the prerequisites towards acquiring Torah is admitting to the truth. I have, in various public venues, claimed that the idea of Moshiach arising from the dead is not a Jewish concept and has no source in Jewish tradition. After reading Rabbi Lieberman’s kuntres and reading the sources he cites to support this possibility, I feel compelled to write him a public retraction of my previous statement and acknowledge that there are definitely bona fide Torah sources supporting this idea.”
Thank you Anon @ 11.40 for the download link.
ReplyDeleteI am reading it now,
If anyone wants to read it, click here to download the English version where you will learn that "it is possible that Mashiach could be someone who has died and will be resurrected to fulfill that role".
Amazing !
Thanks so much for that.
It appears that not only was it a common belief among our Sages
ReplyDeletethat Moshiach could come from the deceased, it even appears to
have been the predominant belief at least during the second generation of Amoraim. But most importantly, as I demonstrate, Moshiach
from the deceased was a possibility that the Rambam did not rule out
Halachically.
You may recognize the name of one of the rabbis who has written a letter introducing the document linked to above. Rabbi Yehoram Ulman, who was the Rabbi at the Chanukah lighting at Bondi Beach, where 15 people were murdered and many more wounded. Rabbi Ulman is a wellknown Sydney rabbi, and runs Chabad Bondi.
DeleteI read the pages. The argument is not that Rambam explicitly teaches a deceased Mashiach will come back he doesn’t mention the ever. Rather, he argues that Rambam leaves the possibility open and then attempts to build that possibility from aggadic and Midrashic sources.
DeleteHowever, the plain language of Rambam appears to point in the opposite direction. Rambam concludes that if the candidate does not complete the mission or is killed, “it is known that he is not the one promised by the Torah.” The statement that such a person can later return and become Mashiach is not found in Rambam’s text itself but is an inference the author seeks to derive from other sources.
Therefore, the question remains: where does Rambam explicitly state that a deceased candidate who failed to complete the messianic mission can later return and become the Mashiach promised by the Torah?
Rambam knew Sanhedrin 98b, all the Midrashim, and all the aggadic discussions. Yet when he codified the laws of Mashiach, he chose to give objective criteria and concluded with “it is known that he is not the one promised by the Torah.” If Rambam intended to establish a halachic possibility of a deceased Mashiach returning, it is difficult to explain why he omitted that possibility in the very chapter where he defines the laws of Mashiach.
there is an seperate download discussing Bar Kochba. it answers your question
DeleteThe Rambam’s Finality: "It is Known He is NOT the One"
DeleteThe core of the Rambam's ruling is absolute and definitive: "בידוע שאינו זה שהבטיחה עליו תורה" ("It is known that he is NOT the one promised by the Torah").
If the Rambam meant, "He is not the one for now, but he could resurrect and finish it later," he would have written that. Instead, he uses the word בידוע (it is known with absolute certainty). Death is the ultimate disqualifier for that specific individual being the Promised Moshiach of the Torah.
2.
The Rambam says a failed candidate is like "all the other proper and whole kings of the house of David who died."
Question- Did Chazal or the Jewish people ever set up a PR campaign waiting for King Hezekiah or King Josiah to rise from the dead to be Moshiach?
No. They were righteous kings, they died, their historical window closed, and the Jewish people moved on to look for a living descendant from the House of David. Equating the candidate to past kings who died means the campaign is over.
You may have read but did not study the book (more than one download) because it explains why the terminology used is does not succeed or killed. Why mention killed rather than died…. That is according to many modern day poskim and many sources before and after Rambam (who learned the Rambam’s terminology) and understood unlike you say ‘where does ‘explicitly’ state… this is becoming useless arguing over precise terminology and learning, even to the point of having great Chachamim accept the fact of different interpretations unlike they previously taught and held. (See the approbations etc. like mentioned above)
ReplyDeleteThe most important: is continuing to learn about Mashiach in general and especially how Mashiach is explained in Chassidus.
This is the fastest and most powerful method to bring Mashiach whoever he may/will be.
The Rambam’s great precision in terminology forces one to examine the curious choice of the word ‘killed’ rather than died, like he uses for Bar Kochba. This book brilliantly explains this point I always wondered about. It also provides many sources and opinions I never knew existed. Really amazing work!
ReplyDeletethe Torah teaches that the choice of Israel’s king belongs to HaShem alone: “You shall surely appoint over yourself a king whom HaShem your God shall choose” (Devarim 17:15). Throughout The Tanach this pattern never changes. Moshe was chosen by HaShem. David was chosen by HaShem, and even Shmuel HaNavi did not know whom HaShem had chosen until He revealed it. Rabbi Akiva himself did not have prophetic certainty regarding Bar Kochba. The identity of Mashiach is not established by campaigns, declarations, or the devotion of followers, but by HaShem’s choice Only .
DeleteRambam does not codify any doctrine that a deceased messianic claimant will return to complete the messianic mission.
On the contrary, after stating that the claimant did not succeed or was killed, he concludes, “it is known that he is not the one promised by the Torah.”
Are we all in agreement that the soul of Mashiach is the same soul that comes down in every generation? It is the same soul that was present in Moshe Rabbeinu through to the last known soul of Mashiach which was the Rebbe of Lubavitch. Has there been another who has qualified so completely since the Rebbe of Lubavitch? Yes he was taken from this world and he told us that now it was up to us because he had done all he could do. Since then, who has been here that people have hoped for to be Mashiach? Only one I can think of is the Yanuka because of his incredible knowledge of Torah. But the Yanuka did not bring back all the yidden to Torah and mitzvos in the way the Rebbe did. We are still searching for the one we can look to as the potential Mashiach. Again we come back to the Rebbe and whether or not he will descend from the clouds just like the Temple will descend from the clouds. If we can believe in that then we can believe in Mashiach descending from the clouds. What better way to wake up the world to the truth that Mashiach is the One and Only King? There is no answer to this question because it is an unknown. But please go ahead and tell me there is another potential Mashiach awaiting his calling. We have not found him and so people will naturally always think of the Rebbe.
ReplyDelete- Just a Chassid
Whether another candidate has appeared since the Rebbe is therefore beside the point. Judaism does not require us to identify a candidate in every generation. Our obligation is to believe in Mashiach’s coming and await him, not to proclaim his identity. Rambam gives objective criteria: rebuilding the Beit HaMikdash, gathering the exiles, restoring Torah observance, and completing the messianic mission. Until those are fulfilled, no individual can be established as Mashiach Vadai.
DeleteFinally, comparing the Temple descending from Heaven with a deceased individual returning as Mashiach is not something Rambam makes. Rambam codifies no doctrine that a deceased messianic claimant returns to complete his mission. On the contrary, he concludes that if the candidate “did not succeed to this extent, or was killed, it is known that he is not the one promised by the Torah” (Hilchot Melachim 11:4).
If someone wishes to argue for a different conclusion, the burden is to show where the Torah, Chazal, or Rambam explicitly teach it. Faith in Mashiach is a Torah obligation; certainty about the identity of a particular deceased individual is not.
Many commentaries like the Ben Ish Chai mention exactly like you mention: if the Jewish people merit we receive Mashiach and Temple ‘from the clouds’ (I.e. miraculously). The ben Ish chai says explicitly this means resurrected Mashiach!
DeleteThe other pathway is riding on a donkey which is nature.
This makes one think that there might be a combination such as miracles enclothed within nature like Purim etc.
In one of my dreams, I already saw the Rebbe coming from the clouds, so to speak.
DeleteI am therefore biased.... I already have that image in my mind. It's no stretch for my imagination. IY"H we will merit a miraculous redemption VERY SOON. Nothing else will do !!
Just by the way, I am not a 'Lubavitcher", I did not really know who the Rebbe was until about 1990, although my sister a"h always spoke about him. My first dream of him was in 1996, but it feels just as real today as it was then.
ReplyDeleteI guess this idea of Moshiach coming down from the clouds is something we share with Islam. The IRGC also believes their Moshiach will "return" as he is someone who was alive once before and then ascended. And he will descend from the clouds to restore the kingdom of Islam across the world. However, they believe that a cataclysmic event is needed and that's why they'll never abandon their nuke program. Western leaders think it's about politics and money, but it's not. It's about "Moshiach." For me, I'm not looking to the clouds. And I'm not trying to guess who he is. My eyes are on the hills behind my house as tradition says Moshiach will first appear in the Galil. Every day I wait. May he be revealed before Tisha b'Av.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Whoever he is, just let him be revealed.
DeleteThank you everyone for your comments. I'm closing them off now.
ReplyDelete