Orthodox and Non-Orthodox Judaism part 18

From 1951, virtually all Chabad Hasidim viewed the new Lubavitcher Rebbe as at least a potential, or even a likely, Mashiach. After all, there is the belief of most Jews that in every generation there is one individual who will become Mashiach if we are worthy. It stood to reason that since (Chabad believes) it is the last (and greatest)  expression, or even  revelation, of Torah, a Lubavitcher Rebbe would be the logical candidate for messiahship. Besides, he was the seventh Rebbe, corresponding to the attribute of Malchut. What's more, he was childless, so  there could never be an heir to the position of Lubavitcher Rebbe, so it MUST be HE. True, he had a brother in law who could also lay claim to the title. But when the previous Rebbe had died, the brother in law challenged Rabbi Menachem Mendel for the position of Rebbe. When, at the end of a year, the dust settled, and Rabbi Menachem Mendel was the clear choice, his rival became the butt of jokes, and was relegated to the position of principal in the Lubavitch High School. He, and his children, were never given full credibility again. On top of this, when the Talmudic rabbis had speculated on the name of the Messiah, Menachem (a comforter) was a favorite pick. The Rebbe would end each of his addresses with the hope that Mashiach would come "Really soon" (b'karov mamash). Since "mamash" (really) was formed from the Rebbe's initials, many took this as a broad hint of Mashiach's identity. Everything seemed to be lined up. For most Chabad Hasidim, this was information to be kept in one's heart and mind, while they watched and waited. For others, this became the focus of their lives. The previous Rebbe had declared that Mashiach would come in his lifetime. The new Rebbe explained, based on a verse in Judges, that twenty years after one's death is still considered his "lifetime". The previous Rebbe had commissioned the writing of a Torah scroll that would be presented to Mashiach. It was to be left unfinished until Mashiach came. In 1970, at the twentieth anniversary of the previous Rebbe's death, Rabbi Menachem Mendel ordered "Mashiach's Torah" to be completed. It was dedicated at a huge festive gathering. The Rebbe said that the Redemption had not quite arrived, but would be very soon. The hands of those who considered him to be Mashiach were greatly strengthened. They now formed a new organization called "Machaneh Yisrael" (the Camp of Israel), but soon became more commonly known as "the Meshichists". Surprisingly, the Rebbe appeared to remain neutral in this, or at least ambiguous. At one public gathering (Farbrengen), he totally denied being the Messiah. At another, he announced "Mashiach is here, right now in this room, and his name is Menachem". The focus of the Mashichists was, and is, to let the world know that the promised redeemer had come. The rabbinic leadership of the Chabad movement put out public letters condemning this speculation. But In Israel, the Mashichists were, and are, the majority in the Chabad community. I remember riding in buses through the Arab cities of Ramallah and El Bireh, seeing signs with the Lubavicher Rebbe's picture, captioned, in Arabic, "Mashiach". Others bore his picture with a sunrise, informing our Arab neighbors that our Redeemer had arrived. Just as the previous Rebbe experienced great opposition from Rav Aaron Kotler, the Rebbe was bitterly opposed by the leader of Israel's "Yeshivish" community, Rabbi Eliezar Menachem Man Shach (1899-2001). He declared the Rebbe and his followers to be heretics. He banned the study of Chabad literature. As the Rebbe had instituted a regular daily study of RAMBAM's legal code, Rav Shach even banned that. He even condemned some American Yeshiva deans, who maintained friendly relations with the Lubavitcher Rebbe.  This was all to come to a head in the rebbe's last years, as well as after his death. To be continued