The World to Come part 4

Diametrically opposed to the approach of RAMBAM, the understanding of Olam Haba in Kabbalah is far more egalitarian and positive.  A relatively small percentage of Jews study Kabbalah, but many study RAMBAM. Nevertheless, the Kabbalistic view has become the popular accepted one, especially concerning Olam HaBa. Basically, the soul of Man is divided into units which correspond to the limbs and organs of the body. Through the various aspects of the soul, the body can be brought to connect with parallel aspects of the Divine realm. Man can connect to G-d through his soul. This connection is called "devekut" (clinging), and is responsible for true feelings of transcendence and spirituality. In turn, each mitzvah is the vehicle for linking part of the body, through the soul, back into the "root" of the mitzvah above. If one has fulfilled everything they should have, the soul, at the death of the body, ascends to its proper place in Heaven, delighting in the knowledge and closeness with G-d. If something has been blemished, it must be cleansed. It will then descend to Gehinnom, of which there are several levels. This is for the sake of the repair (tikkun) of the soul, not Divine vengeance. Think of it being like surgery. At the conclusion of this cleansing, nearly all souls ascend, with the exception of the most brutally wicked, who must wait for their tikkun, in some cases, until the coming of Mashiach. In many cases, the great Tzaddikim, living and dead, will have pity on these souls, and through their prayers and meditations repair and elevate them. This is done daily during the Tachanun prayer after the morning amidah. Good deeds done in their memory by others will also serve to repair and elevate these people. Upon ascending to Heaven, the soul is constantly rising from plane to plane. coming ever closer to G-d Himself. There is a special elevation on the anniversary of death, known as Yahrtzeit (literally, "the time of the year"). There are various customs performed by relatives and other loved ones on the occasion of the Yahrtzeit. However, if, after cleansing, it is found that the soul is missing an area of fulfillment, something vital left undone, then it is sent back to be born again into this world. It can sometimes happen that a soul already in Paradise, might ascend to a level at which something has been left undone in relation to that level, and will be sent back down to complete the task. Some are sent down not for their own tikkun, but in order to teach and guide others. In some cases, people are reincarnated in non-human form; animal vegetable or mineral. These await being used by a living person in the service of G-d, affecting their final tikkun. Reincanation as a fish is the most common. This is a primary basis for the Kabbalistic understanding of the custom of eating fish at every Shabbat meal. We are elevating souls that still require some tikkun to reach their proper place. In fact, any physical object we use in the service of G-d may have a soul lurking there, awaiting tikkun. There is a constant connection between the living and the dead. In fact, Rabbi Nachman used the spinning dreidel as a metaphor of physical transforming to spiritual, and vice versa. At the coming of Mashiach, a process will begin in which the world will become increasingly spiritual, until Olam Hazeh (this world) and Olam Haba will come together. Then the resurrection of the dead will come about.
Rabbi Nachman, speaking in the first decade of the nineteenth century, once foretold: "A great spirit of Atheism and Heresy is descending on the Earth. A simple Jew who washes his hands for HaMotzi (the blessing for bread. Washing being one of the most elementary aspects of Jewish life. In fact, in observant circles, one doesn't say "Let's eat" but rather "let's wash") will be as unique as the Baal Shem Tov in his time". His students became frightened. "Perhaps we shouldn't bring children into the world?" Rabbi Nachman replied: "You do yours...when Mashiach comes, everyone will have a tikkun, going all the way back to Adam".

The World to Come part 3

Moses Maimonides (RAMBAM) is arguably the most central figure in Jewish philosophy. To this day, there is great controversy about his true thoughts. Some see his philosophy as a kind of code, hiding Kabbalistic teachings. Many deny this. It is often forgotten that his books were burned in Ashkenazic lands during his lifetime, and after his death. Rabbi Jacob Emden wrote in the early eighteenth century that it is inconceivable that the great halachist of RAMBAM's legal code could have written such a heretical book as Guide for the Perplexed. He concludes that it is certainly a forgery. Some early Hasidic leaders venerated his philosophical works, while others forbade glancing at them. His legal code is clear in halachah, but vague in philosophy. This is nowhere more true than in the matter of Olam HaBa; the World to come. After having published his great Code, controversy broke out as to what he was saying, or even if he might be guilty of heresy. This was true to such an extent, that he wrote a separate treatise "Maamar Tehiyat Hametim" (Treatise on Resurrection). His views differ from those expressed in the Talmud, as well as from the views of most of his contemporaries. First of all, he pictures life after death as a spiritual plane, in which those who have toiled in the understanding of G-d in this world, will TRULY understand in the next. This understanding will be a great pleasure and joy. This is the meaning of the Talmudic statement that the righteous will sit with their crowns on their heads. They will perceive that which they only know externally in this world. He posits no hereafter for those who failed to ponder these matters on earth. (Rabbi Nachman of Breslov railed against this elitist idea of Paradise). The statement "All Israel have a share in the world to come" is speaking of potentiality, not what is. The vast majority of people, including Jews, will never see the World to Come. He also separates the ideas of Resurrection from the Messianic Era. Resurrection may occur before or after the coming of Mashiach. It will be a temporary, limited, miraculous phenomenon. Those who will be resurrected will also eventually die. What the purpose of this resurrection is is not clear in RAMBAM. In Daniel, it is for the purpose of a great Judgement. RAMBAM makes no mention of any future judgment. He also posits a post Messianic joining of the physical and spiritual worlds, which is the ultimate goal. At this time, knowledge of G-d will exist in this world on the ultimate level. The wicked will simply go into non-existence. Those guilty of great crimes, will experience great shame; presumably, eternally. In RAMBAM, there is no possibility of anything after death rectifying past deeds. This includes prayers or actions by the living, and even Divine punishment. I must say that these ideas are in striking contrast to what most Jews believe. Even staunch Maimonists tend to shy away from them. It is no wonder that these views were put aside for centuries in favor of Kabbalistic concepts (next post). Even after the Shabbatean debacle, when many "rediscovered " Maimonist philosophy as a safer substitute, few chose to talk of these ideas. I cannot imagine speaking at a funeral, or even within my own heart and mind, that eternity is granted only to PhDs. I love RAMBAM, and study his legal code daily, but see his approach in these matters as far too cerebral, or simply Aristotelian. As he wrote in his Guide, that the views of the Talmudic sages about the hereafter were "Imagination", I would prefer to apply those words  even more to his own philosophy. It is vital, however, to understand that there is more than one Jewish view on almost everything. In my next post, I will go into the Kabbalistic viewpoint. Honestly, that is where I really live.

The World to Come part 2

The ideas of both the afterlife, and the world after the resurrection, are basic beliefs in the Talmud, as well as post Talmudic Judaism. Nevertheless, as Judaism is primarily concerned with sanctifying the here-and-now, the ideas are vague, and subject to interpretation. In fact, RAMBAM, in his philosophical work, Guide for the Perplexed, while accepting both concepts, considers any and all descriptions as "imagination". (More on that in my next post). What are we told? First of all, we have the statement "All Israel have a share in the world to come". However, the very next line says "And these are they who have no share in the world to come". Several names are then given of those whose deeds have excluded them from reward. What is the afterlife like? "The righteous sit with crowns on their heads, basking in the rays of the Divine Presence". We are told that "each righteous person inherits three hundred and ten worlds". We are not, however, told the meaning or nature of these worlds. Interestingly, the word for "worlds" is ""olamot", which is very close to "alamot" ("maidens"). Some speculate that this may be the source of the concept of Paradise in Islam. The word for "Paradise" is "Gan Eden", literally, "the Garden of Eden (delight)". Is this the same Garden of Eden as in Genesis? No, there is a Heavenly Garden of Eden and an Earthly Garden of Eden; the latter being the one in Genesis. (Although the Zohar seems to indicate that the Garden of Eden in Genesis was also not in this world) There is a debate in the Talmud if Righteous Gentiles also enter the World to Come. The conclusion is yes, indeed they do. What about those people, Jew or Gentile, who do not merit this reward? They go to Gehinnom. This is pictured as a place of great suffering, although the nature of that suffering is not described, except by saying that earthly fire is "one sixtieth" of the fire of Gehinnom. Interestingly, the word "Gehinnom" is actually the name of a valley next to Jerusalem, in which people used to sacrifice children to the pagan god Molech. The Talmud tells us that the maximum sentence for Gehinnom is twelve months, with most people receiving lesser sentences. Gehinnom, therefore, is more like the Catholic Purgatory than Hell. Some individuals, however, are not so fortunate. Some very great sinners have punishment that is ongoing. When people exit Gehinnom, they achieve Paradise. There are some aggadic statements that people can be aided in the next world by the good deeds of others, especially their children. This would later be hotly debated. There are also stories in Kabbalah of individuals who return to this world, to teach or aid others. Often, people come back to complete tasks that were left undone.
As to the Resurrection, it is described in glowing terms as the righteous arising from their graves, dressed in many beautiful garments. They will encounter a very different world from the one they left behind. It will be a world in which spirituality will be manifest in all things. The unity of the material and spiritual will have been accomplished. Many later rabbis consider this, rather than the afterlife, as the main "World to Come".
Both philosophers and mystics enlarged on these ideas, giving profound insights on the meaning of these ideas. Especially in Kabbalah, the spiritual world takes on more tangible meaning, and is intrinsically connected with our lives now. To be continued.

The World to Come part 1

First, it must be remembered that the Torah is not a book of doctrine, but rather a code of behavior. We look in vain for clear pictures of the meaning of death, the nature and fate of the soul, or the future events awaiting Man or the Jewish people. There are, to be sure, hints; but these can often be understood either literally or allegorically. All of these questions are the province of the Oral Tradition. Even there, however, we find many opinions and interpretations. The ancient Sadducees, who rejected the Oral Torah, denied a hereafter. The views of the afterlife found in other religions that stemmed from Judaism are much more influenced by the Oral Tradition than by Scripture.
Well, let's see what we DO find. The term "Sheol" is frequently used throughout the Tanach. It may, and probably does, simply mean "the grave". Non-traditional scholars, as well as Karaite heresy, interpret it to be like the Greek "Hades", where the souls continue a shadowy, dull existence. According to the Karaites, all are equal there, with no concept of reward or punishment. Many Christian groups understand Sheol to mean Hell. That this is unlikely can be seen from Jacob's statement, after hearing of the supposed death of Joseph, "I will go down in unhappiness to Sheol".Did Jacob believe he was going to Hell? When King David learns of the death of his first son with Bathsheba, he says "He will not return to me, I will go to him". Is he speaking of an afterlife, or merely metaphorically of death? The one case I can think of that strongly implies the continued existence of the soul, is the story of Saul and the Witch of En Dor. G-d has abandoned Saul, and he resorts to going to a Witch (most of whom he has killed) in order to bring up the soul of Samuel, who had anointed him and guided him in the first days of his reign. Samuel "rises from the Earth", and tells Saul of his doom the next day. But did the Witch actually have power? Many of the rabbis interpret this story literally. Many believe that the Witch was powerless, but G-d sent Samuel , much to the Witch's amazement. Still others believe that the entire story is to be interpreted allegorically. King Solomon, in the cynical mood of his last years, questions: "Who knows the spirit of man whether it goes upward, and the spirit of the beast whether it goes downward to the earth?" (Kohelet 3:21). Yet, he also says: "And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to G-d who gave it". (Kohelet 12:7) But what does returning to G-d mean? How? Where? These are all questions that are dealt with at length in rabbinic literature, which I will discuss in my next post.
Much clearer than the afterlife, is the idea of bodily resurrection. Ezekiel's vision of the dry bones coming to life would seem to imply resurrection. But it is most probably, from the context, a metaphor for the reestablishment of the exiles in Babylon to the Land of Israel. There are several verses in Isaiah that allude to resurrection, but Daniel has it most clearly: " And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to reproaches and everlasting abhorrence.  And they that are wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; they that turn the many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever". (Daniel 12:2-3) Daniel seems to clearly state that the dead will live again. But his words indicate a terrible judgment. That idea is to be found in Talmud and other rabbinic literature. However, RAMBAM, as we shall see, totally rejects the notion of a day of judgment. Moreover, these verses imply an eternal punishment. But the Talmud rejects eternal punishment. Why? And what has been happening to the souls in the time between death and resurrection? The Karaites assume that it has been in a sort of suspended animation, or more correctly, the shadowy existence in Sheol. The rabbis, however, see it as a time of heavenly bliss, with the resurrection finally uniting Heaven and Earth. Interestingly, RAMBAM, in his legal code, deals only briefly with resurrection, and much more with the afterlife. Yet, in his Thirteen Articles of Faith, he lists the resurrection as a bedrock principle, but fails to mention the afterlife at all. The apocryphal Book of Maccabees speaks of the Jews praying for their dead comrades after a battle. Can the dead be "helped"? Many of the Jewish philosophers, including RAMBAM, vigorously reject this notion. Yet, prayers for the dead are a major feature of Jewish worship in nearly all communities. (Interestingly, the quote in Maccabees is probably the reason why Catholics accept, while Protestants reject, that book). Like in many areas, the Tanach contains many treasures and secrets, waiting to be unlocked by the Oral Tradition. I will discuss some of these "keys" in my next installments.

Christianity

I'm about to do something I said would not be tolerated here. If someone wants to boot me...
I made a policy of not discussing other religions. But I see that there is much misunderstanding, and much resentment on this topic.
First of all, what is a Jew? Our Tradition recognizes one as a Jew who was either born into that Nation that made a Covenant with G-d at Sinai, or who had duly joined that Covenant by means of conversion. "Feeling Jewish" is not a criterion, any more than my deciding that I like your family, and am therefore your brother.
Once Jewish, one cannot be made non-Jewish, even if they should sacrifice to Zeus every day. They are, however, violating the covenant. A covenant is a contract. One party not keeping the terms of a contract does not mean that the Contract is null and void. They will, however, face consequences. I have a close friend (of 40 years standing) who is a Wiccan Priestess. She worships many gods and goddesses. But she is born Jewish, and darn proud of that. If you tell her she is not Jewish, you had better duck...fast! She has two children, who are, according to halachah, Jewish. No Orthodox rabbi would ever say differently.
Now, we must talk about Jesus. Some question if he even existed. There is only one contemporary mention of him, and that is likely a forgery. He could very well be a composite figure. Many of the events, in both Jewish and Christian sources, do not jive chronologically. The name "Yeshua" was the second most common male Jewish name at that time, after Simeon. Confusion between figures is certainly possible. I will go here by the assumption that the stories in the Gospels are substantially historical, albeit written from a non-objective stance. Let's start at the beginning. Mary was "Betrothed" to Joseph, who had not yet "taken her". See my series about Jewish marriage. That means that she had had "kiddushin", the part of the ceremony when she becomes forbidden to any other man, but is not yet permitted to her husband, but not "Nissuin", which permits her to him. We know from Jewish sources that the custom in Judea was to separate these ceremonies by 12 months. (Today, we do both together, separated only by the reading of the Ketubah). According to Torah law, that made Jesus a "Mamzer", a bastard born of adultery. It would invalidate him from ever marrying, or holding any official position. He would be an outcast, a pariah. (I do not wish to discuss now the morality of this rule). Now, when we look at what Jesus is alleged to have taught, we see a great deal of frustration and anger against what he perceives to be injustice. This could very well be a reflection on his personal situation. Beyond that, about 90% of what he said is completely consistent with Jewish law and tradition. In many ways, he can be seen as a continuation of Hillel, who lived a centurt earlier, who put Man and human dignity first. However, there is nothing new in these teachings, only a different emphasis. As to the other 10%, there are denials of basic Jewish concepts (It has been said unto you...but I say...), violation of Shabbat in non life threatening situations, and at least broad hints of both Messiahship and Divinity. (Although these statements can be otherwise interpreted). There is little doubt that he would have been seen as a heretic, although there are contradicting stories in the Gospels about his relationship with the rabbis. The upper classes (the ruling class and the Priesthood) were vassals of Rome, and feared any talk of a King of the Jews. (Crucified criminals had a sign over their cross indicating their crime. Hence, the sign "King of the Jews" over Jesus' cross.) His followers were common people and the disenfranchised. There is no indication that he had a following among the learned or devout. In terms of the Jews, he is a footnote on one page of Jewish history. As a Messiah, he had failed miserably. He was just another pretender to that role, one of scores. Then comes Paul. Paul never met Jesus in the flesh; only in vision. Paul rarely quotes Jesus, or makes reference to the events in his life. Paul's message is overwhelmingly about Jesus' death. Paul is a Hellenize Jew. The Greeks believed that the gods sometimes came to Earth, born as humans. (You will recognize this idea from its Hindu version; the Avatar). This form of the gods is called "Soter" in Greek, meaning Savior. Paul made a Jewish heretic into a Greek god!. Among early Christians, there were both Jews and non-Jews. Paul posited that all believers were grafted on to the original covenant (Romans 9 and 11), which no longer requires observance of the laws "If there is salvation under the law, Christ died in vain" (Galatians 2:21). (Salvation itself was a Pauline concept, but let's leave that for anther day). The Jews were henceforth flooded with non-Jews, claiming to be Jews "grafted by faith". The rabbis saw this as a grave danger to Jewish identity, and composed an anti-Christian "blessing" that was inserted into the amidah prayer. (For the last thousand years, it has been changed to a curse upon "evil doers and slanderers".) This forced Christianity to go its own way. Nearly all Christianity after this point is antisemitic. Fortunately, the most virulent groups were thrown out at the Council of Nicaea, in CE, albeit not becasue of their antisemitism. Persecution of Jews continued from that time until today, in various guises (NOT only Catholics). More Jews have been killed in Jesus' name than any other cause. It is no wonder that for most Jews, the name "Jesus" is emotionally on a par with Hitler. Christian missionaries had very little success with Jews, until "Moshe Rosen" (ordained and funded by the Southern Baptist Church) founded Jews for Jesus in the 1960s, which presented the option of being Jewish and following Jesus. Before the 1967 Six day War, most Evangelicals were anti-Israel, but switched to a supportive position as it seemed that Israel was fulfilling the prophecies in the Book of Revelation. Thus was born the "Messianic" movement.
Jews today take different stances concerning Jesus. Some see him as an evil, almost demonic, figure. Medieval legends and superstitions have been melded into a kind of paranoia. At one time, Jews in Christian Europe were not allowed out in the streets on Christmas Eve, so as not to pollute the "Holy Night". Christmas, in Italian, is Natale. Jews could not go to synagogue or study halls. Today, many Ashkenazi Jews do not study Torah on the first half of Christmas Eve. The reason has been forgotten. The belief has become that if we study, we are giving Jesus "energy" (chiyut). I know many who are "strict" to avoid study on Roman, Greek and Russian Christmases! Others, including yours truly, see this as ludicrous. On the other hand, most Reform, and many Conservative rabbis, are perfectly willing to give Jesus "billing" as a Jewish thinker, minus Messiahship, Divinity...or Paul. For many others (including me), he is simply irrelevant, an "also ran". But, as I have shown elsewhere, most rabbis regard Christianity as acceptable for non-Jews. As such, it has brought them to G-d, and we await their coming closer. I freely and sincerely wish my Christian friends a "Merry Christmas", as they greet me for my festivals. (I usually get unfriended by a few people every year for this). So, I have little regard for Jesus, or for Christianity. We have suffered immensely becasue of him. But over a billion people acknowledge the G-d of Israel through that faith. I see it, as RAMBAM states, as a necessary stage in the development of Man's quest for G-d. I look forward to human progress in that area.

Hanukah

I have been asked to speak about Hanukah. I originally wasn't going to, as this group is about community. Then I realized that Hanukah is, essentially, about community and its meaning. When the Judeans returned from the Babylonian Exile (c. 400 bce), they were vassals of Persia. We actually know less about that period than any other time in our history. Persia fell to Greece, in the time of Alexander the Great. Alexander died at the age of 33, in 323 bce. His empire was then divided among his generals. Judea was in a tug-of-war between Egyptian-Greek rule and Syrian-Greek rule. The Syrians eventually prevailed. The policy of the Alexandrian Hellenistic Empire was to conquer the known world (they came pretty close!) and to establish that culture on all subject peoples, while making allowances for local nuances. The majority of the Jews welcomed the opportunity to become "citizens of the world". The Temple of Jerusalem was converted into a Temple of Zeus. A small band of zealots, led by a Priestly family, rebelled. This was not, however, as usually pictured, a fight against foreign oppression and domination, but primarily a civil war between the more numerous Hellenists, and the smaller group of those loyal to Torah and Judaism. (Syrian Greek troops aided the Hellenists) The war lasted for seven years. Two years into the fighting, the Temple Mount was liberated, even though most of Jerusalem, as well as most of the country, were still in Hellenist hands. The Temple was cleansed, and the Divine Service was restored. If not for this event, Judaism would likely have ended at this juncture in history. At the end of the seven year struggle, a Maccabeean State arose. This was the only independence that Judea knew in the Second Temple period. As I wrote in my piece about Thanksgiving, the heroes of this story can be criticized for many things. Firstly, we are speaking about a bloody civil war. Secondly, the surviving Maccabees usurped the Throne, rather than re-instituting the Davidic Kingdom. After a few generations, they became oppressive to Judaism itself, and murdered hundreds of rabbis. Along the way, they forcibly converted the Iddumeans to Judaism, eventually resulting in one, Herod, seizing the throne and murdering the remaining Maccabees. Two Maccabeean brothers struggled for power, and one INVITED IN THE ROMANS! (Herod was their puppet). Hanukah gets one quarter of a page in the Talmud, while Purim gets an entire tractate. In fact, we have no Jewish source for the word "Maccabee". (There are two possible explanations for the word, and two possible spellings). So why do we celebrate Hanukah? For the rededication of not only the Temple, but the people to G-d, and the rebirth of Judaism. Hanukah means dedication. The story of the cruise of oil, and the Menorah burning for eight days, is unknown in our literature until three centuries after the event. (The Books of Maccabees are to be found in Catholic Bibles, not ours. They do not mention this event. Neither does the "al hanissim prayer which we recite during Hanukah). Many consider it a mere legend. In my opinion, it was a real event that was known only to the few. The historian, Josephus, writing in the first century, after completing the historical details, writes "it is also called the festival of lights, but I don't know why". It seems to me that there was a vague memory, which had been largely forgotten by all but a few. In any case, the miracle of the oil is secondary to the rededication, and rebirth, of Judaism. The Maccabees aren't even secondary. They are almost incidental. We ceelbrate the miracles of G-d, and His workings through history. The rabbis instituted the command of Hanukah candles, and put great emphasis on it. It is one of the few commands that we must sell our shoes, if necessary, in order to fulfill. That is becasue it is "pirsuma nisa", making the miracle known, recognizing that G-d is the G-d of history. Customs arose in Jewsih communities to eat fried foods, in memeory of the oil of the Menorah, as well as dairy foods, since one of the Greek generals was killed by a Jewish woman named Judith, who gave him dairy foods, causing him to sleep (This, too, is in the Catholic Bible, but is also preserved in a Midrash).. Once asleep, she killed him. (This is very similar to the story of Yael in the Tanach). Happy Hanukah!

The Messiah part 12

The Lubavitcher Rebbe was adored by many, but also hated by many. The heads of the Lithuanian Yeshivot, traditionally opposed to Hasidism in general, had made their peace with it for the most part. But Chabad had, in a relatively short time, made a profound impact not only on American Jewry, but worldwide. That spelled danger for the Lithuanian Yeshiva approach. Tones of Messianism had been present in Chabad for at least a century. As soon as Rabbi Shneerson assumed his position, one Rosh Yeshiva, who had long been an opponent of Chabad, stated "That crazy man from Lubavitch thinks he is Mashiach". As the years went by, the most prominent representative of the Lithuanian approach, Rabbi M. Shach (of Bnai Brak, Israel), made a point of opposing everything the Rebbe did and said. Even when the Rebbe instituted a daily study session in RAMBAM's legal code, Rav Shach was opposed."If it is such a good idea, why didn't the Chafetz Chaim come up with it, WHOSE HEART WAS CERTAINLY MORE OPEN!". He decried the Rebbe's statements as being things that "should not be thought, let alone said". When the Rebbe passed away, and Meshichist Chabad essentially took over the movement in Israel, the floodgates were open. In the U.S., the cudgel was taken up by Rabbi David Berger, one of the deans of the Modern Orthodox Yeshiva University. He wrote a book in 2001, called "The Rebbe, the Messiah, and the Scandal of Orthodox Indifference". He argued that the Chabad concept of Mashiach contradicts traditional theology (which I pointed out in a previous post had only become "standard" after the Shabbetai Tzvi debacle). As such, they are no longer to be considered Orthodox Jews. He chastised those Orthodox Jewish groups that cooperated with them, and paints Chabad as modern-day Hebrew Christians, only with a different Messiah. The Israeli Chief Rabbinate has largely accepted that view, and will not convert non-Jews who believe that the Rebbe is the Messiah. Rabbi Berger's attacks continue to this day. There was a popular blog "FailedMessaih.com" that was founded especially against Chabad Messianism but later dealt with all types of scandals in the Orthodox community. In 2015, it was bought out...and closed down. A rather unlikely defender of Chabad appeared in the form of Rabbi Aaron Soloveichik, a long-time Rosh Yeshiva in Chicago, and a scion of one of the main streams of Lithuanian Jewry. Although he certainly didn't regard the Rebbe as Mashiach, he pointed out that there were many conflicting views on the subject (as I have shown in part 2 of this series). Even the possibility of a dead Mashiach finds advocates in the Talmud, and therefore people espousing that view cannot be considered beyond the Pale. Ironically, his statements were immediately celebrated by Jews for Jesus, as being a vindication of Christianity. They dubbed him "The Tzaddik from Chicago".This served to further alienate many Jews from the Chabad approach. Although I in no way support the idea of the Meshichsts, I agree that Jewish thought is not as rigid as we have been led to believe by those who accepted Maimonist philosophy as the sole definition of Judaism. (Ironically, Chabad are big fans of RAMBAM's philosophy, albeit heavily reinterpreted). There is a wide spectrum in Judaism for varying outlooks, and we should not be quick to rule anything out, as long as it accepts the basic concepts of Torah and halachah. The entire topic of Mashiach, as we have seen, although a central theme, is only marginally defined. Disputes over it have brought us a very great deal of suffering. When Mashiach comes, we will know it. When I lived in Israel, I had a neighbor who tried to convince me that Yitzchak Shamir (then Prime Minister of Israel) was Mashiach. I laughed. I didn't try to stone him. I didn't even consider him a heretic; just silly. When the Exiles are gathered in, the Temple rebuilt, and Peace will reign, we will know that Mashiach has arrived. Speculation is, in my opinion, silly. May HaShem send His righteous redeemer soon.