What Chabad's Late Rebbe Really Said About The Messiah

Rabbi Dr. David Berger has written a long review of the three new books marketed as biographies of the late Chabad-Lubavitch Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson – Rabbi Joseph Telushkin's, Rabbi Chaim Miller's, and Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz's. Each book omits key facts and downplays Chabad messianism, and thanks to Berger, you can see what these three authors intentionally omitted.

Above: Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson

Updated 11:36 am CDT

Rabbi Dr. David Berger has written a long review for Tablet Magazine of the three new books marketed as biographies of the late Chabad-Lubavitch Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson – Rabbi Joseph Telushkin's, Rabbi Chaim Miller's, and Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz's.

All three of these books are dishonest to some degree.

But one, Telushkin's, is much more so than the others, and Berger's review makes that abundantly clear, including pointing out a quote Telushkin unethically truncated to change its meaning.

Berger's real service, though, is laying out the material these three books dishonestly avoid reporting – what the late Rebbe actually said about the identity of the messiah.

Berger writes:

…I must begin with what seems like a digression. The Rebbe’s spiritual, even metaphysical relationship to his father-in-law is a key element in understanding him—and no one will ever grasp it fully. Throughout his discourses, he referred to his predecessor as the prince (nasi) of the generation and periodically noted that he is also the messiah of the generation, but the Rebbe also affirmed that this status is continued through the one who took his place. He also said of his predecessor, “His soul is in me.” Thus, all the Hasidim understood the Rebbe’s depictions of his father-in-law as references to himself.…

Here then is a sampling of statements made by the Rebbe that combined to generate a deep conviction among the Hasidim that he is the messiah. Except in some cases where I provide a link to a website, all of these statements—and many more—appear with precise annotation in one or more of the following Hebrew collections: Ve-hu Yig’allenu (Brooklyn, 1994, translated into English as And He Will Redeem Us [Brooklyn, 1994]); Ha-Tekufah ve-ha-Geullah be-Mishnato shel ha-Rebbe mi-Lubavitch (Kfar Chabad, 1999);Be-Emunah Shelemah ed. by S. Shmida (Jerusalem, 2000); Ha-Nekudah ha-Habadit 2 (Marcheshvan 5764 [2003]).

1. “The Prince of the generation is—‘Messiah’… I have no objection if ‘Messiah’ is interpreted in its straightforward sense—our Righteous Messiah, since this is the truth—that the Prince of the generation is the Messiah of the generation.”

2. “Our Righteous Messiah…my teacher and father-in-law the Prince of our generation.”

3. “My teacher and father-in-law the Prince of our generation, the only Messiah of our generation.”

4. Commenting on the phrase, “They will be redeemed immediately (miyad)”: “So will this happen to us in actual reality, and with actual immediacy, with all the interpretations ofmiyad…and particularly with respect to this generation of ours…For the [three-letter] acrostic of MiYaD represents the three periods associated with my teacher and father-in-law the Prince of our generation in the order of their proximity to us: Mashiach (whose name is Menachem), Yosef Yitzchak, Dov Baer.” The last two are the names of the Rebbe’s predecessors in reverse chronological order. This is the closest he came to an explicit assertion that he is the Messiah, and one can plausibly argue that it is in fact fully explicit.

5. Referring to his father-in-law: “After it has become known that he is a prophet, the people should believe in him, and they should not disparage or criticize him. Their belief should not be in the prophet as an individual, but as a messenger charged with communicating the words of God. This concept has to be publicized to everyone in this generation. It must be made known that we have merited that G-d has chosen and appointed a person who in himself is immeasurably greater than the people of his generation, to serve as a judge, adviser, and prophet to the generation…until the main prophecy, ‘To redemption immediately,’ for ‘Behold Mashiach is coming’ right away in the literal sense (mammash).” (The entire discourse can be read in English here. I have made some modifications in the translation.)

6. There is a rabbinic text that prohibits full-throated laughter in the pre-Messianic age, though not all authorities took this quite literally and observant Jews have generally set it aside. The Rebbe asserted that this prohibition is no longer applicable because it applies only through the moment before the revelation of the messiah. “But since the Prince of our generation [referring explicitly to his father-in-law] was the Messiah of our generation and he was revealed in full force,” it follows that untrammeled laughter is now permitted and even encouraged.

7. Messianists have posted a video of a discourse by the Rebbe after which, as Telushkin noted, he briefly encouraged the singing of the messianist chant. Of perhaps greater interest is the posted section of the talk itself, where someone who understands Yiddish or the Hebrew titles will see the vigorous, unequivocal assertion that this is the generation of the redemption and the last generation of the exile. “The true and complete redemption—without forced interpretations [that would dilute the plain meaning of this depiction—un pshetlakh]” is arriving “right away—literally and literally literally” (in transliteration appropriate for Yiddish—tekef umiyad mamesh umamesh mamesh).

8. The Messiah will proclaim the message that redemption has arrived from the roof of Lubavitch headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn. (The Rebbe’s discourse onParashat Hayyei Sarah 5751.) The heavenly Temple will not descend directly into Jerusalem. It will first descend to a spot adjoining 770 Eastern Parkway, and the buildings, along with all other diaspora synagogues, will then be transported to Jerusalem. (The Rebbe’s discourse, published as a separate booklet, titled Mikdash Me’at: Zeh Beit Rabbenu she-be-Bavel.)

9. On two recorded occasions, the Rebbe provided encouraging reactions to representatives of the Chabad women’s organization who had organized explicit affirmations of his messiahship. For one of these, click here.

These are some of the “hints that the Rebbe left” that could be “pick[ed] up” by the Hasidim. There is far, far more along these lines. Not a single one of these citations or anything resembling them appears in these [three] books. Readers of the books would not imagine in their wildest dreams that such material could exist.…

Berger also reports what I have consistently reported for a decade – that the supposed anti-messianists or non-messianists in Chabad are for the most part believers in the idea that the Rebbe will be resurrected and will be the messiah:

…In assessing the size of the messianist sector, we must first understand that within Lubavitch, the term “meshichist” is reserved for people who declare the Rebbe’s messiahship in public and proclaim it in the liturgy. A significant number of these believe that the Rebbe is physically alive. You can be a non- or even anti-meshichist while maintaining the firm belief that the Rebbe will be revealed as the messiah, and many of the  Hasidim fall into this category. In light of the sort of passages cited above, it is worth contemplating the obstacles that face a Lubavitch hasid who considers the possibility that someone other than the Rebbe will be the messiah.…

Take the time to read Berger's entire piece. Then add in Chabad's work alongside Vladimir Putin to crush democracy in Russia and its attempts to kasher the Russian takeover of Crimea and the attempted Russian takeover of eastern Ukraine. Add in its attempts to steal shuls in Lower Manhattan, in Vilna, in upstate New York, etc., and so many other examples of truly bad behavior. 

No assessment of Chabad or of the life of Menachem Mendel Schneerson is complete – or accurate – without including all this.

Comments

[Chafraud-Depravitch]

At Chafraud, we love it when you unaffiliated rubes dance around screaming "We want Moshiach now" ignorantly thinking He's some kind of abstract figure in Judaism.

It warms our hearts hearing you call out for our beloved Rebbe.

You could accept the truth too if you just repeated it often enough.

Need some encouragement and inspiration? Have we got a special treat for you!
Just come on down to 770. For a limited time our very own Rebbe impersonator will be handing out the new $3 Rebbe dollar bills. Each bill is sequentially numbered (613 and 770 series available), feature a great portrait of the Moshiach, and are almost legal currency.

The Rebbe encouraged everyone to give charity by handing out dollar bills. However, we understand that a Rebbe dollar is special and you may want to keep it as a family heirloom. That's why, as an added bonus, Chafraud is also providing a high-quality cardboard picture frame with a handy fold out easel support (at no extra charge). Now you can display a picture of the Messiah in your own living room with His cutie Moshiach cat grin. If you look carefully you can even see His eyes following you.

Of course we understand that you'll still be driven to give charity after receiving your Rebbe $3 bill. No problem! At Chafraud we'll be happy to accept your unholy, mundane, US currency dollar bills in lieu of the exquisite Moshiach bill intended for tzedakah.

May we all merit the coming of Moshiach!
(Ha, ha. Just kidding. He's already here. You dumbasses just don't realize it yet.)

[Rabbi Felishig]

Chabad is a criminal enterprise masquerading as a religious charitable organization. Sort of like Hamas, except that they don't kill people, only steal their money.

[Milhouse]

Lubavitchers demand Hashem moshiach now. Very arrogant of them to demand something from an immortal.

[Allan]

“Prince of the generation is the Messiah of the generation.”

All this “we are the generation of the redemption” talk was going on while the rebbe was alive. Now, that he’s been dead for 20 years (and no redemption), the Lubavitchers are trying to stretch the definition “our generation” to the breaking point and it sounds more and more ridiculous to place people in the 21st century in the same generation as a man who was born in 1902 and died in 1994.

Yet, their hands are tied since they can’t admit that the “we are the generation of the redemption” “prophecy” has failed. The Torah clearly says that a person who makes a prophecy which does not come true is a FALSE MESSIAH. Therefore, if Chabad is still around in a hundred or a thousand years they will still be thinking of themselves as living in the Rebbe’s generation.

The true believers never imagined that the Rebbe would die like any other mortal and are now forced to resort to the Christian concept of a “second coming” (for messiahs who can’t get the job done the first time around.) Of course, Lubavitchers will tell you that the second coming is a Jewish concept and the Christians “stole it from us!"

[Lo K'darkah]

" Of course, Lubavitchers will tell you that the second coming is a Jewish concept and the Christians “stole it from us!" "
Posted by: Allan | July 22, 2014 at 07:23 AM

Ironically, this may actually be true... Almost all Jewish "Messiahs" (including the either real or ficto-composite Jesus) had followers who believed in their return even after death. So historically, at least, it seems a very Jewish idea..

[WoolSilkCotton; I must be seen to be believed]

C-D 4:43, LOL!
I enjoy reading your postings.

[Garnel Ironheart]

I don't know how seriously to take the "We're the generation of Moshiach" anymore. After all, Rav Kook, ztk"l, wrote that we were in the footsteps of Moshiach, Rav Dessler, z"l, wrote that the redemption was imminent, etc. I sometimes wonder if the phrase is just a verbal tic like Baruch HaShem.
It is interesting thought that the majority of your excerpt seems to imply that the Rebbe thought his father in law was the Moshiach, not him.

[Yosef ben Matitya]

minim, what is there to add?

[jancsibacsi]

MAOSHIAH IS A FABRICATION OF MANS IMAGINATION THATS ALL IT IS,KEEP ON DREAMING HOPELESS DUPES.

[Lubavitchers Are Christians]

Lubavitchers Are Christians

[R Nash]

The Rebbe clearly encouraged the Messianic whirl in his later years, 1988+, that he discouraged in his earlier years, even threatening to leave when followers chanted Messianic slogans at him. It is unclear how he meant this, whether he meant to awaken fervor or just give the people something to unite around. However, what happened in reality is that, far from his vision being solidified universally, the Rebbe was simply enshrined and canonized. There can never be another Rebbe, because when today's Chabadniks say the word, they do not mean the man Ramash, but a romanticized facsimile that their minds have cleansed of any humanity, leaving only the most rosy thoughts. This is very common for people who have lost a loved one.
To compare the incomparable, within a few years of his death, George Washington was so canonized, and the Parson Weems had written such a fanciful account of his life, that no one could ever be Washington. When the party finally collapsed and Monroe was reelected unanimously by the states, one elector defied his mandate and abstained, just so that Washington would remain the only unanimous president. There could never be another Washington. Ditto, Franklin, Crockett, Roosevelt, Lincoln.

This dynamic of veneration the Rebbe is very normal, and very common, whether or not he fed the crocodile himself, it would still be there.

Brian: I'm not the Messiah! Will you please listen? I am not the Messiah, do you understand? Honestly!
Girl: Only the true Messiah denies His divinity.
Brian: What? Well, what sort of chance does that give me? All right! I am the Messiah!
Followers: He is! He is the Messiah!

[Yosef ben Matitya]

as their moshiach lies silent in the queens cemetery, now they are turning pro-putin and a tad anti americans? or so it seems. it seems they are working hard at turning Israel into a czarist satellite.

[Allan]

For those who have never been to 770 to see the messianic craziness, I really recommend you check it out. It’s quite an experience - although you may have a hard time believing that what goes on there is called “Judaism”!

See the throngs have chassidim part to make a pathway for the rebbe’s ghost to make his way to his seat - just as they did while the rebbe lived (true believers say he continues to attend every minyan).

See the rebbe’s red velvet “throne” being respectfully pulled back from his amud (lectern) so his ghost may be seated for davening.

See a group of boys honored to stand by the throne – saluting with outstretched arms chanting “Yehi adonainu moreinu melech hamoshiach l’olam va’ed!”

Watch the frenzied dancing and chanting with yellow moshiach flags.

See some guy playing rebbe and handing out dollar bills in the lobby.

And before you go, be sure to check out all the rebbe artwork and souvenirs (paintings, photos..) offered for sale near the entrance.

[Yosef ben Matitya]

Garnel Ironheart | July 22, 2014 at 08:13 AM
there are significant differences:
rabbi kook was living in Israel and witnessing personally shivat zion. in addition, he was not rooting for himself.
with the holocaust he felt redemption is imminent.
similarly, r' eliahu dessler was looking at the holocaust and thinking to himself that this cannot continue indefinitely and redemption is overdue.
not so with chabad, moshiach (a) rayatz,
settled in America after turning his back from the holocaust and rejected the Zionist option while talking messianic redemption.
moshiach (b) mamesh, also preferred amerike, turned his back on the holocaust, the Zionist enterprise and rooted for himself as the redeemer.
until now, a true chabadnik is unable to pronounce the words 'medinat yisrael' as the statehood and sovereignty they believe belongs to the deceased rebbe. that's why they will only say eretz yisrael and their Israeli minyans are called by them minyonim for Hebrew speakers.
the only 'concession' towards Zionists is distribution of donuts to soldiers for the purpose of subverting the state.

[Shmarya]

Garnel Ironheart –

Why not actually read Berger's article? You'll quickly see that the rebbe made the case that his soul and the previous rebbe's soul were joined together,so that when he referred to his father-in-law being the messiah, he was really speaking about himself.

This is what Chabad theology says, what I heard and was even taught **before** the rebbe died and afterward, as well.

As for Dessler and Kook, neither is claiming to know who the messiah is or that they themselves were the messiah. All they're saying is the age in which the messiah will come has begun or is about to begin – and that is perfectly clear from their words.

[Shmarya]

Garnel Ironheart –

Berger correctly writes:

"…I must begin with what seems like a digression. The Rebbe’s spiritual, even metaphysical relationship to his father-in-law is a key element in understanding him—and no one will ever grasp it fully. Throughout his discourses, he referred to his predecessor as the prince (nasi) of the generation and periodically noted that he is also the messiah of the generation, but the Rebbe also affirmed that this status is continued through the one who took his place. He also said of his predecessor, “His soul is in me.” Thus, all the Hasidim understood the Rebbe’s depictions of his father-in-law as references to himself.…"

[Sarek]

This reminds me of the old 1960s Pepsi jingle: You're in the Moshiach generation!

If the Rebbe is immortal, does that mean he's all sparkly?

[shanda]

ive seen tetushkin strolling around the uws without a yarmulka often... now hes a pompous and chabbadish bs!

[R Nash]

The Rebbe famously stated on yud shvat 1970 that even after twenty years, if one has no successor, his presence is even stronger. I am not sure how this works, but clearly all references to the Previous Rebbe have been understood as references to himself.

[Account Deleted]

" Of course, Lubavitchers will tell you that the second coming is a Jewish concept and the Christians “stole it from us!" "
Posted by: Allan | July 22, 2014 at 07:23 AM

Not only that!A mitnagid charedi rabbi who lives in New York personally told me that,when the Rebbe died,some Lubebitches actually said that he will RESURRECT ON THE THIRD DAY from the dead and walk out of his kever!

[Chafraud-Depravitch]

WoolSilkCotton,

Thanks. That part about rubes dancing around screaming "We want Moshiach now" ignorantly thinking he's some kind of abstract figure in Judaism was drawn from personal experience.

The Chabad I was with pushed a generic Moshiach openly and worshiped their Rebbe silently for the most part. Perhaps I fooled myself because many of the warning signs were there. I was told to write letters to the long deceased Rebbe and that Chabad will not have another Rebbe until the moshiach arrives. There was a picture of him in the shul (initially in the front, then moved to the back). And of course, almost every Shabbat meal had some kind of Rebbe miracle story to sit through (and far less often mention of historical Jewish figures).

I wanted my family to have traditional Judaism. What we got was black hatted Christianity and Chasidic Jesus.

And we also learned that when Chabad says they love every Jew, what they really mean is that they love every Jewi$h checkbook.

[Me]

You are all jealous of Chabad we are happy and you are not

[Shmuel]

How does is feel to constantly point out the bad in other people?

What does it say about you that you go around making people who liked someone..NOT like them...

Have you made the world a better place?

Maybe you've done some good. But has it been worth the price?

Have you made this world more peaceful and harmonious with your post or the opposite? You should ask yoursel that question.