Chabad messianism

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Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902–1994)

Messianism in Chabad[1] refers to the belief within the Chabad-Lubavitch community—a prominent group within Hasidic Judaism—regarding the Jewish messiah (Hebrew: מָשִׁיחַ, mashiach or moshiach). Central to this belief is the conviction that Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the seventh Rebbe of the Chabad-Lubavitch dynasty, is the awaited Messiah who is leading the Jewish people into the Messianic era.[2][3][4]: 24 [5]

The concept of the messiah is a basic tenet of the Jewish religion. The belief among Hasidic Jews that the leader of their dynasty could be the Jewish messiah is traced to the Baal Shem Tov—the founder of Hasidism.[6][7] During Schneerson's life, the mainstream of Chabad hoped that he would be the messiah; the idea gained great attention during the last years of his life.[8]: 413 [9][10][11] A few years before Schneerson's death, members of the Chabad movement expressed their belief that Menachem Mendel Schneerson was the foretold messiah. Those subscribing to the beliefs have been termed mishichists (messianists). A typical statement of belief for Chabad messianists is the song and chant known as yechi adoneinu ("long live our master", Hebrew: יחי אדונינו).[12] Customs vary among messianists as to when the phrase is recited.

Since Schneerson's death in 1994, some followers of Chabad have persisted in the belief in him as the messiah.[13] Chabad messianists either believe Schneerson will be resurrected from the dead to be revealed as the messiah, or go further and profess the belief that Schneerson never died in 1994 and is waiting to be revealed as messiah. The Chabad messianic phenomenon has been met mostly with public concerns or opposition from Chabad leadership as well as non-Chabad Jewish leaders.[14]

After Schneerson's death, a later Halachic ruling from some affiliated rabbis said that it was "incumbent on every single Jew to heed the Rebbe's words and believe that he is indeed King Moshiach, who will be revealed imminently".[15][16] Outside of Chabad messianism, both in mainstream Chabad as well as in broader Judaism, these claims are rejected.[17][18] Many non-messianic Jews believe that this is similar to the tenet of the resurrection of Jesus and his second coming in early Christianity, and is thus heretical in normative Judaism.[19][better source needed]

  1. ^ Referred to as Chabad messianism, Lubavitch messianism, or meshichism.
  2. ^ Susan Handelman (July 1, 2014), The Lubavitcher Rebbe Died 20 Years Ago Today. Who Was He?, Tablet Magazine.
  3. ^ Ruth R. Wisse (2014). "The Rebbe Twenty Years After". Commentary Magazine. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  4. ^ Steinsaltz, Adin. (2014). My Rebbe. Jerusalem: Maggid.
  5. ^ Dein, Simon; Dawson, Lorne L. (May 6, 2008). "The 'Scandal' of the Lubavitch Rebbe: Messianism as a Response to Failed Prophecy". Journal of Contemporary Religion. 23 (2): 163–180. doi:10.1080/13537900802024550. ISSN 1353-7903. S2CID 143927244.
  6. ^ Elliot R. Wolfson. Open Secret: Postmessianic Messianism and the Mystical Revision of Menahem Mendel Schneerson. Page 19.
  7. ^ "The Personality of Mashiach". Chabad.org.
  8. ^ Telushkin, Joseph (2014). Rebbe: The Life and Teachings of Menachem M. Schneerson, the Most Influential Rabbi in Modern History. Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0-06-231900-5.
  9. ^ Bruni, Frank (February 25, 1996). "To Some, Messiah Is the Message;Media Campaign for Late Rabbi Divides Lubavitch Movement". The New York Times. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
  10. ^ "Rav Aharon Lichtenstein's Hesped for the Lubavitcher Rebbe – English". Retrieved 23 December 2014.
  11. ^ The Messiah of Brooklyn: Understanding Lubavitch Hasidim Past and Present, M. Avrum Ehrlich, ch.9 notes, KTAV Publishing, ISBN 0-88125-836-9
  12. ^ The full text is Yechi adoneinu moreinu v'rabbeinu melech ha-moshiach l'olam vo'ed ("Long live our master, our teacher, and our rabbi, King Messiah, for ever and ever).
  13. ^ Newfield, Joseph (Spring–Summer 2021). "After The Death of Chabad's Messiah". Harvard Divinity Bulletin. Archived from the original on 2021-05-26.
  14. ^ Kilgannon, Corey (20 June 2004). "Lubavitchers Mark 10 Years Since Death of Revered Rabbi". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 January 2010.
  15. ^ Berger, Rabbi Prof. Dr. David. "On the Spectrum of Messianic Belief in Contemporary Lubavitch Chassidism". Shema Yisrael Torah Network. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  16. ^ "Halachic Ruling". Psak Din. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference LubavitcherFalseMessiahs was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference MS-HabadMinuth was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. ^ Freeman, Charles. The Closing of the Western Mind, p. 133. Vintage. 2002.