BS"D Setting The Record Straight I received an email today from an old Lubavitch friend I have not seen in 25 years. He admonished me for creating this website and stated:- ----------------- "The Rebbe [Rabbi M.M. Schneerson] never said he was Moshiach. He said (I heard it with my ears every night of chol hamoed Sukkos 1984) that anyone who calls him Moshiach will ruin it for him and for Chassidus." ----------------- Yet again...was I dismissed into the "unkosher bin" by a fellow Jew who has made peace with the exile. This and similar denying dialogues [posing as authoritative "truth"] are rampant not only throughout Rabbi Schneerson's own community called Chabad Lubavitch but such "denial dialogues" have become the norm for most of Orthodox Judaism. The main problem is that all these self appointed "experts" were absent from the scene where all this took place and specifically when it took place. They were like spectators in the highest rows of the grandstands at a car race as opposed to those mechanics under the hood of a race car in the pits. Far far from the closeup truth. Rabbi Schneerson lived in and administered his worldwide religious organization from 770 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, New York, 11213. Those who lived in that community and had daily contact with him and/or who heard first hand from those who did ....have a story to tell. They lived through it. They saw and heard what went down. They were and are living witnesses. In Judaism credible living witnesses count very heavily in Law. When something dramatic happens people have a tendency to record it and make it public. Hence, shortly after Rabbi Schneerson's "passing" a book was published to provide the outer reaches of Rabbi Schneerson's worldwide community with complete and precise accounts of exactly what happened in 770. Much was and is still riding on their testimony. Below you will find such first hand reports. They come from the book "And He Will Redeem US- Moshiach In Our Time." Published by Mendelsohn Press @ 718-467-1957. I will discuss at the bottom of this page the underlying reasons and psychology of denial that have motivated such responses as I pasted at the top of this page. Read inside the red and blue boxes below. God will judge not me. Were I asked my opinion, however, about why so many Lubavitchers believe or proclaim that the Rebbe never said anything about Moshiach to no one, never identified himself as Moshiach, never said that Moshiach can or will come from the "dead"... I would reply that incompetence ruled and rules the day. Judaism's foremost Torah Scholar, Rabbi Schneerson, identified himself as Moshiach. One would have expected an emergency meeting to be immediately called to deal with such an announcement by all Rabbis on Earth...to establish a collective policy....make a public statement. Such did not happen. It immediately became political and opportunistic. Most were asleep at the wheel...sadly to say. Each focused in and on his own little puddle and what seemingly served its best interest. It was swept under the carpet. What did happen was denial (see paste at top.) But why this denial? 1) There is the matter of Jewish pride. Jewish pride cannot tolerate anything that seemingly tarnishes it. At first glance the topic of a resurrected Messiah smacks immediately of Christianity. I would venture to say that even today, some 12 years later, the vast majority of Jews have zero awareness that official Orthodox Judaism contains numerous references to a resurrected Messiah for Judaism. In fact this idea began in Judaism not Christianity. See here:- Note well King Solomon's teaching:- Pride precedes a fall. 2) The first Law of the Code of Jewish Law (Shulchan Oruch) admonishes Jews not to be embarrassed by anything Jewish. It apparently was easier to quit Rabbi Schneerson's Messiah Agenda after his "passing" than to expend the effort to research the resurrected Messiah topic from classical Jewish Sources and specifically Rabbi Schneerson's own teachings on thIs topic, namely, 3) Going public with this topic created the greatest possible imagined nightmare for most of his emmissaries. "What!!! Tell my congregation that the Rebbe will return to be revealed as Moshiach??? Are you crazy? I will be mocked and labeled a Christian! My funding will dry up!!! I will be run out of the community!!!" What is so tragically unfunny about this unjustified hysterical paranoia is that the Rebbe made no secret about a resurrected Messiah for Judaism and repeatedly stated precisely that point regarding the Previous Rebbe in countless discourses on the topic. By identifying himself as the extension of the Previous Rebbe's leadership the Rebbe's proclamations applied to himself. DING! 4) When a doctor encounters difficult information (God forbid) regarding a patient's well being he does not burn the x-ray, he does not throw the diagnostic test away. He consults fellow doctors and the patient is properly informed. Anything less is malpractice. It is my opinion that when Rabbis fail to properly address difficult issues amongst themselves and with their communities then that too is equally malpractice. I do believe that their malpractice will eventually cost them the trust and support of their communities. Rabbi Moshe Yess |
Setting The Record Straight |
Messiah Watch International Rabbi Moshe Yess, Webmaster at your service |
SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT |
BS"D Setting The Record Straight I received an email today from an old Lubavitch friend I have not seen in 25 years. He admonished me for creating this website and stated:- ----------------- "The Rebbe [Rabbi M.M. Schneerson] never said he was Moshiach. He said (I heard it with my ears every night of chol hamoed Sukkos 1984) that anyone who calls him Moshiach will ruin it for him and for Chassidus." ----------------- Yet again...was I dismissed into the "unkosher bin" by a fellow Jew who has made peace with the exile. This and similar denying dialogues [posing as authoritative "truth"] are rampant not only throughout Rabbi Schneerson's own community called Chabad Lubavitch but such "denial dialogues" have become the norm for most of Orthodox Judaism. The main problem is that all these self appointed "experts" were absent from the scene where all this took place and specifically when it took place. They were like spectators in the highest rows of the grandstands at a car race as opposed to those mechanics under the hood of a race car in the pits. Far far from the closeup truth. Rabbi Schneerson lived in and administered his worldwide religious organization from 770 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, New York, 11213. Those who lived in that community and had daily contact with him and/or who heard first hand from those who did ....have a story to tell. They lived through it. They saw and heard what went down. They were and are living witnesses. In Judaism credible living witnesses count very heavily in Law. When something dramatic happens people have a tendency to record it and make it public. Hence, shortly after Rabbi Schneerson's "passing" a book was published to provide the outer reaches of Rabbi Schneerson's worldwide community with complete and precise accounts of exactly what happened in 770. Much was and is still riding on their testimony. Below you will find such first hand reports. They come from the book "And He Will Redeem US- Moshiach In Our Time." Published by Mendelsohn Press @ 718-467-1957. I will discuss at the bottom of this page the underlying reasons and psychology of denial that have motivated such responses as I pasted at the top of this page. Read inside the red and blue boxes below. God will judge not me. Were I asked my opinion, however, about why so many Lubavitchers believe or proclaim that the Rebbe never said anything about Moshiach to no one, never identified himself as Moshiach, never said that Moshiach can or will come from the "dead"... I would reply that incompetence ruled and rules the day. Judaism's foremost Torah Scholar, Rabbi Schneerson, identified himself as Moshiach. One would have expected an emergency meeting to be immediately called to deal with such an announcement by all Rabbis on Earth...to establish a collective policy....make a public statement. Such did not happen. It immediately became political and opportunistic. Most were asleep at the wheel...sadly to say. Each focused in and on his own little puddle and what seemingly served its best interest. It was swept under the carpet. What did happen was denial (see paste at top.) But why this denial? 1) There is the matter of Jewish pride. Jewish pride cannot tolerate anything that seemingly tarnishes it. At first glance the topic of a resurrected Messiah smacks immediately of Christianity. I would venture to say that even today, some 12 years later, the vast majority of Jews have zero awareness that official Orthodox Judaism contains numerous references to a resurrected Messiah for Judaism. In fact this idea began in Judaism not Christianity. See here:- Note well King Solomon's teaching:- Pride precedes a fall. 2) The first Law of the Code of Jewish Law (Shulchan Oruch) admonishes Jews not to be embarrassed by anything Jewish. It apparently was easier to quit Rabbi Schneerson's Messiah Agenda after his "passing" than to expend the effort to research the resurrected Messiah topic from classical Jewish Sources and specifically Rabbi Schneerson's own teachings on thIs topic, namely, 3) Going public with this topic created the greatest possible imagined nightmare for most of his emmissaries. "What!!! Tell my congregation that the Rebbe will return to be revealed as Moshiach??? Are you crazy? I will be mocked and labeled a Christian! My funding will dry up!!! I will be run out of the community!!!" What is so tragically unfunny about this unjustified hysterical paranoia is that the Rebbe made no secret about a resurrected Messiah for Judaism and repeatedly stated precisely that point regarding the Previous Rebbe in countless discourses on the topic. By identifying himself as the extension of the Previous Rebbe's leadership the Rebbe's proclamations applied to himself. DING! 4) When a doctor encounters difficult information (God forbid) regarding a patient's well being he does not burn the x-ray, he does not throw the diagnostic test away. He consults fellow doctors and the patient is properly informed. Anything less is malpractice. It is my opinion that when Rabbis fail to properly address difficult issues amongst themselves and with their communities then that too is equally malpractice. I do believe that their malpractice will eventually cost them the trust and support of their communities. Rabbi Moshe Yess |
