Lubavitch VI
In our religion, the performance of miracles is not a reason to follow someone. In Christianity it is that way, but not in Judaism.
In Judaism, the only - I repeat: the only criterion for determining between holy and unholy teachings is if they follow the Torah or not. So if you want to defend the Lubavitcher Rebbe's teachings, it does not work to say "Well he did miracles!"
The followers of the Neviei sheker defended their "leaders" by the fact that they performed miracles (and they really did!), and the false Messiahs throughout the generations got people to follow them by performing real miracles as well.
And by doing Kiruv, too.
Here's what Rav Yaakov Sasportes ZTL, the major opponent of the false Messiah Shabse Tzvi (ys"v) writes about why people believed in this false Messiah:
"And these events penetrated into the hearts of the of the public, and impressed even some Chachamim, and thus were awakened to do tremendous Teshuva - all of Klall Yisroel, the Kerovim and the Rechokim throughout the entire world ... the whole world did lofty Teshuva ... fasting, disciplining themselves, fasts that sometimes lasted from shabbos to shabbos, even immersing in freezing Mikvaos in the winter, and other such things; [the movement of teshuva was]indescribable and unimaginable ..." (Tzitsa novel Tzvi, beginning of sefer)
Here's more, from the Responsa Koach Shor (# 31), a contemporary of the Baal Shem Tov who was held in very high regard by the Besht):
"The following is a reliable story, from which we can see the extent that the Satan goes to steer Jews away from the true Emunah c"v:
"The above mentioned Tzadik was arguing with 'that man', Frank, the head of the Shabse Tzvi's followers in his days. He asked Frank how Shabse Tzvi can be so brazen as to against the Torah ... the evil one answered that the entire Torah was given until the days of the Moshiach, the tekufah of the Shabse Tzvi and his followers (MOD's note: I assume he was referring to a warped understanding of the Gemora's ruling "Mitzvos beteilos l'asid lavo"), after which new Torah is revealed. The tzadik asked him, "How can you prove what you are saying is true against the fact that we all witnessed and have in possession only this Torah? Why should we believe you?"
"The rasha answered, "You cannot say that you remember seeing Kabbalas HaTorah with your own eyes. Rather, you believe the historical account from generation to generation - which is correct, for would parents lie to their children? Therefore, based on that logic, I will call upon your parents, who are already dead, to return here to earth right now and tell you the truth, that the time has already come when Moshe Rabbeinu's Torahs are secondary"
The Tzadik said "Do it! Let me see that happen!"
"And the evil Frank merely mumbled with his lips, and there entered two people - the father and the mother of the Tzadik! The Tzadik recognized them as his parents. They said to him "My son, you should know that the Torah of Moshe was given only until the revelation of Shabse Tzvi, but from then on, you should follow whatever Shabse Tzvi says, for he is Moshiach!"
Moderator's Interjection: What do you think the proper reaction is? Imagine yourself in this position.... Now here's the rest of the story:
"The Tzadik answered them, 'Where does it say that one must honor their father and mother and that it is forbidden to strike them? Only in the Torah of Moshe Rabbeinu! If you are right and Moshe's Torah is obsolete, then it is permitted to beat up your parents!'
"He proceeded to take a large stick and repeatedly smash his parents in their heads, over and over.
"The parents fell to the ground and everyone around saw that the illusion was lifted and the "parents" were really two carcasses of dogs"
End quote.
Writes the Satmar Rebbe ZTL about Shabse Tzvi (Vayoel Moshe p.188):
"The reason that the majority of Jews followed him was because Shabse Tzvi was an expert in all of shas and poskim, and all the writings of the Arizal. All of it was commonplace on his lips even when he was a young boy of 15 years. His Avodah, too, with fasts and sigufim and shiros v'sichbachos was awesome in the eyes of anyone who witnessed it. He also displayed awesome wonders and miracles and brought back thousands of Jews to Teshuva. And wherever they went, they made Baalei Teshuva. All of this is recorded in the seforim of Rav Yaakov Sasportes and Rav Yaakov Emden and other seforim that talk about this. So it is no wonder that he had the ability to fool the entire nation who and starving and thirsting and their soul yearns for the Geulah."
The Satmar Rebbe therefore used to explain Chazal's statemnt: "Im rabchah domeh alechah l'malach hashem tzivakos - if your Rebbi is like an angel, that is, a supernatural being, above this world - yevakesh torah mipihu - you better check out his torahs and see if he knows what he’s talking about. For that is the only criterion to just a Rebbi."
In the desert, the nation, the "dor deah" saw a miracle: an image of Moshe dead on har sinai. This was not kishef - for it was not caused by people - it was seen by them. And this caused them to believe that Moshe was dead and therefore they made the egel.
But they should have looked into the Torah to see if they should make the egel - not at miracles.
The dor haflagah, the medrash says, shot arrows into the sky to "kill Hashem" c"v.
The arrows came back dripping with blood. They thought they succeeded. This, too, was not kishef - the perpetrators themselves were fooled. This was the satan "testing" them to see if they would look at what it says in the Torah to determine what they should do, or will they look at miracles.
As it says regarding the Navi sheker who performs miracles: "ki menaseh hashem elokeinu eschem!" Says Rashi: "Why does G-d give the navi sheker the power to perform miracles? To test you."
Even when a miracle is a halachic requirement, such as for a navi to prove he is a navi, the Rambam writes: "Even though it is possible that he is not a navi [even if he makes a miracle], because the miracle can have "other things involved" (yesh devorim b'go), nevertheless, since [the first requirement is that] he must be a chacham and adam godol, and worthy of prophecy [even without a miracle], we can assume he is a navi because he is established to be legitimate [by virtue of his character and torah etc]"
In other words, the miracle cannot prove that a person is legitimately great; rather, a person's greatness proves that he made legitimate miracles.
And because we are instructed to determine those who we follow only on the basis of their Torah and not their miracles, the followers of miracle-making fakers are punished just as the fakers themselves, since they (the followers) had no right to believe in someone because of miracles. The Navi Yermiyah tried to defend Klall Yisroel for following the Neviei Sheker, but Hashem refuted him, saying that the people are indeed responsible:
"And I said 'O Hashem, behold the Neviim say to the people 'You will see no sword etc.'" And Hashem answered me: 'The prophets are saying lies in My name. I did not send them, I did not command them and I did not speak to them. A false vision, predicting the future through means other than prophecy, nothingness and lies they tell you' ".
The Radak explains that Yirmiyah was trying to defend Klall Yisroel for following the neviei habal because they perform real supernatural signs, so how can the people know better?
Hashem said they can know better, and that following signs is not excuse, because the true prophets teach them true Torah and the false ones teach them against the Torah.
The only criteria to determine who to follow is if his teachings are in accordance with the Torah. Miracles or fulfilled blessings or signs and wonders play absolutely no role in the decision.
The reason false Messiahs are involved especially in Kiruv:
There is a reason given in the seforim why the Satan will assist a false leader, and especially a false Moshiach, to be mekarev many people to Judaism and then make them go off the derech.
Rav Yonason Eyebushitz ZTL (Yaaros Dvash 1:1) writes that sometimes you will see a rasha do teshuva, only to fall again later on. The reason this happens, he says, is because his Teshuva was not the result of his fighting the Yezter Horah, but rather the Yezter Horah helping him do Teshuva! This happens because it is much more satisfying for the Satan when a good religious Jew falls than when a rasha falls. So just as the butcher will feed and take care of the sheep in order to fatten him up for the slaughter, so to the Satan will take a person and feed him spiritually, and make him strong and healthy, in order to "slaughter" him later on.
Rav Yaakov Sasportes ZTL says that this is why Shabse Tzvi had such success making Baalei Teshuva. The Satan was helping them in order to get them to believe in this false messiah thereby having a good, repented Jew going off the derech.
We don’t know what is going on in Shamayim, but if someone is a tinok shnishbah, and then later become frum and believes a Rebbe is the Essence of G-d in a body, or that he is doing Mitzvos in order to please the Rebbe, or various other idolatrous and heretical beliefs, the victory for the Satan is great.
I once was sitting next to a Rebbe at a chasanah, who I knew respected the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Somehow this came up in discussion at the table, and he said "There is bad by him, true, but look how many people he made frum! So the balance 'probably' comes out positive"
I said, "Tell me, ____ Rebbe, how many baaei teshuva does it take to make up for on word of Minus (apikorsus) or avodah zorah that is spoken there? Tell me how you came up with that balance?"
He thought to himself for a while, and then looked at me and said, "dus is a giteh shailah."
Then he tried saying that perhaps it is the chasidim, who are mostly uneducated and of weak background, that are responsible for the idolatry there, since they aren’t well-versed in torah enough to avoid those pitfalls.
I told him about some of the things the Rebbe said, and when I was done he asked me if I could fax the material to him because it is hard to believe.
I faxed him the material the next day (it contained what is posted on the site) and he called me in shock "mavhildik'e zachin" he was repeating over and over in a daze ("Shocking things").
He said "this is a problem". I didn't push the matter and the conversation was over.
Peace, please don't think that "some gedolim disagreed with what he did." Most of them didn’t even know what he did or said - remember: the Lubavitcher Rebbe had a policy well known to his people not to reveal anything about chabad that would reduce respect for it in the eyes of the world. If something "hindered the learning of chasidus in the world" (read: chabad chasidus as interpreted by him) - then it was not to be done. If someone thing increased the learning of chasidus - then it should be done. It all revolves around what is best for Lubavitch.
Not single godol or someone close to being a godol defended any of the deviant teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. They said either he is a "lunatic" (The Brisker Rav), a shoteh (The Satmar Rebbe), or, as Rabbi Avigdor Miller said as an explanation of why he attended the Lubavitcher Rebbe's funeral, "He was not in his right mind for the past 20 years so he is not responsible for what he said."
And Rabbi Miller was NOT an opponent of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. The reason? He judged him favorably, that he was not in his right mind.
There is no question that he had great merit for his Kiruv efforts, even though they were motivated by his needing to do so in order for him to fulfill his interpretation Moshiach's famous statement to the Besht: "When your Torahs will be disseminated I will come." You can’t bring (read: be) Moshiach without disseminating Chasidus - and that, the Lubavitcher Rebbe said is the main motivation for his Kiruv movement (stated to the Divenver Rebbe - Kuntres Hachai Yiten el Libo).
However, none of that and none of his other myriad good deeds diminish the accuracy of any of the charges leveled against him, nor do they indicate that he was a holy man in any way whatsoever.
If you want to defend him you will have to defend the things that he taught. And that, so far, has not been done by anyone.
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The idea that the Lubavitcher Rebbe is alive does not come from Chassidus, not Lubavitch, or anywhere else. So bashing it is not bashing Chassidus, it is merely bashing a crazy idea. Please do not blame this mess on the Baal Shem Tov. On the contrary, Chassidus contradicts it just as the rest of our Torah.
Yaakov Avinu, Elyahu HaNavi, Moshe Rabbeinu and others who Chazal reveal to us have not died all have pesukim in the Torah to designate them as special cases. On the contrary, from the fact that we need special pesukim to tell us that these individuals have not died, it is clear that everywhere else we assume the individual has in fact passed away. There are meforshim who even say that Yaakov Avinu’s not dying applies only to Yaakov and not the rest of the Avos, because he was involved in Torah more than they were (Iyun Yaakov Taanis 5a). Which means that Avrohom and Yitzchok died, but not the Lubavitcher Rebbe!?
And the Gemora in Shabbos 515b learns that “dead people are no longer obligated in Mitzvos” from Dovid HaMelech! So “Dovid Moshiach Tzidkechah” is dead, but the Lubavitcher Rebbe is “Yechi Melech HaMoshiach”?!
And even in the case of the special eternally-live individuals, their current state of existence is not the same as when they were alive on this world. The wife of Eliyahu HaNavi, writes the Piskei Mahari (102, quoted in Kovetz Maamarim II:28) may remarry because although Eliyahu is alive, he is not a “person” in the physical sense but a spiritual being, and his marriage is invalidated as much as if he were dead. We still say “Yaakov Avinu alav Hashalom” and “Moshe Rabbeinu alav hashalom,” which are phrases used on those who have passed away. But on the Lubavitcher Rebbe, these people would never say “alav Hashalom”. “Shlita” is what they use.
The whole idea is irrational and perverse. It has no basis anywhere except in the minds of some fantasizing individuals who are teaching to innocent bystanders.
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Dovid HaMelech is dead. In fact, we learn out the halachah that dead people are exempt from Mitzvos from Dovid HaMelech. We say "Dovid HaMelech alav hashalaom".
There are many peirushim of "chai v'kayam," including his kingship is still here, he lives in gan eden, his acts and accomplishments are still here, which is as if he is alive etc tec.
"The Rebbe shlita" is not alav hashalom. It’s a totally different idea.
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The Chasam Sofer (Resp. 6:98) writes that even Eliyahu HaNavi who we know rose to the heavens without dying is only considered able to do Mitzvos when he returns to this world in a temporarily restored physical body. But even Eliyahu, while he is not walking on this world in a restored physical body, cannot do Mitzvos.
Of course Hashem can temporarily, even once a week, make techiyas haMeisim and return someone in a physical body. If that person is a Tzadik, then when he returns in a physical body he would be able to perform Mitzvos, since the souls of Tzadikim are always alive. You need both – a “live” soul, which only a Tzadik has, and a physical body to do Mitzvos. But when a Tzadik is not walking on this world in a physical body, he is de-obligated in Mitzvos like anyone else. Remember – the principle “dead people cannot do Mitzvos” is derived from Dovid HaMelech.
That’s first of all. Second, the entire episode does not say Tzadikim are not dead. It only says that they are exempt (when in physical form) from the rule that once you die you are free of Mitzvos. Tzadikim, since their souls are alive, may do Mitzvos even posthumously. Even though they have died, they may still do Mitzvos!
There is another explanation that a number of Meforshim give for the story of Rebbi, that Rebbi is different than all other Tzadikim since he happened to have been a reincarnation (“nitzutz”) of Yaakov Avinu, as it says in, Rama MiPano, Megaleh Amukos, and other places.
R. Chaim Cohen’s statement about Rabbeinu Tam is explained by the meforshim to be either according to the opinions that Tzadikim, even when dead, are not metameh - but they are still dead! (Ritva quoted in Etz Yosef. See also Tosfos Yevamos 61a) or because a Godol haDor like Rebbi has the halachic status of a Nasi for whom it is permitted to be metameh (Bais Yosef YD 374).
Regarding R. Shimon bar Yochai, there are those who say that he, too, is an exception since, like Rebbi, he too is a “nitzutz” of a Tzadik who Chazal tell us never died, namely, Moshe Rabbeinu (Shar haGilgulim II;5, Sefer Chazyonos [R. Chaim Vital] p.143.)
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The “proofs” that the Lubavitcher Rebbe is alive, are all based on misinformation and out-of-context passages, no more logical to someone familiar with the material than the arguments of the missionaries from Tanach.
And they only work on people equally unsuspecting or unreasonable.
For instance, anyone familiar with “doresh al hameisim” knows that every communication with a Neshoma is not Doresh Al Hameisim. D”HM is referring to someone who hangs out in the cemetery so that a Ruach Tumah comes over him (Sanhedrin 65b), which means either a Shaid, that you try to get to like you and help you with Kishef (Rashi) or that you try to get the dead person to tell you things in a dream (Rambam, Chinuch). Or that you speak to the actual dead body asking it to help you with your Kishef (Yereim).
According to Yereim you can’t be Doresh al Hameisim unless you deal with the physical body, but if you just talk to the spirit it is permitted. According to Bais Yosef D”HM is only if you perform an action such as going to the cemetery or wear some special clothing or something like that, that helps you talk to the dead. But just communicating without these magical talismans or actions is permitted.
There is no heter anywhere to be Doresh AL Hameisim by dead Tzadikim, on the contrary, the poskim warn us when visiting the graves of Tzadikim not to dare think that the purpose is to communicate with the Tzadikim themselves, but rather to pray to Hashem b’zchus the Tzadik, otherwise it could board on Doresh al Hameisim (see Bach 217, Chachmas Adam 89:7).
The Gemora in Brachos 18a tells a story about a Chosid who slept in the cemetery and ended up speaking to spirits, way before the Arizal was born. Kalev, too, spoke to deceased ancestors in Chevron to request mercy (see Sotah 34b). Not everyone who speaks to the souls of the dead has to do it in a way that is Doresh al Hameisim.
But one thing is for sure ---- nobody but nobody says Doresh al Hameisim is permitted by Tzadikim because they are not dead. That is ridiculous.
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The Haghos Maimoni (Avodah Zorah 11:13) proves from the Gemora in Brachos about the guy who got kicked out of his house, that Doresh Al Hameisim is only if you talk to the BODY of the dead person, but a bodiless spirit is not a problem.
The Shulchan Aruch itself (YD 179:14) quotes this opinion as well.
These are not exotic opinions. These are found on the side of the Rambam on the spot and in the Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deah. The only people that can imagine in their wildest dreams that the Arizal's consulting dead souls "proves" that dead Tzadikim are really alive are only those who have not learned the basic Shulchan Aruch and Rambam (with Hahghos Maimoni) on the topic.
All the more so since we are trying to understand the Arizal's opinion here, and the Shach on the spot says that the permit to speak to bodiless spirits is well understood according to the writings of Kabbalah and the Zohar "in many places".
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The belief that the Lubavitcher Rebbe is alive is not merely a legitimate mistake but an illegitimate unjustifiable baseless concoction out of thin air. Mistaken means the methodology that was used to arrive at the conclusions was legitimate but an error was committed in logic or understanding. Here, they took zero reasoning whatsoever, zero Torah sources, and zero logic and concocted out of thin air the belief that the Rebbe is still alive. The same people who used to say that the Rebbe is Moshiach because Moshiach has to be a “real living person” and that “every generation has a Moshiach” now find themselves flip flopping and saying whatever is necessary in order to be able to defend their desire, that their Rebbe be King Moshiach no matter what.
Any 14 year old is capable of understanding that Yaakov Avinu Lo Mes has nothing to do with the Lubavitcher Rebbe, and that throughout history, with NO EXCEPTION AT ALL EVEN WITHIN LUBAVITCH, we have said “dead”, “yohrtzeit”, “petirah”, “zatzal”, on deceased Tzadikim, not shlita. This is not “unfortunately mistaken”. This is plain falsehood.
An important principle of Torah education is that ideas are not only “right” or wrong”, but there are levels of correctness and incorrectness as well. In the introduction to Chidushei Rav Shlomo Heiman, it says that Rav S”H used to say that whenever R. Akiva Eger would say about a Torah problem “this needs study” or “this needs much study”, or similar phrases, each one meant a totally different level of problem, and that if a Rebbi says about a problem that “needs study" that it “needs much study” he is corrupting the Talmidim, because he is distorting the truth.
In Halachah too, there is a difference between a legitimate mistake and an illegitimate mistake, regarding many Halachos.
There is a difference between “unfortunately mistaken” and “baseless, senseless, dishonest and crazy”.
This is the latter.
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The Neshomos of the Oishpizin come to us. But the Oispizin (with the notable exceptions of Yaakov and Moshe as per the gemora) are dead. Once again, the Halachah that dead people are no longer obligated to Mitzvos is derived from the posthumous status of Dovid haMelech, King Moshiach himself.
Chassidus does not teach that Rebbes come as Oishpizin. The Baal Shem Tov and his Talmidim said no such thing. This is a creation of Lubavitch exclusively, where they have another Lubavitcher Rebbe coming each day as Oshpizin. Nobody else has anything to do with that. Not the Baal Shem Tov, not the Magid, nobody. And all those Rebbes that they say come as Oishpizin are dead.
Eliyahu HaNavi coming to a Bris shows nothing considering that Eliyahu HaNavi is one of the few notables who are not dead, which is because we saw him flying up to Shamayim in a chariot in Sefer Melachim Bais, which does NOT apply to the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
Listen, I really feel bad here, but the truth is the truth. Throughout history we have learned about deviant sects of Jews who have gone off the derech (or the deep end) in various ways, from Korach to Yeravam, to the Baal worshippers, to Shabsai Tzvi, to the Maskilim, down.
All of them were Orthodox Jews. Things like this do happen. If you would have lived in the days of Korach, don't you think that Korach's people would have said not to "bash" them, and that everyone should "respect" them because they are Orthodox Jews? In fact that's exactly what they did say!
They had claims against Moshe Rabbeinu because he wouldn't see any other point of view. "All the congregation are holy they said. And the Arizal writes that Korach's goal was to bring Moshiach, when Leviim will be Kohanim, which is why he fought against Aharon's exclusive right to be Kohen.
All Korach wanted was to bring Moshiach. Do you think that Korach's people had horns? That they had tails? They were regular Orthodox Jews whose desire to bring Moshiach caused them to go off the Derech.
Don't you think in Korach's yeshivos they taught the teenage girls that their ideology is well founded according to Torah thought?
You would have had a hard time recognizing the poison in Korach's ideology.
We are living in such a time. Those who say the dead Rebbe is a live Moshiach shlita are going off the Derech (or the deep end) just like these other groups. The difference is only quantitative. Once you distort the Torah's true beliefs, no matter how few or many of them you distort, you are off the derech. The only difference is that the other groups had philosophies that were more difficult to recognize as wrong. This Yechi Rebbe Shlita thing is just plain nutso.
They tell you they have "proof". But the fact is that "proof" after "proof" is easily exposed as a distortion of reality. THERE IS NO BASIS TO SAY THE LUBAVITCHER REBBE IS STILL ALIVE. Not one single Torah opinion fits into this madness.
Not a single one.
Nada. Zero. Zip.
On the contrary, the fact that everyone is dead after they die is what the Torah tells us. Tzadik or not. That's why Yaakov is an exception. And Moshe. And a few other notables.
But the rest are DEAD. According to Rashi (BM 85a) and many others, their corpses emit Tumah like all dead bodies.
They can no longer do Mitzvos.
Their wives can remarry.
Their possessions go to their heirs.
They have a yohrtzeit.
They are "zatzal" or "zechuso yagen aleinu". They are NOT "shlita".
Their souls are in Gan Eden, alive, like the souls of dead people are supposed to be. But they are dead people nonetheless.
It is pathetic that this has to even be discussed.
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I never said most Lubavitchers believe this. Whether they do or not depends who you ask. I never discussed that.
There are those who simply say the Rebbe never died. They cal him "shlita", they refuse to refer to 3 Tamuz as a petirah, and they have said it clearly many times. That is the discussion.
It is also against the Torah to believe that the Rebbe's neshoma "is here with us the same way it was before his petira". Although this is not nearly as bad as saying he is physically alive, it is still a falsehood.
When someone dies, their Neshoma goes to the Olam haNeshomos. The Gemora in Brachos concludes that the dead are, as a rule, unaware or uninterested in what happens in this world. Meforshim say that this is the reason that Yaakov Avinu is in more pain about our Golus than the other Avos (the Zohar says that). Since Yaakov Avinu did not die, the principle of "hameisim lo yodu m'unah" does not apply to him. Although dead people may be informed of things that happen in this world by other spirit entities, they have no awareness on their own.
The Zohar in Pinchas is well known, that at Simchos of children, the parents' neshomos descend to attend. This is a special status for ancestors, and only during celebrations.
In numerous places it distinguishes between the soul's presence in this world during his life, and the reduction thereof after death.
The following is a quote from "HaTekufa VeHageulah b'mishnaso shel harebi milubavtich", published by Agudas Chsidei Chabad in Israel, and comes with a haskama from 20 Lubavitch rabbis, page 94:
"From the above we can understand the meaning of the chant "Yechi" regarding the Rebbe...
"Nowadays ... as the rebbe has informed us that 'Your time of geulah has arrived!', and there has already been a revealing of the existence of the redeemer in the Nasi haDor, so we may say that during a time such as this the request and the demand ("teviah") for the Kingdom Bais Dovid ... is no longer ethereal or intangible, but rather, in addition ot the request of Hashem that he should send us moshiach, we show publicly that we are prepared to willingly accept the Kingdom of the Nasi HaDor, the Moshiach of the generation, as The King Moshiach".
Later in the same book, (pp. 130-132) there is a chapter called "The Eternity of the Jewish Nation". There it explains that Jewish people will get Olam Habah and be resurrected eventually, and that there are different levels of "living forever". Some of which include living forever physically in a body.
Where the Rebbe fits in to all this it doesn't say explicitly. But it's pretty obvious, as the chapter ends, "this is not the place to expound on this, but give to a wise man and he will understand more". The final note reads as follows:
"The issue of forever in the sense of eternal life is connected to the attribute of moshiach, since only Moshiach is zocheh to the issue of "Yechidah". Behold, from the revealing of the Yechidah, from life itself ("etzem hachiyus"), he is not subject to the passing of time, and he is beyond "time". And since in the world to come there will be a revelation of the Yechidah in all Jews, that's how they will live forever." (p.132, note 21).
In other words, Moshiach is beyond time, is not effected by time, so of course he lives forever. And from the life of Moshiach will all Jews be able to live forever as well. And we know who Moshiach is, since it says so like 100 times throughout the book.
And this is not the worst. The magazine "Bais Moshiach" is much worse.
The issue over here is quite simple. Tzadikim have died in the past. From the Avos, down.
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In Judaism, the only - I repeat: the only criterion for determining between holy and unholy teachings is if they follow the Torah or not. So if you want to defend the Lubavitcher Rebbe's teachings, it does not work to say "Well he did miracles!"
The followers of the Neviei sheker defended their "leaders" by the fact that they performed miracles (and they really did!), and the false Messiahs throughout the generations got people to follow them by performing real miracles as well.
And by doing Kiruv, too.
Here's what Rav Yaakov Sasportes ZTL, the major opponent of the false Messiah Shabse Tzvi (ys"v) writes about why people believed in this false Messiah:
"And these events penetrated into the hearts of the of the public, and impressed even some Chachamim, and thus were awakened to do tremendous Teshuva - all of Klall Yisroel, the Kerovim and the Rechokim throughout the entire world ... the whole world did lofty Teshuva ... fasting, disciplining themselves, fasts that sometimes lasted from shabbos to shabbos, even immersing in freezing Mikvaos in the winter, and other such things; [the movement of teshuva was]indescribable and unimaginable ..." (Tzitsa novel Tzvi, beginning of sefer)
Here's more, from the Responsa Koach Shor (# 31), a contemporary of the Baal Shem Tov who was held in very high regard by the Besht):
"The following is a reliable story, from which we can see the extent that the Satan goes to steer Jews away from the true Emunah c"v:
"The above mentioned Tzadik was arguing with 'that man', Frank, the head of the Shabse Tzvi's followers in his days. He asked Frank how Shabse Tzvi can be so brazen as to against the Torah ... the evil one answered that the entire Torah was given until the days of the Moshiach, the tekufah of the Shabse Tzvi and his followers (MOD's note: I assume he was referring to a warped understanding of the Gemora's ruling "Mitzvos beteilos l'asid lavo"), after which new Torah is revealed. The tzadik asked him, "How can you prove what you are saying is true against the fact that we all witnessed and have in possession only this Torah? Why should we believe you?"
"The rasha answered, "You cannot say that you remember seeing Kabbalas HaTorah with your own eyes. Rather, you believe the historical account from generation to generation - which is correct, for would parents lie to their children? Therefore, based on that logic, I will call upon your parents, who are already dead, to return here to earth right now and tell you the truth, that the time has already come when Moshe Rabbeinu's Torahs are secondary"
The Tzadik said "Do it! Let me see that happen!"
"And the evil Frank merely mumbled with his lips, and there entered two people - the father and the mother of the Tzadik! The Tzadik recognized them as his parents. They said to him "My son, you should know that the Torah of Moshe was given only until the revelation of Shabse Tzvi, but from then on, you should follow whatever Shabse Tzvi says, for he is Moshiach!"
Moderator's Interjection: What do you think the proper reaction is? Imagine yourself in this position.... Now here's the rest of the story:
"The Tzadik answered them, 'Where does it say that one must honor their father and mother and that it is forbidden to strike them? Only in the Torah of Moshe Rabbeinu! If you are right and Moshe's Torah is obsolete, then it is permitted to beat up your parents!'
"He proceeded to take a large stick and repeatedly smash his parents in their heads, over and over.
"The parents fell to the ground and everyone around saw that the illusion was lifted and the "parents" were really two carcasses of dogs"
End quote.
Writes the Satmar Rebbe ZTL about Shabse Tzvi (Vayoel Moshe p.188):
"The reason that the majority of Jews followed him was because Shabse Tzvi was an expert in all of shas and poskim, and all the writings of the Arizal. All of it was commonplace on his lips even when he was a young boy of 15 years. His Avodah, too, with fasts and sigufim and shiros v'sichbachos was awesome in the eyes of anyone who witnessed it. He also displayed awesome wonders and miracles and brought back thousands of Jews to Teshuva. And wherever they went, they made Baalei Teshuva. All of this is recorded in the seforim of Rav Yaakov Sasportes and Rav Yaakov Emden and other seforim that talk about this. So it is no wonder that he had the ability to fool the entire nation who and starving and thirsting and their soul yearns for the Geulah."
The Satmar Rebbe therefore used to explain Chazal's statemnt: "Im rabchah domeh alechah l'malach hashem tzivakos - if your Rebbi is like an angel, that is, a supernatural being, above this world - yevakesh torah mipihu - you better check out his torahs and see if he knows what he’s talking about. For that is the only criterion to just a Rebbi."
In the desert, the nation, the "dor deah" saw a miracle: an image of Moshe dead on har sinai. This was not kishef - for it was not caused by people - it was seen by them. And this caused them to believe that Moshe was dead and therefore they made the egel.
But they should have looked into the Torah to see if they should make the egel - not at miracles.
The dor haflagah, the medrash says, shot arrows into the sky to "kill Hashem" c"v.
The arrows came back dripping with blood. They thought they succeeded. This, too, was not kishef - the perpetrators themselves were fooled. This was the satan "testing" them to see if they would look at what it says in the Torah to determine what they should do, or will they look at miracles.
As it says regarding the Navi sheker who performs miracles: "ki menaseh hashem elokeinu eschem!" Says Rashi: "Why does G-d give the navi sheker the power to perform miracles? To test you."
Even when a miracle is a halachic requirement, such as for a navi to prove he is a navi, the Rambam writes: "Even though it is possible that he is not a navi [even if he makes a miracle], because the miracle can have "other things involved" (yesh devorim b'go), nevertheless, since [the first requirement is that] he must be a chacham and adam godol, and worthy of prophecy [even without a miracle], we can assume he is a navi because he is established to be legitimate [by virtue of his character and torah etc]"
In other words, the miracle cannot prove that a person is legitimately great; rather, a person's greatness proves that he made legitimate miracles.
And because we are instructed to determine those who we follow only on the basis of their Torah and not their miracles, the followers of miracle-making fakers are punished just as the fakers themselves, since they (the followers) had no right to believe in someone because of miracles. The Navi Yermiyah tried to defend Klall Yisroel for following the Neviei Sheker, but Hashem refuted him, saying that the people are indeed responsible:
"And I said 'O Hashem, behold the Neviim say to the people 'You will see no sword etc.'" And Hashem answered me: 'The prophets are saying lies in My name. I did not send them, I did not command them and I did not speak to them. A false vision, predicting the future through means other than prophecy, nothingness and lies they tell you' ".
The Radak explains that Yirmiyah was trying to defend Klall Yisroel for following the neviei habal because they perform real supernatural signs, so how can the people know better?
Hashem said they can know better, and that following signs is not excuse, because the true prophets teach them true Torah and the false ones teach them against the Torah.
The only criteria to determine who to follow is if his teachings are in accordance with the Torah. Miracles or fulfilled blessings or signs and wonders play absolutely no role in the decision.
The reason false Messiahs are involved especially in Kiruv:
There is a reason given in the seforim why the Satan will assist a false leader, and especially a false Moshiach, to be mekarev many people to Judaism and then make them go off the derech.
Rav Yonason Eyebushitz ZTL (Yaaros Dvash 1:1) writes that sometimes you will see a rasha do teshuva, only to fall again later on. The reason this happens, he says, is because his Teshuva was not the result of his fighting the Yezter Horah, but rather the Yezter Horah helping him do Teshuva! This happens because it is much more satisfying for the Satan when a good religious Jew falls than when a rasha falls. So just as the butcher will feed and take care of the sheep in order to fatten him up for the slaughter, so to the Satan will take a person and feed him spiritually, and make him strong and healthy, in order to "slaughter" him later on.
Rav Yaakov Sasportes ZTL says that this is why Shabse Tzvi had such success making Baalei Teshuva. The Satan was helping them in order to get them to believe in this false messiah thereby having a good, repented Jew going off the derech.
We don’t know what is going on in Shamayim, but if someone is a tinok shnishbah, and then later become frum and believes a Rebbe is the Essence of G-d in a body, or that he is doing Mitzvos in order to please the Rebbe, or various other idolatrous and heretical beliefs, the victory for the Satan is great.
I once was sitting next to a Rebbe at a chasanah, who I knew respected the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Somehow this came up in discussion at the table, and he said "There is bad by him, true, but look how many people he made frum! So the balance 'probably' comes out positive"
I said, "Tell me, ____ Rebbe, how many baaei teshuva does it take to make up for on word of Minus (apikorsus) or avodah zorah that is spoken there? Tell me how you came up with that balance?"
He thought to himself for a while, and then looked at me and said, "dus is a giteh shailah."
Then he tried saying that perhaps it is the chasidim, who are mostly uneducated and of weak background, that are responsible for the idolatry there, since they aren’t well-versed in torah enough to avoid those pitfalls.
I told him about some of the things the Rebbe said, and when I was done he asked me if I could fax the material to him because it is hard to believe.
I faxed him the material the next day (it contained what is posted on the site) and he called me in shock "mavhildik'e zachin" he was repeating over and over in a daze ("Shocking things").
He said "this is a problem". I didn't push the matter and the conversation was over.
Peace, please don't think that "some gedolim disagreed with what he did." Most of them didn’t even know what he did or said - remember: the Lubavitcher Rebbe had a policy well known to his people not to reveal anything about chabad that would reduce respect for it in the eyes of the world. If something "hindered the learning of chasidus in the world" (read: chabad chasidus as interpreted by him) - then it was not to be done. If someone thing increased the learning of chasidus - then it should be done. It all revolves around what is best for Lubavitch.
Not single godol or someone close to being a godol defended any of the deviant teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. They said either he is a "lunatic" (The Brisker Rav), a shoteh (The Satmar Rebbe), or, as Rabbi Avigdor Miller said as an explanation of why he attended the Lubavitcher Rebbe's funeral, "He was not in his right mind for the past 20 years so he is not responsible for what he said."
And Rabbi Miller was NOT an opponent of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. The reason? He judged him favorably, that he was not in his right mind.
There is no question that he had great merit for his Kiruv efforts, even though they were motivated by his needing to do so in order for him to fulfill his interpretation Moshiach's famous statement to the Besht: "When your Torahs will be disseminated I will come." You can’t bring (read: be) Moshiach without disseminating Chasidus - and that, the Lubavitcher Rebbe said is the main motivation for his Kiruv movement (stated to the Divenver Rebbe - Kuntres Hachai Yiten el Libo).
However, none of that and none of his other myriad good deeds diminish the accuracy of any of the charges leveled against him, nor do they indicate that he was a holy man in any way whatsoever.
If you want to defend him you will have to defend the things that he taught. And that, so far, has not been done by anyone.
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The idea that the Lubavitcher Rebbe is alive does not come from Chassidus, not Lubavitch, or anywhere else. So bashing it is not bashing Chassidus, it is merely bashing a crazy idea. Please do not blame this mess on the Baal Shem Tov. On the contrary, Chassidus contradicts it just as the rest of our Torah.
Yaakov Avinu, Elyahu HaNavi, Moshe Rabbeinu and others who Chazal reveal to us have not died all have pesukim in the Torah to designate them as special cases. On the contrary, from the fact that we need special pesukim to tell us that these individuals have not died, it is clear that everywhere else we assume the individual has in fact passed away. There are meforshim who even say that Yaakov Avinu’s not dying applies only to Yaakov and not the rest of the Avos, because he was involved in Torah more than they were (Iyun Yaakov Taanis 5a). Which means that Avrohom and Yitzchok died, but not the Lubavitcher Rebbe!?
And the Gemora in Shabbos 515b learns that “dead people are no longer obligated in Mitzvos” from Dovid HaMelech! So “Dovid Moshiach Tzidkechah” is dead, but the Lubavitcher Rebbe is “Yechi Melech HaMoshiach”?!
And even in the case of the special eternally-live individuals, their current state of existence is not the same as when they were alive on this world. The wife of Eliyahu HaNavi, writes the Piskei Mahari (102, quoted in Kovetz Maamarim II:28) may remarry because although Eliyahu is alive, he is not a “person” in the physical sense but a spiritual being, and his marriage is invalidated as much as if he were dead. We still say “Yaakov Avinu alav Hashalom” and “Moshe Rabbeinu alav hashalom,” which are phrases used on those who have passed away. But on the Lubavitcher Rebbe, these people would never say “alav Hashalom”. “Shlita” is what they use.
The whole idea is irrational and perverse. It has no basis anywhere except in the minds of some fantasizing individuals who are teaching to innocent bystanders.
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Dovid HaMelech is dead. In fact, we learn out the halachah that dead people are exempt from Mitzvos from Dovid HaMelech. We say "Dovid HaMelech alav hashalaom".
There are many peirushim of "chai v'kayam," including his kingship is still here, he lives in gan eden, his acts and accomplishments are still here, which is as if he is alive etc tec.
"The Rebbe shlita" is not alav hashalom. It’s a totally different idea.
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The Chasam Sofer (Resp. 6:98) writes that even Eliyahu HaNavi who we know rose to the heavens without dying is only considered able to do Mitzvos when he returns to this world in a temporarily restored physical body. But even Eliyahu, while he is not walking on this world in a restored physical body, cannot do Mitzvos.
Of course Hashem can temporarily, even once a week, make techiyas haMeisim and return someone in a physical body. If that person is a Tzadik, then when he returns in a physical body he would be able to perform Mitzvos, since the souls of Tzadikim are always alive. You need both – a “live” soul, which only a Tzadik has, and a physical body to do Mitzvos. But when a Tzadik is not walking on this world in a physical body, he is de-obligated in Mitzvos like anyone else. Remember – the principle “dead people cannot do Mitzvos” is derived from Dovid HaMelech.
That’s first of all. Second, the entire episode does not say Tzadikim are not dead. It only says that they are exempt (when in physical form) from the rule that once you die you are free of Mitzvos. Tzadikim, since their souls are alive, may do Mitzvos even posthumously. Even though they have died, they may still do Mitzvos!
There is another explanation that a number of Meforshim give for the story of Rebbi, that Rebbi is different than all other Tzadikim since he happened to have been a reincarnation (“nitzutz”) of Yaakov Avinu, as it says in, Rama MiPano, Megaleh Amukos, and other places.
R. Chaim Cohen’s statement about Rabbeinu Tam is explained by the meforshim to be either according to the opinions that Tzadikim, even when dead, are not metameh - but they are still dead! (Ritva quoted in Etz Yosef. See also Tosfos Yevamos 61a) or because a Godol haDor like Rebbi has the halachic status of a Nasi for whom it is permitted to be metameh (Bais Yosef YD 374).
Regarding R. Shimon bar Yochai, there are those who say that he, too, is an exception since, like Rebbi, he too is a “nitzutz” of a Tzadik who Chazal tell us never died, namely, Moshe Rabbeinu (Shar haGilgulim II;5, Sefer Chazyonos [R. Chaim Vital] p.143.)
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The “proofs” that the Lubavitcher Rebbe is alive, are all based on misinformation and out-of-context passages, no more logical to someone familiar with the material than the arguments of the missionaries from Tanach.
And they only work on people equally unsuspecting or unreasonable.
For instance, anyone familiar with “doresh al hameisim” knows that every communication with a Neshoma is not Doresh Al Hameisim. D”HM is referring to someone who hangs out in the cemetery so that a Ruach Tumah comes over him (Sanhedrin 65b), which means either a Shaid, that you try to get to like you and help you with Kishef (Rashi) or that you try to get the dead person to tell you things in a dream (Rambam, Chinuch). Or that you speak to the actual dead body asking it to help you with your Kishef (Yereim).
According to Yereim you can’t be Doresh al Hameisim unless you deal with the physical body, but if you just talk to the spirit it is permitted. According to Bais Yosef D”HM is only if you perform an action such as going to the cemetery or wear some special clothing or something like that, that helps you talk to the dead. But just communicating without these magical talismans or actions is permitted.
There is no heter anywhere to be Doresh AL Hameisim by dead Tzadikim, on the contrary, the poskim warn us when visiting the graves of Tzadikim not to dare think that the purpose is to communicate with the Tzadikim themselves, but rather to pray to Hashem b’zchus the Tzadik, otherwise it could board on Doresh al Hameisim (see Bach 217, Chachmas Adam 89:7).
The Gemora in Brachos 18a tells a story about a Chosid who slept in the cemetery and ended up speaking to spirits, way before the Arizal was born. Kalev, too, spoke to deceased ancestors in Chevron to request mercy (see Sotah 34b). Not everyone who speaks to the souls of the dead has to do it in a way that is Doresh al Hameisim.
But one thing is for sure ---- nobody but nobody says Doresh al Hameisim is permitted by Tzadikim because they are not dead. That is ridiculous.
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The Haghos Maimoni (Avodah Zorah 11:13) proves from the Gemora in Brachos about the guy who got kicked out of his house, that Doresh Al Hameisim is only if you talk to the BODY of the dead person, but a bodiless spirit is not a problem.
The Shulchan Aruch itself (YD 179:14) quotes this opinion as well.
These are not exotic opinions. These are found on the side of the Rambam on the spot and in the Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deah. The only people that can imagine in their wildest dreams that the Arizal's consulting dead souls "proves" that dead Tzadikim are really alive are only those who have not learned the basic Shulchan Aruch and Rambam (with Hahghos Maimoni) on the topic.
All the more so since we are trying to understand the Arizal's opinion here, and the Shach on the spot says that the permit to speak to bodiless spirits is well understood according to the writings of Kabbalah and the Zohar "in many places".
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The belief that the Lubavitcher Rebbe is alive is not merely a legitimate mistake but an illegitimate unjustifiable baseless concoction out of thin air. Mistaken means the methodology that was used to arrive at the conclusions was legitimate but an error was committed in logic or understanding. Here, they took zero reasoning whatsoever, zero Torah sources, and zero logic and concocted out of thin air the belief that the Rebbe is still alive. The same people who used to say that the Rebbe is Moshiach because Moshiach has to be a “real living person” and that “every generation has a Moshiach” now find themselves flip flopping and saying whatever is necessary in order to be able to defend their desire, that their Rebbe be King Moshiach no matter what.
Any 14 year old is capable of understanding that Yaakov Avinu Lo Mes has nothing to do with the Lubavitcher Rebbe, and that throughout history, with NO EXCEPTION AT ALL EVEN WITHIN LUBAVITCH, we have said “dead”, “yohrtzeit”, “petirah”, “zatzal”, on deceased Tzadikim, not shlita. This is not “unfortunately mistaken”. This is plain falsehood.
An important principle of Torah education is that ideas are not only “right” or wrong”, but there are levels of correctness and incorrectness as well. In the introduction to Chidushei Rav Shlomo Heiman, it says that Rav S”H used to say that whenever R. Akiva Eger would say about a Torah problem “this needs study” or “this needs much study”, or similar phrases, each one meant a totally different level of problem, and that if a Rebbi says about a problem that “needs study" that it “needs much study” he is corrupting the Talmidim, because he is distorting the truth.
In Halachah too, there is a difference between a legitimate mistake and an illegitimate mistake, regarding many Halachos.
There is a difference between “unfortunately mistaken” and “baseless, senseless, dishonest and crazy”.
This is the latter.
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The Neshomos of the Oishpizin come to us. But the Oispizin (with the notable exceptions of Yaakov and Moshe as per the gemora) are dead. Once again, the Halachah that dead people are no longer obligated to Mitzvos is derived from the posthumous status of Dovid haMelech, King Moshiach himself.
Chassidus does not teach that Rebbes come as Oishpizin. The Baal Shem Tov and his Talmidim said no such thing. This is a creation of Lubavitch exclusively, where they have another Lubavitcher Rebbe coming each day as Oshpizin. Nobody else has anything to do with that. Not the Baal Shem Tov, not the Magid, nobody. And all those Rebbes that they say come as Oishpizin are dead.
Eliyahu HaNavi coming to a Bris shows nothing considering that Eliyahu HaNavi is one of the few notables who are not dead, which is because we saw him flying up to Shamayim in a chariot in Sefer Melachim Bais, which does NOT apply to the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
Listen, I really feel bad here, but the truth is the truth. Throughout history we have learned about deviant sects of Jews who have gone off the derech (or the deep end) in various ways, from Korach to Yeravam, to the Baal worshippers, to Shabsai Tzvi, to the Maskilim, down.
All of them were Orthodox Jews. Things like this do happen. If you would have lived in the days of Korach, don't you think that Korach's people would have said not to "bash" them, and that everyone should "respect" them because they are Orthodox Jews? In fact that's exactly what they did say!
They had claims against Moshe Rabbeinu because he wouldn't see any other point of view. "All the congregation are holy they said. And the Arizal writes that Korach's goal was to bring Moshiach, when Leviim will be Kohanim, which is why he fought against Aharon's exclusive right to be Kohen.
All Korach wanted was to bring Moshiach. Do you think that Korach's people had horns? That they had tails? They were regular Orthodox Jews whose desire to bring Moshiach caused them to go off the Derech.
Don't you think in Korach's yeshivos they taught the teenage girls that their ideology is well founded according to Torah thought?
You would have had a hard time recognizing the poison in Korach's ideology.
We are living in such a time. Those who say the dead Rebbe is a live Moshiach shlita are going off the Derech (or the deep end) just like these other groups. The difference is only quantitative. Once you distort the Torah's true beliefs, no matter how few or many of them you distort, you are off the derech. The only difference is that the other groups had philosophies that were more difficult to recognize as wrong. This Yechi Rebbe Shlita thing is just plain nutso.
They tell you they have "proof". But the fact is that "proof" after "proof" is easily exposed as a distortion of reality. THERE IS NO BASIS TO SAY THE LUBAVITCHER REBBE IS STILL ALIVE. Not one single Torah opinion fits into this madness.
Not a single one.
Nada. Zero. Zip.
On the contrary, the fact that everyone is dead after they die is what the Torah tells us. Tzadik or not. That's why Yaakov is an exception. And Moshe. And a few other notables.
But the rest are DEAD. According to Rashi (BM 85a) and many others, their corpses emit Tumah like all dead bodies.
They can no longer do Mitzvos.
Their wives can remarry.
Their possessions go to their heirs.
They have a yohrtzeit.
They are "zatzal" or "zechuso yagen aleinu". They are NOT "shlita".
Their souls are in Gan Eden, alive, like the souls of dead people are supposed to be. But they are dead people nonetheless.
It is pathetic that this has to even be discussed.
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I never said most Lubavitchers believe this. Whether they do or not depends who you ask. I never discussed that.
There are those who simply say the Rebbe never died. They cal him "shlita", they refuse to refer to 3 Tamuz as a petirah, and they have said it clearly many times. That is the discussion.
It is also against the Torah to believe that the Rebbe's neshoma "is here with us the same way it was before his petira". Although this is not nearly as bad as saying he is physically alive, it is still a falsehood.
When someone dies, their Neshoma goes to the Olam haNeshomos. The Gemora in Brachos concludes that the dead are, as a rule, unaware or uninterested in what happens in this world. Meforshim say that this is the reason that Yaakov Avinu is in more pain about our Golus than the other Avos (the Zohar says that). Since Yaakov Avinu did not die, the principle of "hameisim lo yodu m'unah" does not apply to him. Although dead people may be informed of things that happen in this world by other spirit entities, they have no awareness on their own.
The Zohar in Pinchas is well known, that at Simchos of children, the parents' neshomos descend to attend. This is a special status for ancestors, and only during celebrations.
In numerous places it distinguishes between the soul's presence in this world during his life, and the reduction thereof after death.
The following is a quote from "HaTekufa VeHageulah b'mishnaso shel harebi milubavtich", published by Agudas Chsidei Chabad in Israel, and comes with a haskama from 20 Lubavitch rabbis, page 94:
"From the above we can understand the meaning of the chant "Yechi" regarding the Rebbe...
"Nowadays ... as the rebbe has informed us that 'Your time of geulah has arrived!', and there has already been a revealing of the existence of the redeemer in the Nasi haDor, so we may say that during a time such as this the request and the demand ("teviah") for the Kingdom Bais Dovid ... is no longer ethereal or intangible, but rather, in addition ot the request of Hashem that he should send us moshiach, we show publicly that we are prepared to willingly accept the Kingdom of the Nasi HaDor, the Moshiach of the generation, as The King Moshiach".
Later in the same book, (pp. 130-132) there is a chapter called "The Eternity of the Jewish Nation". There it explains that Jewish people will get Olam Habah and be resurrected eventually, and that there are different levels of "living forever". Some of which include living forever physically in a body.
Where the Rebbe fits in to all this it doesn't say explicitly. But it's pretty obvious, as the chapter ends, "this is not the place to expound on this, but give to a wise man and he will understand more". The final note reads as follows:
"The issue of forever in the sense of eternal life is connected to the attribute of moshiach, since only Moshiach is zocheh to the issue of "Yechidah". Behold, from the revealing of the Yechidah, from life itself ("etzem hachiyus"), he is not subject to the passing of time, and he is beyond "time". And since in the world to come there will be a revelation of the Yechidah in all Jews, that's how they will live forever." (p.132, note 21).
In other words, Moshiach is beyond time, is not effected by time, so of course he lives forever. And from the life of Moshiach will all Jews be able to live forever as well. And we know who Moshiach is, since it says so like 100 times throughout the book.
And this is not the worst. The magazine "Bais Moshiach" is much worse.
The issue over here is quite simple. Tzadikim have died in the past. From the Avos, down.
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Labels: Lubavitch
posted by Moderator at 11:45 AM
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