Another Messiah in the News

by peacefulpete 2 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  peacefulpete

  A news item making rounds today regards the famous Chabad-Lubavitch synagogue in Brooklyn. In short, the leader of the movement/sect was world famous Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. Schneerson passed away in 1994.....or did he? Prior to his absence a number of the members of the community regarded him as the Messiah and believe he is alive and yet leading the movement. Schneerson himself was ambiguous about the matter.

  In this developing story it appears that this group of believers are responsible for a pretty impressive, illegally constructed, tunnel system linking the synagogue with other buildings as a means of expanding the building's capacity, or preparation for something.

  How many times must this pattern be repeated?
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  iloowy.goowy

  Well, it is a long way from there to Gaza. What's with this urge to dig underground and hide, it sounds very quasi-apokalyptic
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  PioneerSchmioneer

  Actually, if memory serves, the whole Chabad movement believed or at least hoped he was the messiah, though the rabbi oft repeated no, at least when directly asked.

  There were even many posters and signs plastered throughout the Orthodox neighborhoods claiming Schneerson was the messiah and where his upcoming speaking engagements would be held during the late 1980s and early '90s, which the rabbi did nothing to discourage.

  Many of his followers believed he would never die, so when he did and there was a funeral, many who believed him to be the messiah could not accept his death.

  Others went "full Jesus" on Chabad and began teaching he would rise in three days or had risen and was in hiding. But Chabad formally squashed all such teachings and the view that the messiah had come--or so they claimed.

  The work of Chabad has been to build a bridge between Orthodox Judaism and modern Jewish life, but this latest event will unravel all the good done to show that leadership has not really cared to quiet this messianic movement in its ranks.

  Chabad is the group that creates those large public Hanukkah menorahs throughout the USA. Someone has to sponsor them. It's not your mainstream synagogue, it's those folks... And they do it to try to make new members, something which is very "un-Jewish." So don't get too close or you might get handed some Chabad literature next holiday season.