Eclectic Topics in no Particular Order
Various Topics Discussed
/>
How can Jews berate Christians when some say the Rebbe was the messiah -- pot calling kettle black?7/8/2021 Some missionaries try to compare their worship of Jesus as "the" messiah to the fact that some Lubavitchers (Chabadniks) thought that the late Rebbe (Menachem Mendel Schneerson) was the messiah. This is a very false comparison. Jews believe that the mashiach (messiah) will be a normal human being -- albeit very learned in Torah and a shining example for others to follow. No Jew prays to the messiah or through the messiah. He is a means to an end -- as was Moses (for example). G-d is the only One we worship. We know that a potential messiah exists in every generation -- if at any time we are worthy of the redemption he will be known. If we are not yet ready for him then that person will live a normal life and die a normal death -- quite possibly at old age. Was it possible that the Rebbe could have been the messiah? Yes. Absolutely. He was a descendant of King David and King Solomon (Jesus was not). He was very learned in Torah. He brought many people to return to observance and through his focus on kiruv (outreach) many Jews have returned to Judaism. Also, during his lifetime Israel was founded after 2000 years without a homeland a Jewish state was created in our ancestral home. This is one of the messianic prophecies which says that in the messianic age all Jews will return to the holy land. This never happened with Jesus -- not only did most Jews live outside of Judah in his lifetime it was a vasal state to Rome and was destroyed within 100 years of his death... Neither man was the messiah -- but the Rebbe certainly came closer to the role than did Jesus! There is always a danger that people will start to worship other people -- and some Chabadniks seem to come awfully close to crossing that line. However, I remember a discussion with a Chabad Rabbi once who did believe the dead Rebbe was mashiach (and that he would "come back" when the righteous are resurrected). If this were the case then the Rebbe would not have been a messiah the first time around -- he failed to fulfill the prophecies (all of them). Not to mention he was not properly anointed -- which is what the word mashiach / messiah MEANS. In the messianic age the righteous will be resurrected -- so it is possible but highly unlikely that the messiah will be one of them... but unless he was an anointed Jewish king in his first life he would not have been a messiah the first time around. The word means anointed one and it requires a very special type of oil mentioned in the Torah... Here is what the Chabad rabbi said to me... "The Rebbe did see some messianic prophecies fulfilled in his lifetime -- the recreation of Israel, the in gathering of Jews to Israel. . . the Rebbe himself, through his outreach programs, has helped return many Jews to Judaism (another messianic prophecy)." True enough -- but the Rambam tells us that if a messianic wannabe fails to fulfill even ONE prophecy he isn't the messiah. This includes the Rebbe. When the Rebbe died that should have put an end to it -- but here is what the Rabbi said to me. . . "The Rebbe had so many of the qualifications of mashiach and he did see many prophecies fulfilled in his lifetime. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong -- and there is no harm. So if Rebbe wasn't the messiah my life will go on as before. If the Rebbe was / is mashiach then B"H we will see world peace, universal knowledge of G-d, etc. soon." In other words this Chabad rabbi didn't worship the Rebbe. He greatly admired the man and I can understand why. The Rebbe did many great things and he inspired many people. The problem occurs when people take it beyond this "maybe he is and maybe he isn't" and begin to worship the man instead of HaShem. That way is idolatry. If you stop to think of how many Jews the Rebbe and his "army" have brought back to Judaism it is a wonderful and amazing thing. He deserves respect. Respect -- but not anything more. Many miracles are attributed to the Rebbe -- wonderful stories told by people they happened to (not third hand) -- but miracles do not a messiah or even a prophet make. But, as we've said many times, miracles can be found in every religion and are proof of nothing -- they can even be faked (think of the pharaoh's magicians turning their staffs into snakes)... Miracles do not make us worship false gods -- they should turn our hearts to G-d Himself... Torah tells us people can fake both signs and wonders -- and even when they are not faked they are often tests from G-d to see if we can be faithful to His Torah. Reread D'varim / Deuteronomy 13 where G-d tells us that He lets false religions have miracles and such to test your faith in Him. Every religion on the planet can claim miracles and "firsthand saving power" including pagans. Some missionaries will "cast stones" declaring that Jews pray "through" a dead relative, or perhaps the Lubavitcher Rebbe... This is incorrect -- and any Jew who erroneously prays "to" or "through" another is sinning. Asking someone to pray for you is NOT a sin. The Talmud, Bava Batra 116a, says "Anyone who has a sick person in his home should go to a sage, and the sage will ask for mercy on the sick person’s behalf, as it is stated: “The wrath of a king is as messengers of death; but a wise man will pacify it. (Mishlei / Proverbs 16:14)." Asking for something is NOT the same as praying to or through someone! And the person asking others for prayers MUST pray for help himself. Directly to G-d. Praying to the dead is forbidden (D'varim / Deuteronomy 18:11) -- so the idea that people are praying to the Rebbe (or anyone else) for help is wrong. It is professedly forbidden. But while priests cannot enter a cemetery, it is commendable for most of us to do so -- and to pray at a graveside. Can the dead pray for us? Highly unlikely: "For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for their remembrance is forgotten." Kohelet / Ecclesiastes 9:5. . . Praying at the grave of a righteous person may make us more repentant -- make our prayers to the Holy One more sincere. . . . But just as men pray in a minyan of 10 to insure their prayers will be heard -- so voices raised on behalf of one person to the one true G-d is not only acceptable, but laudable. . .. it is not the same as praying to an intermediary, or to or through another -- it is direct prayer from one human to G-d Himself. Missionaries think to insult Jews by throwing up "some Jews thought the Rebbe was the messiah" as if this is a slam dunk that "you Jews are no different from us Christians." As I said at the start this is a very false conclusion. If there are any Jews alive who worship the Rebbe or pray through him (I highly doubt it!) they would be guilty of terrible idolatry. There have been many men who have been thought to be the messiah, only to have been proved false. No candidate has ever brought this with him-- be he Judah of Galilee, Jesus, Bar Kochba (who in the post Temple age was closer to being the ideal than anyone), Shabbatai Tzvi or the great Rebbe. Once they died, with them went their possibility of being the Messiah. In every generation a man lives who could be the messiah if we are ready for him, if we are worthy of him -- and eventually even if we are not worthy... It is not a sin to mistake someone for the messiah. It is a mistake to worship any of them, pray to them or even in their name.... As for the ones thought to have possibly been the messiah -- whatever their names might have been -- Not one of them fulfilled the true messianic prophecies. There is no world peace or global knowledge of G-d... all the Jews have yet to live in the holy land and the state of Israel is not a halachic Jewish country... The Rambam wrote: “The Mashiach [messiah] King will arise and restore the sovereignty of the House of David to its previous status as it was during [David’s] original rule, build the Holy Temple and gather in the Jews in exile." We wait. And we pray daily for the messiah to arrive -- not for who he will be, but for what will happen in his lifetime. As for praying at a gravesite -- if you are not a kohein it can be a very moving way to emotionally connect to G-d.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Categories
All
|