The trick is this. Schneersohn never claimed to be Messiah because he knew it was the Messiah's job not to claim it for himself! He aspired to be the final Rebbe and final Messiah but, as he told Netanyahu, all one can do is hasten every moment to do what is fitting for the Messiah being revealed. This required his sect to quietly permit two competing views, one that he is now the final Messiah (which is good because it makes them come to grips with how Messiah may come from the dead according to Talmudic tradition); and one that he is not yet the final Messiah (which is good because they still demand Messiah be revealed immediately). In keeping with Schneersohn's Talmudic view that "this and this" are both God's words, these coexist and must find the harmony (for instance, there is no problem saying Schneersohn was "the Messiah for his generation" as David and Hezekiah were).
Therefore when the Lubavitchers sing "Our very eyes will see the Rebbe King Moshiach walking into shul", they can be encouraged to work out the harmony of their views for themselves. The whole offense of OP, and of the Lubavitchers separately, is not usually their slogans but those who specifically identify which Messiah we're talking about. The point of Messiah is for people to recognize and accept him of their own freewill without any pressure or influence from outside of themselves: and when they realize they have, they will also realize it was a new birth event that both came naturally by their responses and was brought about wholly by another. You like "not either/or but both/and", right?
Sure. Wikipedia "Chabad messianism" cites this report about a 2002 Lubavitcher songbook for instance.
The trick is this. Schneersohn never claimed to be Messiah because he knew it was the Messiah's job not to claim it for himself! He aspired to be the final Rebbe and final Messiah but, as he told Netanyahu, all one can do is hasten every moment to do what is fitting for the Messiah being revealed. This required his sect to quietly permit two competing views, one that he is now the final Messiah (which is good because it makes them come to grips with how Messiah may come from the dead according to Talmudic tradition); and one that he is not yet the final Messiah (which is good because they still demand Messiah be revealed immediately). In keeping with Schneersohn's Talmudic view that "this and this" are both God's words, these coexist and must find the harmony (for instance, there is no problem saying Schneersohn was "the Messiah for his generation" as David and Hezekiah were).
Therefore when the Lubavitchers sing "Our very eyes will see the Rebbe King Moshiach walking into shul", they can be encouraged to work out the harmony of their views for themselves. The whole offense of OP, and of the Lubavitchers separately, is not usually their slogans but those who specifically identify which Messiah we're talking about. The point of Messiah is for people to recognize and accept him of their own freewill without any pressure or influence from outside of themselves: and when they realize they have, they will also realize it was a new birth event that both came naturally by their responses and was brought about wholly by another. You like "not either/or but both/and", right?
That I do! Thank you!