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No, he wasn't the messiah. The Rebbe was and is - a tzaddik - a saintly man. He was amazing when he was alive. A child prodigy and extremely learned and full of wisdom. Its rare to find people of such spiritual goodness and stature that you know they're greater than ordinary people. The literature of religion is full of stories of people like this and not just in Judaism. And you can understand why the Rebbe's revered. There may be a few who think he's the messiah but most Chabadniks would tell you he was a righteous man who did a lot of good. And Chabad is a mystical movement that appeals to a lot of people, not all of whom are necessarily Jews, for two reasons: they marry an open approach to the modern world with traditional living and their young people are idealistic and selfless in bringing back Judaism where it seemed to cease to exist. That's why Chabad, unlike some Orthodox and certainly more than a lot of liberal religious groups, is growing by leaps and bounds. Their success as Jews and people of fervent faith can't be argued with.

I agree that the Rebbe was a tzaddik. He deserves the utter respect the Torah commands for his learning and his menschlichkeit. He was a leader for the ages. Brilliant and full of love.

I do know people who pray to him by putting wishes on slips of paper and putting them into his grave area. This bothers me a great deal. They also I think do believe he is Moschiach. One time one woman hinted as much.

What I love about most Chabadniks is that they are so in love with Judaism and feel so close to G-d. Many seem so full of joy. They certainly have inspired and taught me so much more than I have learned from the snobby liberal synagogues. There is so much less judgement at Chabad.