[Bella_Bru]

. I just couldn't get my head around viewing this Rabbi as the Messiah,

As far as I knew, most Lubavitchers do not think Rebbe Schneerson was the messiah.

[StoneColdGOP]

Pasadena Chabad makes some awesome latkes.

[livianne]

As far as I knew, most Lubavitchers do not think Rebbe Schneerson was the messiah.

this is what i have heard is said, but every site I can find regarding Chabad has numerous references to the Rebbe, so even if they are not considering him the Messiah they are still very much concentrated on him. Is that bad? I dunno - but it's something that I have a hard time with personally.

[goldstategop]

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.