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Are there any statistics as to what percentage of Chabad still believes the Rebbe is the Messiah? Is it the majority or simply a very vocal minority? Have there been any serious studies made on the issue?

Please note this question seeks statistics not ideology.

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It could also be a vocal majority or a quiet minority. Can you clarify exactly what kind of statistics you are trying to find? Peer reviewed journals? Impressions of some online blogger? – Double AA♦ Feb 1 at 14:43
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@DoubleAA, the question says, "Have there been any studies made on the issue?". So not impressions, but studies; but any studies. What's unclear? – msh210♦ Feb 1 at 15:11
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Phil, welcome to Mi Yodeya, and thanks very much for bringing your question here! I hope you'll poke around the site and see if there's anything else you find interesting, including, perhaps, our 47 other questions about chabad. – Isaac Moses Feb 1 at 15:24
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I removed the heterodox tag as this is a question about Chabad and Chabad has its own tag. Generally we use heterodox for questions about other movements (that don't have their own tags) and/or questions abut multiple movements/pluralism. – Monica Cellio♦ Feb 3 at 0:45
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FTR, there were 245 views as of 02/07/13 (when the link on Chabad.info went up). Let's see how many people come here from there – Shmuel Brin Feb 8 at 2:32
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3 Answers

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To the best of my knowledge no such study has been done within Chabad chassidim... and even though in general we say 'Ein lo ra-inu ra-aya' (Zevachim 12:4, "'We have not seen' is not a proof"), controversial studies/statistics the likes of this would surely have spread very quickly with very loud responses.

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Mod note: I have removed the parts of the answer and ensuing comments which do not address the question. – Double AA♦ Feb 3 at 1:35
@DoubleAA my original answer certainly answer the question. Did you read the title? "What percentage of Chabad still believes the Rebbe is the Messiah?" - no mention of statistics there. – Danield Feb 3 at 7:28
In any case, I clearly explained myself that statistics are irrelevant when history has suggested a clear answer to the question – Danield Feb 3 at 7:29
let us continue this discussion in chat – Danield Feb 3 at 8:54
@DoubleAA Thank you for your response. That being said, I still feel that there should be more freedom of speech on this site. I think a moderator should close a topic if he feels there is a problem in the discussion, not delete posts that were well thought out, labored upon, legitimate and contributing. Thank you – Yaakov Pinsky Feb 3 at 11:33
up vote -1 down vote

Chabad published a sefer subscribing to this belief.

About 10 of the most prominent chabad Roshei yeshiva are on the editorial board and 20 of their superiors have endorsed it. What better statistics can you get? The name of the sefer is "Hatekufa Vihageula", first edition 1999 second edition 2005 (link).

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Can you substantiate that these are prominent rabbis in good standing with mainstream Chabad and not the leaders of the Meshichists? – Seth J Feb 8 at 3:11
the book has been published over a decade ago by official central Chabad organization in Israel and no Chabad institution, leader, Rabbi Rosh yeshiva or laymen have yet published anything to counter or de-legitimize the book. – mordechai Feb 8 at 3:37
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I don't know if you know, but there is a lot of controversy about who gets to publish books in Chabad's name. Nisht azoi poshut (not so simple) to just say "Chabad published..". – HodofHod Feb 8 at 4:25
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Even accepting this as an 'official' publication, can anyone confirm that it actually claims what the op says it does? – Double AA♦ Feb 8 at 6:13
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@Danield, no mainstream Lubavitchers that I know think the Rebbe is alive or coming back as Mashiach. If they do, they are excellent liars. I know some Meshichists and some non. The closest I've encountered to a mainstream Meshichist is the phenomenon of Meshichist-defenders. Their belief ranges from internal conflict between wanting him to be Mashiach and acknowledging that this is reminiscent of christianity, to sympathy for true Meshichists and a desire for Achdus more than anything else. – Seth J Feb 10 at 1:10
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up vote -2 down vote

Yes, most of Chabad does believe the Rebbe is Moshiach and that he is alive with us, the difference there, is whether physical or just spiritually.

And, no, no real polls were done - and therefor no statistics exist.

P.S. If there was, it would definitely spread like wildfire.

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Tzvi, welcome to Mi Yodea! Please take a look at our FAQ and about pages to familiarise yourself with how this sites works. Specifically, this is a question and answer forum, rather than a discussion. Only the first paragraph of your answer addresses the question which asked for "statistics and not ideology". I hope you stick around and and continue to contribute. – Michoel Apr 4 at 9:59
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-1 for paranoid conspiracy theories. The idea that everyone who disagrees with you is merely lying to themselves ("You can't handle the truth!") may be comforting to you, but it has no place on this sort of site. – TRiG Apr 4 at 10:40
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-1. I think the only word in your post which made sense was the word "creepy", which is a perfect description of your post. If you want to convince anyone, try sounding like a calm, normal, rational person. – Shraga Apr 4 at 13:31
-1 for being sourceless and therefore not useful. As an aside, I'm still having trouble believing anyone including yourself could believe what you had written. – Double AA♦ Apr 5 at 5:38
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I'm sure I sounded like a fanatical missionary, hah. Sorry if I offended anybody. I was just stating all the facts that came up. @TRiG this only applies to people who were born Lubavitchers and are already 3 gen Chabad. Shraga, I am not trying to convince, I just stated the facts that came up. I am backing out of this conversation, for the reason I can't really put my word up on this one - nothing personal. – Tzvi Apr 9 at 4:04
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