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Are there any sects or significant Rabbanim, other than those in Chabad, who hold that the late Lubavitcher Rebbe (now that he has passed away) is mashiach?

If there are those that do believe him to be the mashiach, do they think that he is the only option or that others (whether we know who they are or not) can also be candidates?

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  • Somewhat related: judaism.stackexchange.com/q/38340 and judaism.stackexchange.com/q/27767 and judaism.stackexchange.com/q/25946
    – Fred
    Jun 19, 2014 at 18:10
  • "If there are those that do believe him to be the mashiach, do they think that he is the only option or that others (whether we know who they are or not) can also be candidates?" So by "to be the mashiach" you mean actually "to perhaps be the mashiach"? You should probably edit your first paragraph, then, to clarify that.
    – msh210 ♦
    Jun 19, 2014 at 18:46
  • www.ksol.org/image.asp?f=psak_large.pdf&d=11 FWIW
    – ertert3terte
    Jun 19, 2014 at 21:03
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    @ShmuelBrin The great majority of names on there belong to Lubavitch chasidim, and I don't know how reliable the others are given that at least one signature was fraudulently added, and it was only removed after the pseudo-signatory (the former Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat HaGolan) found out about it and protested.
    – Fred
    Jun 19, 2014 at 21:26
  • ... so no one then
    – bondonk
    Sep 18, 2014 at 21:07

2 Answers 2

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In an interview, Rabbi Heschel Greenberg answered to that question:

"Rav Herschprung of Montreal, after Gimmel Tammuz, wrote that the belief that the Rebbe is Moshiach is a hundred percent valid, and - I don’t have the letter in front of me, but - it’s even stronger than Rav Aaron Soloveitchik’s [sic] letter.

(I'm not sure whether he means that Rav Herschprung himself believes that the Rebbe is Moshiach, or at least that it is a valid belief.)

"Rav Eliyahu Shmerler, the Sanzer rosh yeshiva, signed a document saying that he believes now [i.e., after Gimmel Tammuz] that the Rebbe is Moshiach. Rav Ovadiah Yosef’s son, Rav Yaakov Yosef, who’s not a Lubavitcher but a Sephardic gadol, signed a document saying that the Rebbe is Moshiach. And there are many others.

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  • 4
    To be weaker than Rav Aaron Soleveitchik's letter is quite hard. All he said was that it's not outright heresy.
    – ertert3terte
    Feb 11, 2015 at 5:50
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    R' Yaakov Yosef believed the Rebbe could potentially be the Mashiach but admitted he was wrong.
    – El Shteiger
    Jan 19, 2017 at 16:17
  • vosizneias.com/58818/2010/06/27/…
    – El Shteiger
    Jan 19, 2017 at 16:18
  • is he even a descendant of king David?
    – ray
    Jan 20, 2017 at 6:41
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Are there any sects or significant Rabbanim, other than those in Chabad, who hold that the late Lubavitcher Rebbe (now that he has passed away) is mashiach?

Yes, Attached is a Psak Din that was signed by hundreds of Rabbonim (many non-Chabad Rabbi's) That the Rebbe is Moshiach. Note that the date of this Psak is 1998-2006.

A Halachik Psak that the Rebbe is Moshiach

If there are those that do believe him to be the mashiach, do they think that he is the only option or that others (whether we know who they are or not) can also be candidates?

No. The answer to who Moshiach is? is completely a Halachic issue, and not based by elections or the popular vote, but rather qualifications that the Rambam (whose Yortzeit is today) wrote, which are so unique that only one in a generation can meet them.

I hope that I answered your question.

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    The attachment is a list of chabad rabbis. I'm not asking for a da'at yachid from Venezuela. Do any legitimate non-chabad leading rabbi's endorse this view? Furthermore, to your second answer: the 'psak din' declares Rabbi Schneerson a prophet that must be listened to, it seems clear the these rabbis listed are not open to others being mashiach.
    – bondonk
    Jan 18, 2017 at 20:07
  • Many are indeed Chabad Rabbi's but many are not, Just to name a few: The Pinsk Karlin Rebbe, The Nadvorna Rebbe, The Nishkiz Rebbe, The Ziditchov Rebbe, Rabbi Yaakov Yosef, Rabbi Shaul Katzin, and many more on the list. And as I said in the second answer, it is a halachic issue, and any rabbi who learned it can have an opinion. I have yet to hear any other candidates, but I may be wrong.
    – Rabbi Shuki Gur
    Jan 18, 2017 at 20:20
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    The comment to the question by @ShmuelBrin contains a dead link now, but I seem to recall that it was the same (or at least, a very similar looking) letter. And as the comment right after mentions, the letter was claimed to have forged signatures on it, bringing in to question the letter as a whole.
    – Salmononius2
    Jan 18, 2017 at 21:13
  • This psak used to get updated yearly, as many new Rabbi's were added. Personally knowing the person who adds the Rabbi's to the list, I find it hard to believe that someone was added without his agreement, and I know for a fact of a few Rabbi's who were pressured to remove there signature, which he did right away. If you still question the letter, you can try and contact one of the Rabbi's and ask him if he really signed, which I think is more trustworthy than a comment here...
    – Rabbi Shuki Gur
    Jan 19, 2017 at 7:33

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