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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 '14 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 '14 at 18:46
  • www.ksol.org/image.asp?f=psak_large.pdf&d=11 FWIW – Shmuel Brin Jun 19 '14 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 '14 at 21:26
  • ... so no one then – bondonk Sep 18 '14 at 21:07
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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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    To be weaker than Rav Aaron Soleveitchik's letter is quite hard. All he said was that it's not outright heresy. – Shmuel Brin Feb 11 '15 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 '17 at 16:17
  • vosizneias.com/58818/2010/06/27/… – El Shteiger Jan 19 '17 at 16:18
  • is he even a descendant of king David? – ray Jan 20 '17 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 '17 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 '17 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 '17 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 '17 at 7:33

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