51. Berger notes, “A distinguished rabbi has told me that he considers this military terminology, endorsed by the Rebbe himself, to have been motivated by the desire to fulfill the Maimonidean criteria, and I am afraid that he is probably correct.” Berger, Rebbe, p. 19.

52. According to Chabad, the Jewish year 5743 (1983), written in Hebrew as ה'תשמ"ג and in English as tav-shin-gimmel-mem, is interpreted as Tehe Shnat Gilui Mashiach, or “May it be the year the messiah is revealed.”

53. See Sanhedrin 56a.

54. Schneerson, Farbrengen/Convening, 5747, part 2 (5750), p. 614.

55. It is important to note, however, that Chabad does not believe that Jews and non-Jews share the same amount of responsibility for bringing the messiah. Ultimately, it is the Jews who will hasten the redemption, both by adhering to the mitzvot and by awakening the messianic consciousness of the Jewish people.

56. The Rebbe stated, “This declaration constitutes an apparent sign from above regarding the necessity of this action [teaching non-Jews the Seven Noahide Laws] in these times. Simply put—we are, as stated, at the ‘end of days.’” Schneerson, Farbrengen/Convening, 5747, part 3 (5750), p. 68, emphasis in original.

57. The Rebbe used this expression frequently in his writings. For example, in Farbrengen, he stated, “In previous generations, the Jews suffered oppression from the Gentile nations in which they lived and in the present generation, the opposite is true. Most Jews live in countries whose governments are generous and assist them in the observance of the Torah and mitzvot, allowing them to carry out the spiritual service that will bring about a personal redemption, which in turn will hasten the coming of the redemption as a whole. Surely, this is true of the country in which we are living. Furthermore, these countries are also granting assistance to Jews in the world at large, helping Jews immigrate to Eretz Yisrael (‘The Land of Israel’).” See Schneerson, Farbrengen / Convening, 5751, part 3 (5753), p. 188. For an English translation, see Schneerson, Sichos in English, vol. 48, “Shabbos Parshas Acharei-Kedoshim, 13th Day of Iyar, 5751,” available at www.sichosinenglish.org/books/sichos-in-english/48/13.htm.

58.T he Lesser Sanctuary Is the House of Our Rabbi in Babylon (Brooklyn: Otzar Hahasidim, 2004) [Hebrew]. The full Hebrew text of the essay appears online at www.shluchimcenter.org/kvatzim/malchus/2/034.pdf.

59. Lesser Sanctuary, p. 399, emphasis in original.

60. Lesser Sanctuary, p. 400.

61. Lesser Sanctuary, p. 401.

62. At this point, the original text—approved by the Rebbe—mentions the Midrash from tractate Sanhedrin according to which the messiah sits at the entrance to the city of Rome. Chabad interpreted this as referring to New York City, i.e., the Rebbe’s place of residence. See Lesser Sanctuary, p. 402, emphasis in original.

63. Lesser Sanctuary, pp. 404-405, emphasis in original.

64. Lesser Sanctuary, p. 406, emphasis in original. According to Jewish numerology (gematria),770 has the same numerical value as the words “house of the messiah.” The Rebbe noted this in a different discourse.

65. Berger, Rebbe, p. 39.

66. The Rebbe’s most explicit statement on this subject appears in the quote mentioned on pages 92-93, endnote 32.

67. This was described to me by an eyewitness to the event. The same person also told me of other incidents during which the Rebbe encouraged shouts declaring him the messiah by waving his hands. The witness assured me that the Rebbe’s followers had no doubts about the Rebbe’s confidence in his messianic destiny, and that this was the motive behind his actions. To view a short film in which the Rebbe encourages the chant “Long live our master!” (yehi adonenu), see www.israel613.com/VIDEOS/first-yechi.rm. For an even more egregious clip, filmed after the Rebbe’s stroke, see

68. Schneerson, The Collected Book of Essays, vol. 1 (Brooklyn: Karnei Hod Hatorah, 5753), p. 97 [Hebrew], quoted at length in Kraus, Seventh, pp. 69-70. As stated above, Kraus chose not to tackle the question of the Rebbe’s own belief in his messianic status. As a result of this omission, the book suffers from some notable flaws. For example, Kraus ignores the meaning of the term “mamash” as used by the Rebbe.

69. Toward the end of February 1992, a mere week before the Rebbe suffered the stroke that robbed him of his ability to speak, Micha Odenheimer wrote in Haaretz about the Rebbe’s “implying indiscreetly” that “an unidentified person by the name of Menachem, whose name can be abbreviated as M.M.S. [i.e., “mamash”], and who is the current rabbi and leader of this generation of Lubavitch, may be the messiah whom all are waiting for.” Moreover, he had indicated that “flesh and blood in the body of the messiah, whose name is Menachem Our Righteous Messiah, is present with us in the synagogue and in this beit midrash.” Micha Odenheimer, “The Days of the Messiah of Chabad,” Haaretz, February 28, 1992 [Hebrew]. For more on this subject, see Dahan, “‘A Dwelling in the Lowly Realms,’” pp. 38, 382-383.