Editing Menachem Mendel Schneerson (section)

==== Messianism ====
{{Main|Chabad messianism}}

Schneerson had a passion and desire to raise awareness of the coming of the Messiah. Many of his admirers hoped he would be revealed as the Messiah during his life.<ref name="Susan" /><ref name="commentarymagazine.com" /> They pointed to traditional Jewish theology, which teaches that in every generation, there is one person who is worthy of being the Messiah, and if God deems the time right, he will be revealed by God as such.<ref>J. Immanuel Schochet, [http://www.chabad.org/101679 The Personality of Mashiach]. 1991.</ref><ref name="JTMessiah">Joseph Telushkin, ''[[Rebbe: The Life and Teachings of Menachem M. Schneerson, the Most Influential Rabbi in Modern History]]''. HarperCollins, 2014. Page 431</ref><ref>Aharon Lichtenstein, [https://www.scribd.com/doc/111005773/Rav-Aharon-Lichtenstein-s-Hesped-for-the-Lubavitcher-Rebbe-English Eulogy for the Rebbe] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307065113/https://www.scribd.com/doc/111005773/Rav-Aharon-Lichtenstein-s-Hesped-for-the-Lubavitcher-Rebbe-English |date=March 7, 2016 }}. June 16, 1994.</ref>
Schneerson's supporters have claimed that many Jews felt that if there was indeed a person worthy of such stature, it was Schneerson.<ref name="Susan" /><ref>The Rebbe's Army. Page 320.</ref> Although Schneerson constantly objected to any talk that he could be the Messiah, this notion sparked controversy, particularly among those unfamiliar with these traditional teachings.<ref name="Susan" /><ref name="Wall Street Journal" /><ref name="Adin Steinsaltz page 24" /> Detractors criticized a children's song with the words "We want ''moshiach'' (the messiah) now / We don't want to wait", that Schneerson commended.<ref name="JTMessiah" /> Since Schneerson's passing, the Messianic movement has largely shrunk, although some followers still believe him to be the Messiah.<ref name="JTMessiah" /> The Chabad umbrella organization, [[Agudas Chasidei Chabad]], has condemned Messianic behavior, stating that it defies the expressed wishes of Schneerson.<ref>{{cite news |title=Statement by Agudas Chassidei Chabad-Lubavitch |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1996/02/09/issue.html |access-date=March 16, 2025 |work=The New York Times |volume=CXLV |issue=50332 |location=New York |date=February 9, 1996 |language=English}}</ref>