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It is not an official tenet of Habad's belief that Schneerson is the Messiah, but many of his followers say outright that he is, and some have petitioned him to "reveal" himself. The rebbe has on a few occasions denied that he is the Redeemer but has done little to discourage speculation. Two weeks ago, Schneerson received a vote of confidence from renowned Talmudic scholar Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz. Though a Lubavitcher himself, Steinsaltz has a reputation for sober erudition, so it caused a small stir among the non-Habad Orthodox when he said Schneerson was "the most likely person on the scene now" to become the Messiah.
Steinsaltz, who points out that Messianic expectation is a fundamental tenet of the Jewish faith, believes that each generation produces a candidate and that ordinary people can speed his coming by creating an atmosphere for Redemption. Other scholars reject Habad's active campaigning for the event. Followers of Rabbi Schach, a longtime rival of Schneerson's, believe the arrival of the Messiah is God's business, not man's. "When he comes, he comes," says Avraham Ravitz, a member of the Knesset. "It's crazy to force the Messiah to come by selling him like Coca-Cola, with jingles and stickers and billboards."
Habad's critics also say the group may be creating the conditions for large- scale spiritual disillusionment. "If you convince people that the Messiah is coming and he doesn't," says Amnon Levy, author of a book on the ultra- Orthodox, "a whole generation may lose its faith."
Concern that Schneerson might disappoint his devotees was heightened earlier this month when the rebbe suffered a mild stroke. But even the leader's death would not disprove his Messianic potential, argues Steinsaltz, who believes the Redeemer will be mortal, someone who will eventually die and have successors. In the meantime, the rebbe's adherents are praying he will recover in time to bring a happy denouement to the drama they have been so eagerly anticipating.