The ‘Scandal’ of the Lubavitch Rebbe: Messianism as a Response to Failed Prophecy

Abstract

In June 1994, the Lubavitch Rebbe, believed to be the Mosiach (the Messiah) died. Counter-intuitively, this failure of prophecy gave birth to an extreme messianic movement within the group, dividing it into two antagonistic factions (messianists and anti-messianists). This article examines the Beis Menachem, a messianic group whose members believe that the Rebbe is not dead; some even believe that he is God. We argue that this strong messianic response was predictable, given the influence of four factors that prior analyses suggest are important in determining whether a group will survive the failure of a significant prophecy: (1) the ways in which the prophetic milieu is prepared, (2) the nature and extent of the preparatory activities people engaged in, (3) the nature, speed, and thoroughness of the response of group leaders to a failed prophecy, and (4) the level of social support available for those who remain faithful to a prophecy. Emphasis in this study is given to the first and fourth factor; it is argued that the diachronic study of groups like the Lubavitch provides new insights into the ideological, organisational, and situational conditions that facilitate the successful management of dissonance and thus the persistence of unusual beliefs.

Notes

NOTES

1. The first author of this article lived in the Stamford Hill Lubavitch community for ten years, building relationships that provided access to Beis Menachem after the Rebbe's death. Interviews with members of the community were relatively unstructured and focused on the Rebbe's role, understandings of his death, and its messianic implications. Each interview lasted about one hour. Interviews were conducted with a range of community members, both male and female, lay people and religious leaders, messianists and non-messianists. The messianic activity of the Lubavitch has been the focus of several recent academic publications (for example, Shaffir, “Messianism”, “Interpreting”, “Prophecy”; Dein, “Letters”, “Lubavitch”, “What Really Happens”). Beis Menachem was examined briefly before (Dein, “Moshiach”, “Expectations”).

2. It is far from obvious that the UFO group Festinger et al. originally studied ‘survived’. The group was always small. Many of its members at the time of the failed prophecies were actually covert participant observers from Festinger et al.'s team. When they finished their research, some members still harkened to the teachings of their prophet, but soon the group broke up and its leader moved far away.

3. In this regard the Lubavitch are not unique. Every year thousands of Bratslav Hasidim visit the grave of Nahman of Bratslav in Uman, Ukraine, who they believe acts as an intercessor between God and humanity.

4. There are no reliable estimates of the number of Lubavitchers in each group. In the UK, messianists constitute a small proportion of Lubavitchers; in the US their numbers are much larger.

5. Many similar comments by Lubavitchers, reflecting the variety of positions delineated here, are provided in Shaffir's reports of his field research, especially his article “When Prophecy is Not Validated”.

6. Other religious groups have denied that their leader is really dead. When Haile Selassie I died in 1975, for example, some Rastafarians refused to accept his death. God incarnate could not die. Many believe that Selassie's death was a hoax and that he will return to liberate his followers. Similarly, Shi’as believe that God concealed the twelfth and current Shi’a Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, from humankind. He is hidden, not dead and will appear to his followers at a later date.

7. At an even more basic level, it would be helpful to know more about who joined this messianic congregation and how and why.