You Would Need to Distance Yourself From Rashi Too...

In the earlier years of the Rebbe’s leadership, the Rebbe instructed his secretary, Rabbi Sholom Mendel ‘שי Simpson, to visit a particular Jewish-American religious activist, and to discuss with him “what Lubavitch matters truly are.”

After the visit, Rabbi Simpson wrote a report to the Rebbe. In it, he wrote that he arranged a meeting with this activist (who was homebound after a heart attack), where he was warmly received, and they spoke about his connection with Lubavitch and the Frierdiker Rebbe. He reminisced about all the public work he helped the Frierdiker Rebbe with during his first visit to the U.S. in 1929, and for about an hour the man sang the praises of Lubavitch.

He then began revealing why he distanced himself from Lubavitch. He explained that when the Frierdiker Rebbe arrived at the U.S. for the second time in 1940, and shortly thereafter published his “Kol Kore” (a public announcement) that as soon as Teshuvah is done the Geula will arrive (“ìàìúø לתשובה – לאלתר לגאולה”), and began writing “Moshiach’s Sefer Torah” – “All this made me distance myself from Lubavitch, for I believed that no one knows when Moshiach will actually come.”

The Rebbe responded with the following fascinating lines:

עפ”ז צריך הוא להתרחק מן כל אלו שאמרו קץ והם: ר’ סעדי’ גאון, רש”י (בפי’ לדניאל ז, כה. ח, יד), רמב”ם (אגרת תימן), ראב”ע (דניאל יא, ל), בעלי התוס’ עה”ת (הדר זקנים ר”פ וישב), הרמב”ן (בס’ הגאולה), דון יוסף אבן יחייא בפי’ על המגילות [=בסוף ה’ אלפים ת”ש שנה בקירוב”], ר”י אברבנל (בס’ מעיני הישועה ובכ”מ) אוה”ח (ר”פ צו), הגר”א (פי לספר דצניעותא) מעשה אורג על המשניות (מע”ש פ”ה מ”ב) בשם האריז”ל. ועוד ועוד. וראה ג”כ סנה’ צז, ב. זח”א קלט, ב.

Based on this, he should distance himself from all those who predicted a Ketz – [an assumed “end time” when Moshiach will arrive.]

They are: Reb Sa’adya Gaon; Rashi (in his commentary to Daniel 7:25; 8:14); Rambam (in his letter to the Jews of Yemen); the Even Ezra (in his commentary to Daniel 11:30); the authors of the Tosafot’s commentary on the Torah (Hadar Zekeinim beginning of Parshas Vayeshev); the Ramban (in his Sefer HaGeulah); Don Yosef Iben Yichya in his commentary on the Megilos [“roughly after the year 5700”, this being the time the Frierdiker Rebbe spoke and wrote about]; Reb Yitzchok Abarbanel (in his Sefer Maayanei HaYeshuah and in several of his writings); the Ohr HaChayim (in the beginning of his commentary to Parshas Tzav); the Gra (in his commentary on Sifra DeTzniusah, Maaseh Oreg on Mishnayos (Ma’aser Sheini 5:2) in the name of the Arizal. And more and more.

See also Talmud Sanhedrin 97b, Zohar vol. I 139b, [which record several more Kitzin.] ■