1. “Just for the record, you will not find any post of mine saying that Moshiach can’t be from someone who has died”
It’s funny how until I brought the abarbanel you said if it’s from the dead its only doniel now that I brought the abarbanel your saying that its not from sanhedrin.
But B”H we both agree that moshiach can be from the dead and not necessarily only doniel.
2. You are 100 % correct regarding the sdei chemed. Nowhere does he say its a mitzvah to believe that your rebbe is moshiach BUT he does say that in each generation there is someone that is muchsher to be moshiach and each set of talmidim said that if moshiach is the greatest person in that generation’s who is greater then our teacher which is why they said that their teacher is moshiach
וכן הוא בכל דור ודור צ”ל אחד מוכשר שמא יזכו (ועפי”ז כתבו ג”כ תלמידי הארי”זל שבימיו הי׳האריז”ל
This is after a long hemshech
(The term supposed was used in the same way I assumed u use the term apikorses – just trying to bring out your point in a very strong way)