CS: “fearing and loving Hashem. You can’t fulfill these mitzvos adequately without learning about Hashem. Without learning you will not have these emotions.”
I disagree. The above is not the case for women. Women can reach true ahavah and yir’ah without learning, by fulfilling their mitzvos and trying to be כל כבודה בת מלך פנימה. Men have to learn, but it is the Torah that affects them, not davka learning about Hashem.
“The premise I’ve always heard is that if the Rambam put the criteria for the Moshiach candidate in a Halacha sefer, then it’s meant for us to act on it.”
I believe you’ve heard it, but the sevoro doesn’t hold water. Are we meant to “act on”, say, kemitzah, or on the planetary system the Rambam writes in his halachos?
“At the end of the day, lubavitch knows the Rebbe most intimately, and we make this judgment call of character to accept the Rebbe as our Rebbe, and therefore listen to what he says. It’s really that simple. A liar or imposter and a authentic Torah leader are worlds apart in character and teaching etc. And the thousands who are Lubavitcher Chassidim attest to the Rebbes integrity by their choice to be lubavitch.”
There is no question that Lubavichers will listen to everything their rebbe said, and believe whatever he said to believe. And as I have written in the past, I would be totally shocked if you were to start believing what I believe about the LR just because of what we write on this thread.
The point is, however, that it’s time you realise that “We believe in our rebbe, because we (somehow) chose him,” is the only argument that we will accept as logical, albeit leading to a false belief. It’s when you start citing that he fits the criteria of Mashiach – what Lubavich publishes in books about his lineage, and willingly misinterpreting the word ‘compel’ to suit your required result, has absolutely no value in the real Torah-world – that he is a Nasi, that he was the greatest person whoever lived, that he was the greatest talmid chochom ever etc, and you EXPECT US TO ACCEPT THE ABOVE as valid arguments, that is when we shake our heads in disbelief!