slominer wrote: “RSo: For what rational reason do you believe that Avraham Avinu existed, if your answer cannot be based on quoting the Torah as your source?”
Two points, one specific to this thread and one more general.
1. I don’t know why this thread was started originally but it certainly turned into CS and a few others trying to explain to non-lubavitchers why they should believe or at least accept the possibility that the lubavitcher rebbe is moshiach. Quoting the rebbe himself as proof doesn’t do that.
2. Our proof of the truth of everything it says in the Torah is based on emunoh. Earlier on CS said that emunoh was emotional and someone (forgive me for not remembering who and for being too lazy to go search) argued that it was much deeper than that i.e. a form of knowledge. I didn’t get involved in that discussion but I agreed with the latter post. Emunoh is something that our neshomos are ingrained with as they are chelkei Eloka mimaal. And you therefore can’t use emunoh for anything else than ikorei ho’emunoh. So I am maamin/believe-know that Avrohom Ovinu existed. I can’t be maamin/believe-know that someone is Moshiach unless he clearly fits in with halochoh.
I’m not sure I was clear in conveying what I mean but I hope so.