the silent majority

Last week I called an old friend in Crown Heights. He comes from an old Chabad family, his father still has a Russian accent. I asked his views on Meshichism. And he told me in clear and strong words how he could not know who the Messiah is. One should go by the Rambam’s definition and the Rebbe might have been a good candidate but no one knows and now he is gone anyway. I asked, could the Messiah be a person who comes back from the dead? My friend said he doesn’t know. You have to go by the Gemara and he personally doesn’t know if such a thing is possible. I asked if he knew others who share his view. He said he believes most people in Crown Heights feel this way. They are the silent majority. The noisemakers, he said, violate the Rebbes instructions on this matter. A polite fellow, he sounded very irritated with the Meshichists.