CS, thanks for addressing my questions.
One point- I don’t think the fact that there was a Nasi or Av Beis Din supports the 1 Moshe in a generation concept. There needed to be a leader, practically, and usually he was the greatest, but that did not mean that he was the main source of spirituality of that generation. Remember the chain did not include the shoftim or melachim- the acknowledged leaders of the time. Other than Moshe, there were always multiple Neviim in the generation, with different missions- and while one may have been more prominent- like Shmuel, that did not mean there were not other Neviim. Once Nevua ended, the chain went to the Anshei Keneses Hagedola- the Rabbanim as a whole, it does not say the mesora went to the Av Beis Din or the Nasi. The task of passing on the mesora, bringing down the Shechina was on all Rabbanim as teachers of Torah Sh’Bal Pe. Moshe as one leader was necessary since the Torah that he received is One. But that came with a danger- relying too much on one individual mortal to connect to Hashem- as we see what happened with Chet HaEgel.
You have acknowledged what most of us have suspected, that chabad thinks they are the true and only derech, the only way Mashiach will come, the rest of us are left out in the dark, nebach, but that is how it is in the world of hierarchy. well, the rest of us disagree. Mashiach can come from anyone. We are all trying to be oveid Hashem in the best way for each of us, and hope our actions will make us worthy to bring Mashiach. There are 70 Panim L’Torah, 12 shevatim, multiple LEGITIMATE paths to Avodas Hashem. Elu V’Elu Divrei Elokim Chaim. There is much Torah out there that supports that there are other derachim. In fact, you might argue that since the 7-generation-7-Rebbes–bringing-Mashiach concept did not work out the way Chabad expected it to, that maybe the concept was wrong. It’s funny how you bring the GRA down as an example of someone who could not be Mashiach or bring Mashiach because he was not Chabad, Well, the GRA sent his talmidim to E”Y. Many thought that was the beginning of the days of Mashaich. He was supposed to join them. There are many stories about how he set out for E”Y but turned back, because the time was not yet ripe for Mashiach, implying that the GRA had a lot to do with bringing about Mashiach. I know a story is not evidence, and no one knows what went on with the GRA, but it shows you that there are sparks of Mashiach everywhere. Chazal say that Chizkiyahu Hemelech could have been Mashiach, but the generation was not worthy. R’ Akiva believed at first that Bar Kochva was Mashiach. Neither Chizkiyahu nor Bar Kochva were Chabad Tzaddikim. So if in the past Mashiach could come from other sources, same applies for now. And good thing for that, since as you admitted, there are no Chabad TAzddikim right now.
Since we are all being intellectually honest here (I think): can you answer this question:
Tomorrow Mashiach comes. And he is Litvish. Or Sefardi. Or a Gerrer Chassid, etc. Will you accept him?