OK here goes:
“A) Is “betten” a Rebbe the same as praying to a Rebbe?”
No cvs if you’ve been following along the discussion, you should be able to understand me now when I say, no one davens to the Rebbe cvs. We daven to Hashem who works through the Rebbe.
I think the expression is betten beim Rebbe, not betten tzu Rebbe.
I think it may be helpful to clarify the difference between davening, betten beim Rebbe, and a Brocha:
Davening – we daven three times a day at least. When we daven, we talk to Hashem and ask Him for our needs. We are careful not to daven to any picture, and no one would daven shmona esre to the Rebbe for example cvs. Davening is for Hashem only.
Brocha is explained in Chassidus as the idea of hamavrich es hagefen. Like hamshocha. The concept is that every Rosh hashana, Hashem allots all the good were gonna get that year in a spiritual bank account so to speak, and through davening every day, we draw it down through the spiritual worlds into physical good in this world.
Now sometimes, it can get stuck at a spiritual point. The Brocha of a tzadik helps clear the way and bring it down.
For example, let’s say a person is allotted children, but hasn’t had any yet. The tzadik can bentch him to make that happen in this world. But if he isn’t meant to have children, then there is no Brocha to bring down.
Now the chiddush by a Rebbe is that he is also Hashem’s messenger. So when someone goes betten beim Rebben the Rebbe can tell him, the reason he doesn’t have children is because he needs to do such and such mitzva first for example. The person wouldn’t know what is the story or what he can do to get his Brocha from just davening shmona esre.
OK in this context the Rebbe was talking about betten beim Rebben by the kever of the Frierdiker Rebbe.
Now all the time people will go to kvarim and say Rebbe hello me! So the question is wait, isn’t that davening? Shouldn’t it be only reserved for Hashem?
So the Rebbe is answering why people can daven by the kever of a tzadik.