Joseph: 2 answers:
1. A Talmid should believe his Rebbe is Moshiach. (Sanhedrin 98b) where the Gemara relates the opinions of four schools, each of whose Talmidim thought that their Rebbe is Moshiach.
2. On Sanhedrin 98b, the MaHaRSha, comments that Rebi and Daniel are specifically mentioned as examples as candidates for Moshiach because they had already been leaders of the Jews of their generation during the period of exile, (Bereishis 49:10): “The scepter [of rulership] shall not depart from [the tribe of] Yehuda.” The, Be’er Sheva, gives the same reason for Rav Nachman (Amorah) saying, in the above Talmudic passage, quoting a Scriptural verse (Jeremiah 30:21) to prove that if Moshiach is one of those living in his time, it would be he.
In other words, besides the conditions specified by RaShI, MaHaRShA and Be’er Sheva emphasize that Moshiach will be one who has been a leader of the Jews of his generation, as were Rav Nachman, Rabbi Yehuda HaNassi and Daniel.
The Rebbe has fulfilled all these conditions . . . Not all great Tzaddikim were “Nessiim”. Obviously according to this lav-davka only The Rebbe, but it does narrow it down to certain Tzaddikim.
So Meshichistim believe (emphasis on believe) being that The Rebbe was the Nossi of OUR dor it makes sense he would be the appropriate Goel if Moshiach’s time is now (specially in light of what Chazal say about Shimshon, in which case The Rebbe could still be considered the current Nossi as his presence is strongly felt, batei Chabad, The Rebbe’s Shluchim, Hafatzas Hamayanos etc…) So, The Rebbe, in contrast to other great talmidei chochomim was chezkas Moshiach not just because of his Torah and Yichus.
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