@AviraDeArah
“Similarly, at the council of shluchim, one of the organizers began with a vehi noam, that “the rebbe should look down and we should find favor before him”
And you don’t think rav chaim is looking down and finding favor in all of the bnei torah? Do you not think so?
How can you even have a tzad to think this is avodah zara??? Every tzaddik (especially a rebbe) looks down from shamayim and sees their chassidim following in their footsteps, & they get a lot of nachas!