I wish davening to a rebbe was something we can laugh about, but if you’re lubavitch, how many stories have you heard of people in trouble saying “rebbe help me”, or even just thinking it, and people are miraculously helped(according to the stories)?
I’ve heard this said a lot, and I’m not just talking about tzfas extremist branches who took over 770. They talk to their departed rebbe and think that he not only hears them, but grants their supplication.
As for your “teitches” of the disturbing expressions mentioned above – how come nobody else talks like that? Why when we wish for the goyim to see that Hashem runs the world, do we not say “and they will all see that it’s rav chaim kanievsky who runs the world”? Shouldn’t we want the world to see that Hashem runs the world? Isn’t that more important than spreading awareness about the idea that a tzadik’s will is in sync with Hashem’s? (The plain meaning of tzadim gozer)
Finding favor…. I’m sorry, i don’t see your explanation fitting into what was said at the shluchim conference. If the lubavitcher rebbe was still alive, then someone saying that they want to please the rebbe because the rebbe knows what Hashem wants, so if he approves, it’s a sign that Hashem approves – alright, that’s a bit awkward but not hashkofically invalid. But the rebbe had long been gone at this conference – 20 years, so the lower people can’t know what pleases the rebbe, so why say “may it be pleasing” – once you’re getting into such aspirations…just say “may it be pleasing before Hashem” and ze hu.
Rather, what he meant was that he believes in doing mitzvos because the rebbe said to do them. Ask any chabad kid why they do such and such; you’ll hear some say “because the rebbe said so”. I saw this in a chabad children’s magazine a few years back, when they asked random kids why kiruv is important. It’s out there, and it’s poison.