@lakewhut
We have not just writings from 40 years ago, but even audio recordings…and many, many writings and first hand accounts of those who were there (so 1st and 2nd hand accounts, not so much 3rd).
Gdolim in Chabad – R’ Yoel was a very big one until he passed, the Jacobsons are major (YY and Simon), not to forget good ol’ Manis Friedman and his brothers….In EY there are quite a few that I’m more familiar with (I’m sure there are plenty of names of Gdolim of Chabad who are more in the “nigleh” realm – their names don’t tend to be as broadly known because the more knowledgeable Chabad Chassidim (and there are plenty of them) don’t make themselves very well known for their Torah knowledge, I’m more familiar with those in EY) – there are the members of the Chabad Beis Din, which the Rebbe ZY”A established to make proper decisions on the derech HaTorah as it pertains to the derech that the Rebbe established within Chabad – Rabbi Yeruslavski, Rabbi Gluchovsky, etc. There’s Rabbi Yechezkel Sofer who’s a tremendous Talmid Chochom, (I’m talking about nigleh now, of course), Rabbi Goldshmidt (The grandfather – who’s extremely knowledgeable in all chelkei haTorah – when he first received a position as Rosh Yeshiva in the Chabad Mesivta in Bnei Brak, he was asked to take the Heichal Shlomo test in order to be officially recognized by the medina as being a rav, so he took a bus over that day and got 100% on the test…), Rabbi Volpa is a major figure as well with an amazing wealth of knowledge, oh, and not to forget Rabbi Farkash! He’s an amazing one… There’s Rabbi Goldberg from Migdal Haemek as well, and a number of other geonim from the latter….and so on.
Each of these names are an authority in his own home town or neighborhood, and Chabad Chassidim look to them for guidance on particular matters. The bigger Chabad figures – such as the ones first mentioned, like the Jacobsons, Manis, Shais Taub, etc… – are famous for their knowledge of Chabad Chassidus, specifically the Rebbe’s, and in this capacity, are turned to for guidance in place of the Rebbe – only it’s not so much as “instead of” the Rebbe, as it is “what would the Rebbe have told me to do in such a case? – And since the Rebbe left so many teachings to be learned, and sooo many letters answering specific and general questions in light of these teachings, and on and on, it is very easy for an individual knowledgeable in these teachings etc. to provide guidance based on them.
Arguably, since the Rebbe realized that the event of Gimmel Tammuz would eventually arrive, he must have taken several measures to prepare for that event —
(just as an anecdote, for the yellow flaggers among us – the Rebbe himself is the one who designed the compound of the Ohel, where the Rebbe and his predecessor are both buried, and if you consider the way it was designed before the Rebbe’s own histalkus, you will notice something very “strange” indeed – the Previous Rebbe’s tzion is not located, as I would “expect” if I were waving yellow flags around, in the center of the compound, but rather it was placed BY THE REBBE HIMSELF, very conveniently, off to the side, ALMOST as if to leave room for another kever where the Rebbe’s own kever happens to be today! Imagine that!)
As I was saying, one of the measures the Rebbe took ahead of the inevitable, was to institute a practice of each chossid having a Rav and/or Mashpia to approach with personal questions. Very often the Rebbe would refer those asking questions to a Rav instead of answering himself, proabably in order to strengthen this established inyan.
And to @2qwerty –
Yes, obviously.