I forgot to mention last week that according to the Rambam in Peirush Hamishnayos, anyone who says that Mashiach can be descended from David through anyone other than Shlomo Hamelech is kofer Bashem!
פירוש המשנה לרמב”ם מסכת סנהדרין פרק י משנה א
והיסוד השנים עשר ימות המשיח, והוא להאמין ולאמת שיבא… ומכלל היסוד הזה שאין מלך לישראל אלא מדוד ומזרע שלמה דוקא. וכל החולק בענין המשפחה הזו הרי זה כפר בה’ ובדברי נביאיו.
The alleged yichus of the Lubavicher rebbe reaches to David Hamelech through the Nesi’im of Eretz Yisroel, and they were not through Shlomo. See Kesubos 62b.
When I mentioned this in person to a Lubavicher many years ago, his reply was that we pasken only like the Rambam in Yad Hachozokah, not like Peirush Hamishnayos.
Aside from the fact that that is a very poor excuse for being on the level of kofer Bashem c”v, in this thread that reply is worth nothing at all. After all, if we can quote Rabbeinu Bachya, and Rashi to Doniel et al as conclusive, we can certainly quote the Rambam who is the same person who gave us all the criteria Lubavichers have been misinterpreting for decades. (Btw is there any Rishon who argues with this statement of the Rambam?)
So, is there anyone out there – Lubavicher or otherwise – who would willingly allow themselves to be considered a kofer Bashem uvedivrei neviov just because they want to follow a certain agenda?!
חכמים הזהרו בדבריכם