The Vizhnitzer Rebbe instructed a Vizhnitzer askan on Sunday night not to travel abroad to collect funds for Kimcha D’Pasicha.

The askan, who had approached the Rebbe about his upcoming trip only as a formality, was quite surprised to receive a negative answer from the Rebbe despite the fact that the trip is necessary to collect much-needed funds for needy families for Pesach necessities.

A Vizhnitzer source told Kikar that recently a Vizhnitzer chassid from Vienna who was visiting Israel told the Rebbe that his children and relatives in Israel are nervous about spending time with him due to fear of the coronavirus. To his surprise, the Rebbe told him to return to Vienna, an answer which also caused great surprise among all the chassidim.

The Vizhnitzer chassidim were instructed ahead of Purim to refrain from shaking hands with the Rebbe.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)