A wave of excitement has swept through Vizhnitz Monsey in the United States after the rebbe’s Purim blessing was fulfilled by Rosh Chodesh Tammuz. During Purim, the popular badchan Rabbi Yaakov Kapil Steiner asked the rebbe to bless that at least 80 unmarried men from the chassidus would get engaged by Rosh Chodesh Tammuz, and the rebbe agreed.
This week, as Tammuz began, the community said the rebbe’s blessing had not gone unanswered. Since Purim, 87 men have become engaged, surpassing the original request. Steiner then went back into the rebbe’s room to report the news and added that one older class in the yeshiva had still seen very few matches.
In response, the rebbe gave another blessing, saying, “with God’s help, by Rosh Hashanah another 50 groom candidates from that age group will be engaged.” The report says the community views the episode as a remarkable display of divine favor and has been talking about it widely.
At the same time, anticipation is building for a historic fall trip to Meron in the Holy Land. Last Av, hundreds of yeshiva students in Monsey who study in Nyack were told the rebbe planned a special pilgrimage for those who excelled in Torah learning. The trip is scheduled for Elul, on Shabbat Parashat Ki Tavo, and is open only to students who stayed consistent in their studies and were tested on the material from the past two years.
Two charter flights from the United States have already been booked, both filled entirely with Vizhnitz Monsey chassidim, and registration for a third plane is now open. On Wednesday, the rebbe’s grandson Rabbi Zev Hager and chassidic figure Rabbi Chaim Meir Gefner inspected the site in Meron with organizers Rabbi Yisrael Schnur and Levi Klogft to review preparations for the large-scale event.
