Novardokers would spend years in Yeshiva without ever going home. The Bachurim were captivated by the tremendous Ruach of the Yeshiva. The Torah and Tefilla were full of His'lahavus (passion), with loads of Cheshek and energy. They were given a Chinuch to be like this. They were animated and on fire. Truth is, a person who is always working on Bitachon and has no worries in his head, keeps himself young and fresh.
Bialystok
R' Binyamin Grodkeh described the Novardok branch in Bialystok as a place with two types; those who were mainly into learning, and those who were Baalei Mussar. When asked: “Which type were you?” he answered: “I was just a Bat’lan” (loafer). This is typical Novardok humor, and: בִיטוּל עַצְמִי making nothing of yourself. He remembered an American Bachur who was wearing a fancy suit. The Bachur was once in middle of a fiery Mussar Seder, when he suddenly got up and tore off his fancy golden buttons, and folded over his luxurious collar.
Mussar Seder was serious business, and changing yourself completely was always on the agenda. Many Novardokers would always be writing down every move they made throughout the day, and analyzing themselves. They were in touch with the truth of their actions. There was a super happy Bachur, named Chaim Radiner. The Bachurim once brought the Chofetz Chaim to Yeshiva to give a Shmuess on Motzei Shabbos. The horse was progressing very slowly, so Chaim untied it and fastened himself to the wagon. His friend was the wagon driver, who continued whipping Chaim so the Chofetz Chaim shouldn’t “Chap”.
Only a Novardoker would do such things. During Elul, many Bachurim from other Yeshivos would come to Novardok, including R' Chaim Shmuelevitz, who considered Novardok to be more on fire than the greatest Baalei Mussar of the times.
When the Bachurim would cram together to hear a Shiur or Shmuess, the son-in-law of the Alter, R' Yisroel Yaakov Lubchansky Zatzal, would walk slowly between the rows, and very, very gently would tell them to be careful not to push each other. Being gentle and Eidel was a major Novardok issue, despite their fire. No heavy Kana’us-type “Mussaring-out” people; just Eidelkeit, which is the Jewish way, as is says: הַקוֹל קוֹל יַעֲקֹב תולדות כז כב the “voice” is the voice of Yaakov.
They say that whoever heard a Shmuess from R' Yisroel Yaakov had to become a new person. Both Slabodka and Novardok had an ongoing agenda of people changing themselves completely.
