Yesod of Novardok: Repetition
In Bialystok, they taught you again and again that the current era is: שְׁ עַת הַשְׁמַד a time of religious persecution, which means that you don’t surrender an inch of Yiddishkeit. (Gemara). By constantly hearing these fiery words during their Mussar Vaadim, the Novardokers were able to hold strong throughout the worst Nisyonos. Getting used to being Moser Nefesh was their Derech, and by constantly hammering in these concepts, they became more and more real.
This is a #1 Yesod of Novardok: Repetition, repetition, repetition, is what it takes. If you have some weakness (like Ka'as), don’t just hear a nice Vort about this issue; when you constantly talk about it, it sinks in, and you become a new person. I personally witnessed how the Tzaddik, R’ Pinchos Menachem Malach Zatzal was reading a Novardok song about being a tough soldier and becoming like Rabbi Akiva, who was ready to have iron rakes destroy his body.
Novardokers never make Cheshbonos and plans, like the Gemara warns: אַ ל תָ צַ ר צָ רַ ת מָ חָ ר יבמות סג ב Don’t worry about tomorrow’s problems. Their situations were so difficult, they would not have been able to last even one day, if not for the fact that they threw all their Cheshbonos and worries on Hashem.
