Novardok
Building Torah Out of the Ashes
When they were learning Mussar in Bialystok Yeshiva, one of the Menahalim remarked that he’d be surprised if millionaires wouldn’t result from so much Mussar on Bitachon. The war broke out, and virtually all Novardok Yeshivos were destroyed by the Nazi’s, Y'mach Sh'mam. R' Gershon Liebman Zatzal survived the war, and started a Yeshiva in Fublaines. The Yeshiva was as poor as you can imagine.
The Madrega in Ruchaniyus was unbelievable. The Hasmada and the Yiras Shamayim and the Mussar. People have told me how this place was “on fire”, and was Mamash Kodesh Kodoshim. R' Gershon Zatzal ran it, and he had great Hasagos (standards/ambitions). He was a person who gave his life for Hashem, every minute of his existence. His Bitachon was legendary, and he actually had a Yeshiva during Nazi occupation.
When the war was over and the joint distribution came to the Bergen-Belsen displaced persons camp, they needed a Rav who can Paskin different Shaylos. Especially problems with women who didn’t know what became of their husbands, and there was a problem with Agunos. They heard about R' Gershon who was known as a man of stature, but he told them that he wasn’t a Rav. “But I do build Yeshivos”.
He was still in his prison clothes, and his sole interest was Zikkui HaRabbim. His personal life wasn’t important to him. People were getting married, which was the solution for their horrific experience under the Nazi’s, Y'mach Sh'mam. But R' Gershon’s entire Chi'yus was helping others and being M'zakeh the Rabim. They found a building right there in the camp, and they gave R' Gershon money to start a Yeshiva. R' Gershon was learning lots of Mussar those days about how much luckier and happier is the person who lives for Kavod Shamayim and not his own Kavod.
People needed to eat, and R' Gershon said: “If you want to eat, then come learn in my Yeshiva”. He had a Yeshiva there for a while, and then he moved several times. Fublains was the place I heard most about, and many unusual Tzadikim came out of that place. But the poverty was unbelievable. Novardokers are soldiers who can tolerate lack of Gashmiyus, and to an extent, they desire a simple lifestyle.
But sometimes you actually have no food! A certain R' Sayagh Shlita was there the day that they had no food. He told me that R' Gershon Zatzal said that he had Bitachon that they’d have a great supper. Fublains was a tiny village composed of a few blocks, and they were nowhere near civilization. That night, a truck came to them mysteriously. This truck was on the way to a frum school to bring them food, and it got lost and ended up in Fublains. They said that they didn’t know what to do with the food, and they might as well give it to the Fublains Yeshiva.
They all received a sumptuous meal, just like R' Gershon said! When I was first told about R' Gershon Zatzal, he was in Bussières, and then he was a multimillionaire! They were “rolling in dough” Mamash, and they sent me a free ticket to visit them. When R' Gershon visited Bais Medrash Gavoha, he said a Shmuess in the Bais Medrash. afterwards, he went into the office with R' Shneur Kotler Zatzal. Before he left BMG, he left R' Shneur a $1,000 check!
R' Shneur Zatzal said: “This is a historical check”. No one ever heard of one Mosad giving a check to another Mosad! And they say that R' Gershon was supporting two Mosdos; one in Eretz Yisroel, and one in America. And he was spreading his own branches all over France. I visited several of them. They had big giant buildings and were run very professionally. Novardok did major Kiruv all over France. And R' Gershon never knew a word of French.
R' Gershon was M'karev mainly Moroccans. Yet, he never learned the modern Hebrew that they spoke. He was a major influence in their lives, and he was like a father to them. Tevah (nature) didn’t play much of a role in his life. His connection and Bitachon in Hashem was unusually strong, and his life had Nissim all over the place. His health, his Parnasa, his Zikkui HaRabbim. He was Mamash a legend, with stories you wouldn’t believe.
Four weeks before Pesach, the Novardokers go on a trip to a beautiful resort area, and rent it to be alone and have Bedidus (seclusion). Once, they came to a new resort place, and R’ Gershon noticed that nearby there was some Pritzus going on. He cancelled the entire trip immediately, despite the tremendous amount of money and effort involved; and they went back home.
