Once, a brilliant young Jewish boy was coming to the city of Novardok, and he had lots of ambitions, including.... learning the Russian language. The Alter had his spies, who knew exactly on which train this boy would be arriving. They met him at the train station, and invited him to have free “room and board” in the Yeshiva. As soon as he came to the Yeshiva, the Alter met him in his office, and told him that he’ll try to help him fulfil his dreams. But first, he would like him to spend a month in the Yeshiva and learn Mussar. At the end of the month, this boy was a changed person. He became a top Talmid of the Alter, and he became an Adam Gadol.
The Novardok Shita is based a lot on the Gr”a. A favorite Novardok story is about a certain person who would fast from Shabbos to Shabbos. Every Friday, he would meet a group of children who would look how skinny he was becoming, and they would admire him for his fasting. They told the Gr”a about him. The Gr”a was skeptical about this person, and he said that the children should stop going to him. After two weeks, this person was Niftar.
The Gr”a pointed out how the entire existence of this person and his ability to fast, came from the Kavod these little children were giving him. Novardokers are very keen about Kavod, and they can try to shower a person with Kavod, if they see that he has problems. Even physical problems can become lessened and even cured when a person gets Kavod. The Novardokers work on getting true Kavod: אין כבוד אלא תו הר and indeed they produced phenomenal Masmidim.
R' Chuna Hertzman Zatzal once told me a story that he heard from R' Michoel Ber Weissmandel Zatzal. He was a young Bachur and a big Illui. He wanted to learn without being seen, in order to avoid getting Kavod, so he went to a private Bais Medrash. But people started looking inside through the window, so he closed theblinds of the window. Then, he noticed how people pushed aside the blinds to take a peek at him, so he left the Bais Medrash, and went downstairs to learn in the basement.
There was a boiler room in the basement, and pretty soon he fell asleep altogether.... Lesson: If you’re trying to run away from Kavod, watch what you’re doing; you can Chas V'shalom lose everything. Shelo Li'shmah can come in handy to get you moving in Avodas Hashem.
