Novardok

Novardok

There is a famous story with a Novardoker who was learning in Bais Yosef of Boro Park, and his wife called. He told his friend who had answered the telephone that he was too busy learning, and he could not accept the call. So his friend told him it was his Kalla who called. He got the hint, and he took the telephone. People take everything for granted, including their wives. When you remember the good old days when your wife was once your Kalla, you think differently.

R' Chaim Langleben Zatzal was a tremendous Masmid, and his learning Gemara was always mixed with Mussar Seforim. Every Erev Shabbos he always stayed in the Bais Medrash until 3 o'clock, no matter what. He was super Geshmak at home, always joking and making everyone happy (despite his many Nisyonos).

He got married right after the war. His wife said that she was especially impressed with him since he had just lost his entire family, and yet he looked so happy as if nothing happened. This is what Novardoker Chizuk does to a person. He was a practical person, and he used to tell people to learn Mussar for ten minutes a day.

But once he told me in a low tone: “Sometimes a person can learn Mussar all night”. He would always give the same Bracha: לֹא יָמוּשׁוּ מִפִּיךְ וּמִפִּי זַרְעֲךָ וּמִפִּי זֶרַע זַרְעֲךָ אָמַר ה' מֵעַתָּה וְעַד עוֹלָם (the words of Torah shall never leave your mouth, your sons, or their sons, forever) and you should live a life of bending your Middos”. When he bought a new hat, he would say: “Please give me Class D”. He was a very normal and decent person, but how he dressed, was not important to him. Like all Novardokers, he did not have the need to dress up for people. He would always learn with his grandchildren, and his family loved him very much. He was full of encouraging words, and I once saw him at a family Simcha, how he was rolling and laughing at all the smart, comical things that one of his children was saying. He used to always tell me that a person has to act normal.

The old Mirrer Talmidim were also very involved in acting normal. However, Novardokers could often do subtle, weird things when they felt it was necessary in breaking Middos. Yet, they were careful how they did these things, and everyone respected them.