impressed, because R' Gershon was extremely pained by the Petira of R' Chaim Ozer, and this person saw how "real" he was, and how he truly appreciated a Gadol B’yisroel. The Madrega of R' Gershon is impossible for us to understand. A person who was "drenched" in learning Mussar, and was 24/7 totally looking for: עְֵּצוֹת ideas how he can break Middos and do Zikkui HaRabbim, is Mamash in a different world.
When R' Ahron Kotler Zatzal had left London, R' Gershon Zatzal asked the: א ְּכ ְּס ְּנ ְּי ְּא host not to change the linen, because he wanted to sleep on the linen that was used by R' Ahron. There is a picture with him and R' Ahron, and R' Gershon is Mamash standing in awe; he seemed to be full of excitement that he was Zoche to see R' Ahron. R' Gershon did the impossible, and he had a Yeshiva in the Vilna ghetto. He had about 25 Bachurim and I knew the bottom half.
Like R' Gurwitz Zatzal and R' Langleben Zatzal. They were Mamash Tzaddikim of Boro Park, and there was nobody even near their Madregos. The upper half, ה'ְּיְִּנ ְּקְֹּםְּד ְּמ ְּםְּ may Hashem avenge their blood, were unusual: מ ְּצוְּּי ְּנְִּים prodigies in Torah and Avoda, whose Madregos were totally in a different world. When R' Gershon was in a concentration camp near Vilna, he refused to eat anything that wasn't 100% kosher. He was: מְֵּיקְֵּל lenient for everyone else with all kinds of Kulos (leniencies).
Especially any kind of food or soup that had to do with meat or chicken. His friends noticed that he was turning into a vegetable, and they begged him and even tried to force him to eat; it was Pikuach Nefesh Mamash. He hadn't eaten for three days, and they thought it was all over, when suddenly a truckload of women showed up. One of them was from the Yeshiva, and she was an A-1 cook, whom the Germans employed.
She recognized R' Gershon, and she bought a new, clean pot, and cooked mashed potatoes for him. R' Gershon noticed that the women in the truck had their hair shorn off, and he exclaimed that it was a punishment for not covering their hair. People noticed that R' Gershon had a special Siyata Dishmaya, and Hashem treated him differently than everyone else.
There was a young German-speaking Yid who would flatter the Nazis with his fancy German. He noticed that R' Gershon wasn't digging the wide ditches that the Germans forced them to dig for their enemies. After digging a wide and deep ditch, the Germans would fill it with water and cause havoc for their enemies.
R' Gershon wasn't digging at all, because he considered it a sin to help these Reshaim. If ever R' Gershon did dig, he would quickly put back the soil that he had dug. When this young kapo noticed R' Gershon's behavior, he threw a bucket of water on R' Gershon. R' Gershon was freezing with no dry clothes to change into.
Immediately after doing this to R' Gershon, a German noticed that the Kapo had a pair of scissors swinging around his finger. "What's a Jew doing with metal scissors?" screamed the Nazi, and he promptly shot him. This person had carried the scissors several months, and it didn't bother them; only right after he had thrown water on R' Gershon, then he was “caught”!
On Leil Shabbos, R' Gershon was quietly humming Zemiros in his barracks. A tough super-strong Jewish acrobat was annoyed, and he threw two wooden shoes on R' Gershon. He had been super-strong and healthy, but right after throwing the shoes on R' Gershon he caught a cold, and was dead in three days. After the war, a young and healthy person started up with R' Gershon, and when he died soon after, everybody knew why.
מִּדָה טוֹבָה מְרוּבָה How much more is this true in a positive way! Imagine how R' Gershon would give Gevaldige Zechusim to anyone who helps spread R' Gershon's Divrei Torah or stories about him. Everybody was in awe of R' Gershon, and they saw a totally different Hashgacha Pratis and Nisei Nissim right there in the concentration camp זיע"ְּא. Many people felt that if you hang around R' Gershon you'll be safe. He once had a Minyan for Shabbos Mincha in the barracks (organized by R. Jerusalem Zatzal) and people noticed that every member of that Minyan survived the war. When a Nazi noticed the Minyan, he did zero! He just remarked: "Your prayers won't help you" and he walked out without firing a shot, which was very unusual. Normally he would kill them all without batting an eyelash.
I also heard a story about R' Gershon making Havdalah on a train going to a death camp. He promised that whoever heard his Havdalah would survive the war, which is exactly what happened. I was once on a bus in Vilna. We were having a tour, and we passed by R' Chaim Ozer's house. Our guide was a Novardoker, R' Yisroel Orlansky Zatzal. He kept saying how R' Chaim Ozer was a father to all the Bnei Torah.
R' Gershon loved R' Chaim Ozer Zatzal and R' Ahron Kotler Zatzal especially. When I visited him in France, he never stopped talking about R' Shneur Kotler Zatzal (whom he considered a big Baal Mussar). Those who ran Mosdos and who cared for Klal Yisroel were his people. A famous Mashgiach from Eretz Yisroel once showed me the Cheshbon HaNefesh booklet of R' Gershon. Despite all the unbelievable Avodas Hashem in that booklet, all this Mashgiach focused on was how R' Gershon was worried about the Yidden in Australia.
Novardokers were very involved in feeling Achrayus for the Klal (especially Bnei Torah should feel like leaders). I heard similar ideas from a Rosh Yeshiva from Chevron who spoke in BMG. If not for R' Gershon, I would never have become a Melamed.
