Novardok
רַבִׂי יַעֲקֹׁב יִׂצְחָק בֶׁן אַבְרָהָם צְבִׂי גַלִׂינְסְקִׂ י זַצַ"ל כ"ב שבט תשע"ד
R' Yaakov Galinsky Zatzal (continued)
We have written about R’ Gershon Liebman’s unusual love and respect for R' Ahron Kotler Zatzal and R' Chaim Ozer Zatzal. R’ Galinsky Zatzal was fearless. He was once in Santiago, Chile, and he visited a giant Jewish school which had zero Limudei Kodesh. The Menahel (principal) gave him a tour of the school, and R' Yankele kept calling him a big Chochom for every inch of his accomplishments in the school. **
In the end, he remarked that in Haggadah Shel Pesach we have a Chochom next to a Rasha. It is a Remez that a person can be a Chochom and a Rasha at the same time. “Here you have a Jewish school with zero Yiddishkeit, and you aren’t ashamed??” From that time on, the school started including some Torah in their curriculum. ***
A frum Mosad (institution) had once done a big Avla (injustice) to one of its staff members. The next time the Mosad asked R' Yankele to speak for them, he kept repeating: “How can a Mosad do such a thing to a staff member??” He said this fearlessly, right before the Hanahala (administration). R’ Chaim Mordechai Wainkrantz Zatzal was once Maspid a person who had three children sitting there who were all M’chalelei Shabbos. He openly mentioned the tremendous Avla (injustice) of children not keeping Shabbos (I was there). ****
R’ Galinsky Zatzal was always on the move; like the Alter Zatzal, who used to say that a person should always be moving and doing. (R' Ahron Kotler Zatzal was very much like this). He was a true fearless soldier, who didn’t get involved in details. He didn’t know what he ate, and he didn’t care where he slept (he once spent a night sleeping on two chairs). *****
He didn’t flatter Gevir’im. And when he got a check, he didn’t look at it and start flattering and blushing over a nice amount. He just thanked quickly and abruptly, and kept moving to his next job. He would take a nap during the day, and when he was awakened, he jumped up instantaneously like a soldier. He was once on a long trip, and he had to rest up. But someone knocked on the door of his: אַׁ כְ סַׁ נְ יָּה host, and wanted to see him. ******
He totally forgot that he needed to sleep, in order to cater to this person’s needs. By the way, people often become “Avadim” (slaves) to the rules of getting “my much needed 8 hours” (and they should!) But I’ve seen great success when I brainwashed people into believing that most of your tiredness comes from the worry of: “Did I sleep enough?” *******
At my son’s Bar Mitzva, he took a bus from NY to Lakewood. The bus was delayed for 4 hours with bumper-to-bumper traffic in scorching heat. He came to the Bar Mitzva as fresh as ever, full of energy and pep. A Novardoker soldier decides not to be “under the weather” or under Tevah in general; just under Hashem. ********
TRUE STORY
A friend of mine’s mother was Niftar at the age of 100. He once asked her: בַׁמָּה הֶאֱרַׁכְתְ יָּמִים “What is your secret to longevity?” She answered: “My positive attitude.” He remembered her in her younger years; she was just the opposite! People can change! At 76 she was an Almana twice, and she was planning to go to Eretz Yisroel. They warned her that it’s not easy to adjust to a new environment. She said that she was sure that she would adjust, since she decided that she
