Novardok’s specialty was in balancing Middos. R' Gershon was an unusually happy and jovial person. You would think that he doesn’t have a serious bone in his body. Yet, it is known how he constantly gave his life away for Hashem, especially during the Holocaust when he gave his bread away for others and constantly risking getting tortured in order not to work on Shabbos or some other Mitzva.
This is the power of Chovos Halvavos and Madregas HaAdam with thousands of Chazaros. It’s the unending Chazara that makes you a new person. This is in conjunction with the Novardoker Chinuch of laughing at the world; and of course, a Chabura. Novardok was very much into: הָרוּבַּחְבּ אָלֶא תיֵנְקִנ הָרוֹתַּה ןיֵא the Torah can be understood only collectively in a group. When you are alone, you fool yourself and your Negi'a takes over.
When your friends are constantly guiding you and correcting you, then you are Zoche to the Emes. No wonder that Novardok was full of Bachurim who were Zoche to Ruach HaKodesh! Their Hisbodedus was getting together in a far-off forest in some nice hotel, and working out each other’s Avodas Hashem. They made sure to make it Geshmak!
R' Gershon: I'm Looking for Opportunities to Break My Middos!
Surely R' Gershon wanted to have his “Prat”, and he relished being in an embarrassing situation. The Gr"a says that the Ikar Chi'yus of a person is Shviras HaMiddos, and Shviras HaMiddos was the Simcha and Chi'yus of R' Gershon’s life. And here comes a golden opportunity for losing Kavod and having Bizayon! Being a normal person was an important agenda in Novardok. People are so petrified about their Kavod, it can cause them not to do what needs to be done.
When R' Gershon was in Lakewood and hundreds of people came to see him, someone mentioned that maybe he would like to eat. “Of course, I would like to eat!” was his response. People in the public eye are embarrassed that others should see them eating. They think they need to be Malachim, or else their “holy” Kavod is in danger.
Novardokers know how to “chill” and relax and enjoy life. I was told that Madregas HaAdam was written in order to show people how to enjoy Olam HaZeh! If you don’t need Kavod and you have Bitachon and Li'shmah, you really enjoy life.
In his later years, the Alter of Novardok was given more and more Kavod, since they saw his tremendous accomplishments in building over thirty Yeshivos. [They say he was more a Baal Ma'aseh a “doer” than a Baal Mussar]. He was once at a big Asifa, and they called his name that he should speak. While calling him up, they used many Chashuva adjectives in describing his greatness in Torah, Yiras Shamayim, and being a Torah builder. This was way too much Kavod for the Alter’s taste.
He stood up, and said aloud: “Does anyone have the key to the bathroom? I apologize”. And to the person sitting next to him, he said: “You know, I’m still only human” [Ich Bin Fohrt Nohr Ah Mensch]. R’ Gershon once told me: You’ll work on fighting Kavod [in every move you make] depending on how much you don’t want to spend your life being “confined” and in a self-imposed jail.
