Don’t “Bow Down” To Idols [People]!
In honor of the Satmar Rebbe’s Yahrzeit, R' Gershon Liebman Zatzal and some other Novardokers would go to Monroe. R' Gershon was a Neturei Karta’nik, and he especially admired the Satmar Rebbe since he had the Novardok style of being fearless of the world. I noticed how the Novardokers seemed to be having a good time in Monroe.
They were talking to each other, doing their favorite pastime... knocking themselves! “I become Battel when I'm in a strange crowd”, and “I'm even worse, every Yukel scares me, and I become Battel to him!”. Being afraid of people and feeling like a zero [Battel] in their presence is exactly what Novardok is famous for overcoming; and they would perfect themselves and demand more Shleimus in becoming fearless.
This week’s Parsha is loaded with a constant message: Don’t be afraid of people, and don’t “bow down” to their idols. We too can be M'kayem this today by not being Nis'pael from “people” or from “difficulties”, and trust that Hashem will take care of us!
An old Novardoker once told me [in the name of the Chovos Halvavos] “Are you afraid of a cat? Of a tree? Or grass? That’s the way you should view people.
R' Avraham Jurkansky Zatzal was a Maggid Shiur in R' Gershon’s Yeshiva in the Vilna ghetto. The first time he met R' Gershon, it was at the Levaya of R' Chaim Ozer. There were well over 100,000 people there, and each Yeshiva sent two representatives. R' Gershon was one of those chosen from Novardok.
R' Avraham noticed a person standing in front of the Tahara room, crying unusually loud םיִקָרְבוּ תוֹלוֹקְֹב with thunder & lightning. He asked: “Who’s that?” and they answered “This is Gershon Kovler, a: רָבָד םֵשׁ name from Novardok”. Novardokers were taught to respect Gedolei Yisroel, and R' Gershon’s pain was high, fitting for an Adam Gadol. [I would venture to say that while mourning for the loss of the Gadol HaDor, R' Gershon also had in mind to do a Prat, exercising his ongoing lifetime campaign against worrying about: וּרְמאֹי הַמ תוֹיִרְבַּה What will people say??]
R' Galinsky Zatzal was once present when people were M'zalzel in the Kavod of a Gadol [I believe it was R' Shach] and he burst out crying loud publicly. Novardokers combined their Pratim with a legitimate reason, or a Mitzva, like making a loud Asher Yatzar in front of Goyim at the dentist’s office.
[A word of caution. Everything needs to be done with Sechel and Hadracha from a Rebbe. Not just Stam Meshuga, Chas V'shalom.]
