He Wouldn’t Call a Doctor When Someone Got Sick

A chossid of Tzemach Tzedek, Rebbe Maharash, and Rebbe Rashab, R. Abba Tshashniker served as a melamed in his hometown before settling in Lubavitch. When someone of his family fell ill, he would simply give tzedaka, and the Tzemach Tzedek approved of the practice – for him alone.

R. Abba Tshashniker (born ca. 5570) saw the Mitteler Rebbe in his youth, and was a chossid of Tzemach Tzedek, Rebbe Maharash, and Rebbe Rashab. Originally a melamed in Tshashnik, he later settled in Lubavitch, and he was one of the elder Chassidim that the Frierdiker Rebbe mentions as having made a deep impression on him in his youth, with his stories and conduct.

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The Frierdiker Rebbe related:

Almost every day on my way home from cheder, as well as during my free time on Friday and Shabbos, I would visit R. Hendel and R. Abba Tshashniker who lived in the house down the hill.

The two chassidim, while both dedicated baalei avoda, were very different. R. Abba was a deep baal havana who would delve into the unity of Hashem’s name and creation of the world. He would learn six hours consecutively in one spot, daven shachris for five hours, mincha for 1.5 hours, and mairiv for several hours. His avoda was always with himself, not with others.

R. Hendel, in contrast, was a heartfelt person, who would often say that love of Hashem, the Torah and Yidden, is the thread that connects Elokus with the Yidden and the world.

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When a member of his family would fall ill, R. Abba would not call for a doctor, and would instead give money to the tzedaka of R. Meir Baal Haness. He would begin with one kopeck and add until he gave one silver ruble. If the person did not get better, he would start again from one kopeck and add.

When the Tzemach Tzedek was told of this, he said, “That is a path for R. Abba. For the rest of us, however, we just follow what the Torah says that a doctor was given the ability to heal.”

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R. Abba’s son lived in Philadelphia, and in 5701 he visited the Frierdiker Rebbe in 770. During the farbrengen, R. Abba’s son called out, “Lchaim! I will still live longer.” The Frierdiker Rebbe gave him a puzzled look, and the elderly man explained, “When I was a youngster, my father took me to see the Rebbe Maharash and complained that I wasn’t behaving well. The Rebbe replied, ‘When he gets older, he’ll get better.’

“Well,” concluded the son, “I still haven’t gotten better, so I will no doubt live longer!”  The Frierdiker Rebbe laughed heartily at his words.

For sources, visit TheWeeklyFarbrengen.com