The Shochet Who Was Afraid of Hashem

One of the first talmidim in Tomchei Temimim, Reb Avraham Dovid Poizner was an outstanding tomim who was removed from worldly matters. When someone mocked his hafshata, saying that he left shechita since he was “too afraid of the animal,” the Rebbe Rashab retorted that it was Hashem who he was afraid of.

Reb Avraham Dovid Poizner was one of the first talmidim in Tomchei Temimim, later becoming a mashpia there until 5678 (1918).

Even as a young bochur, Reb Avraham would be present when the chozrim would go to the Rebbe Rashab to chazer the maamar the Rebbe had said on Friday night, and there are many hanachos of maamorim from him. He was totally divested from worldly matters and when he davened; he did not see or feel anything going on around him.

He passed away after much suffering in 5681 (1921).

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In the year 5660 (1900), the Rebbe Rashab wrote Kuntres Hatefila for the bochurim of Tomchei Temimim. The message they received was that davening ba’avoda was something that belonged to them, and not only to outstanding chassidim.

During that time, Rashbatz, the senior mashpia in the yeshiva, asked the Rebbe Rashab, “For whom did you write the first chapter which discusses such sublime levels of pleasure in Elokus and klos hanefesh?”

The Rebbe replied simply, “For Avraham Dovid.”

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Avraham Dovid was shown exceptional favor by the Rebbe Rashab, and he was allowed to enter the Rebbe’s room whenever he had a question in a maamar or in avodas Hashem.

On one occasion, he asked the Rebbe, “What is Atzilus?” Avraham Dovid proceeded to offer various explanations of his own, but then knocked down each one. Finally, he described a level about which he said he has no understanding.

“That,” said the Rebbe, “is Atzilus!”

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Reb Avraham Dovid was once sent by the Rebbe Rashab to serve as a shochet in a certain town, but after a short while he left the town.

Around that time, a resident there visited the Rebbe, and the Rebbe asked how Reb Avraham Dovid was doing. The man replied that he had left, and added mockingly, “He’s too afraid of the animal.” The Rebbe became very serious and retorted, “Whether he’s afraid of the animal I don’t know, but he’s definitely afraid of Hashem.”

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Reb Yudel Chitrik described Reb Avraham Dovid as such:

“His davening was something amazing. Although his eyes were open, his face showed that his whole being was utterly concentrated on one point. Tears would flow from his eyes, yet no sound was heard. Even if one would stand opposite him, he would not notice at all.

“He was totally divested from this world. He wife came to terms with the fact that he just was not shayach to be of any real help in the home. All his thoughts were on Chassidus and he just did not stop contemplating these concepts.

“His hiddur in mitzvos was to the utmost. On Purim, he would hear the megilah many times both by night and by day, fearing that he may have missed a word. This was how he treated all mitzvos.”

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Despite all this, Reb Avraham Dovid was truly humble. Once at a farbrengen, when discussing davening and learning Chassidus, he said to the bochurim, “Don’t think that I’m shayach to what I’m telling you here. I’m just a plank of wood that serves as a road sign, showing the right way while remaining a log of wood. Though I myself am empty, I want to show you the right way.” 

For sources, visit TheWeeklyFarbrengen.com