Reb Avrohom Abba Person grew up in the city of Kresleva (Vitebsk). His family members were chassidim of the Mitteler Rebbe and the Tzemach Tzedek. Before the Rebbe Rashab founded the yeshiva of Tomchei Temimim in Lubavitch, he gathered the group of bochurim that would start the yeshiva. The Rebbe wanted the most excellent bochurim, so he sent the group of ten to Kenigsburg to be under the supervision of Reb Avrohom Abba, instructing them to learn from his behavior and chassidishe customs. Reb Avrohom Abba was like a mashpia to them, and he would farbreng with them and report to the Rebbe Rashab on each of them individually.
From a young age he was fascinated by chassidishe stories, and he would collect them like diamonds. He married the granddaughter of the famed chossid of the Alter Rebbe, Reb Velvel Vilenker, whose custom was to farbreng every motzai Shabbos with the local chassidim. Reb Avrohom Abba began joining these events and later on described it: "When I remember those farbrengens, those memories chase any feeling of pain and sadness out of me. A chassidishe farbrengen is the ‘chotzer’ (courtyard) of Chassidus, through which one enters the ‘azoros’ and ‘kodesh hakodoshim.’ During those farbrengens, the elder chassidim's faces would shine brightly and their words would affect the listeners incredibly, in a way he would never forget.”
(התמים ח"ב חוברת ו')
The Frierdiker Rebbe writes: "I really enjoyed learning mishnayos by heart, and the sedorim I knew already I would review lovingly, quickly though not skipping a letter. Reb Avrohom Abba Person once told my father that the Tzemach Tzedek told him at his first yechidus, ‘Learn mishnayos by heart- the word mishna has the same letters as the word neshama. By saying mishnayos by heart the neshama illuminates the body and the body shines.’ Reb Avrohom Abba Person was fluent in shisha sidrei mishna and Tanya in an astounding way.”
(לקוטי דיבורים ח"ד ע' 1384)
