Like his father, Rabbi Avraham led a lifestyle unusual for Chassidim, with luxurious furnishings and striking attire. Like his father, he immersed himself in the mysticism of Kabbalah. This combination of earthly royalty and spiritual depth drew both Jews and Christians to his court.
In 1840, the Ruzhiner Rebbe was forced to flee Russia due to persecution by the tsar. He moved his family to the town of Sadigura in Bukovina, Austria (Carpathians). The Ruzhiner Rebbe lived in Sadigura for ten years, building a magnificent home and a large synagogue and drawing tens of thousands of Chassidim. When the Ruzhiner Rebbe passed away at the age of 54 on October 9, 1850, each of his sons moved to a different town to establish his own court.
His eldest son, Rabbi Sholom Yosef Friedman (1813–1851), remained in Sadigura to continue leading the court established by his father, but passed away ten months later. At that point, the Ruzhiner Rebbe's second son, Rabbi Avraham Yaakov, took up the mantle of leadership, becoming known as the first Sadigurer Rebbe.
He was admired and visited by many great Torah scholars and Rebbes of his generation, including Rabbi Yitzchok of Vorka, Rabbi Yitzchak Meir Alter (the first Gerrer Rebbe), the sons of Rabbi Mordechai Twersky of Chernobyl, and disciples of the Chozeh of Lublin and the Sar Shalom of Belz.
The Rebbe also received prominent Christians, including princes, counts, and writers, who published articles about him in newspapers in Vienna, Berlin, Frankfurt, Prague, and other cities.
In the 1870s, he was visited by Laurence Oliphant, who wished to establish a fund to purchase Palestine from the Ottoman Empire for the purpose of Jewish settlement of the land. Oliphant believed the Rebbe was "the leader of world Jewry" and could help him. The Rebbe objected, stating that he was a citizen of Turkey and lived under a Turkish passport.
Theodor Herzl, the visionary of the Jewish state, visited the Rebbe in Sadigura and suggested that the "Wonder Rebbe" move to Palestine to become its spiritual leader. In his diary entry of June 16, 1896, Herzl described his vision of the Jewish state as "a destination for the civilized world, which will come to visit, as it now visits... Sadigura." The Rebbe rejected Herzl and his ideas.
The Rebbe of Sadigur was widely known and respected for his wisdom, intellect, and witty speech. Presiding over a court filled with beauty and splendor, inspiring the oppressed Jews of Galicia, Romania, and Ukraine, the Rebbe aroused the envy of local maskilim, who sought to overthrow him as they had done to his father. In 1856, the maskilim slandered him before the authorities, claiming he was in partnership with a Jewish forger who had been taken into police custody. The forger had a letter from the Rebbe blessing him in all his endeavors. The Rebbe spent 15 months in a damp, cold cell with meager food, which seriously undermined his health. After his release, his brothers and Chassidim organized mass prayer gatherings on his behalf. One young Chassid, Mordechai Michel of Linsk, offered to take on the Rebbe's illness in exchange for a share in the World to Come. That evening the Chassid fell ill and soon passed away, while the Rebbe's health improved, and he lived for many more years.
The Rebbe of Sadigur encouraged and urged Jews to settle in the Holy Land. He headed the Kollel Volhyn and completed the fundraising for the Tiferet Yisrael synagogue, the Ruzhiner synagogue in the Old City of Jerusalem, named after his father. Construction of the synagogue was completed in 1872. He also acquired the privilege of lighting the main bonfire at the grave of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai in Meron on Lag BaOmer, from the Sephardic guardians of Meron and Tzfat. The Rebbe bequeathed this honor to his surviving eldest son, Rabbi Yitzchok Friedman, the first Boyaner Rebbe, and his descendants.
In 1881, the Rebbe of Sadigur lost his eldest son, Rabbi Shlomo Friedman (1843–1881), and two years later his son-in-law, Rabbi Nochum Ber (1843–1883), both promising young men. Long accustomed to fasting, the Rebbe stopped eating altogether and passed away on September 12, 1883 (11 Elul 5643).
His yahrzeit coincided with the yahrzeit of his elder brother, Rabbi Sholom Yosef, who had passed away on 11 Elul thirty-two years earlier. He was buried in the same plot as his father, the Ruzhiner Rebbe, and his brother, Rav Dov Ber of Leova (1822–1876), in Sadigura.
After his passing, two of his sons, Rabbi Yitzchok (1850–1917) and Rabbi Yisrael (1852–1907), jointly took over the leadership of their father's Chassidim. Although they were content with this arrangement, many of the Sadigura Chassidim preferred to have a single Rebbe, and in 1887 the brothers agreed to draw lots to determine who would remain in Sadigura and who would leave. The lot fell to Rabbi Yisrael to remain as the second Sadigurer Rebbe, while Rabbi Yitzchok moved to the neighboring town of Boyan and established his court there, becoming the first Boyaner Rebbe.
