It has special powers, like Moshe’s staff that split the Red Sea or Aaron’s rod that sprouted almonds.
The better he knows you, the more he likes you, the more vigorously you will be tapped, if not poked outright.
Rav Avraham must be north of ninety, although he does not divulge his age. I think it’s because he doesn’t want you to focus on that.
He takes a bus every day from Talpiot to Geulah, where he learns Torah.
Rav Avraham has a few favorite sayings. For example, he will ask if you want the Moshiach to come and when you answer in the affirmative he will ask why. When you mumble something about world peace or no more sickness, he will stop you abruptly and say, “When the Moshiach comes, you will learn gemara without interference. So open a gemara now and experience Moshiach today.”
Another famous line of Rav Avraham quotes Yisrael Salanter: “The reward for doing kindness is given in this world. Reward for other mitzvot comes in the next world, but kindness is rewarded in the here and now.” I think I know what he means. The reward for being kind, for helping someone, is a euphoric feeling that nothing in the next world can match.
Rav Avraham also says that Yisrael Salanter advised a young man about to get married to focus on three things to guarantee a successful marrige: Midot, midot, and midot. Midot are character traits and, in a broader sense, someone working on midot is focused on character refinement.
Another Rav Avraham gem: “If you want to know in which areas you are lacking or need improvement, ask your wife.”
I have not yet been tapped by Rav Avraham’s cane. We have only recently become friends but I look forward to that day with great anticipation.