The Unlocked Door - Short Story

Last week, I was asked by a very dear subscriber to write a poem about the struggles and hardships that teenagers encounter during those years which are full of questions, changes, confusion and wondering. Those times in every teenagers life are challenging, and often the young people feel as though they are going through those difficulties by themselves, with no one at their side.

But, that could not be further from the truth.

While it may seem to these young people that they are all alone in their pain, a lot of the time, as they silently struggle through the hardship, their parents silently go through the struggle with them, as they pray and hope to understand their dear child, trying to reach out so they may help them.

All they want is for their child to know that they are never alone. No. Matter. What.

After this dear subscriber reached out with her idea, it was later that night when I was reading a story from Rabbi Yechiel Speros latest book "The Eternal Wisdom of Pirkei Avos" that gave me the founding point to be able to compose the poem and bring this idea to life.

I am humbled to share both the story and the poem with you. The story is in this post while, if you keep scrolling, the poem is in the next one. I hope you find them both enjoyable.

Have a great day,

Yitzy Schweitzer

The Unlocked Door - Short Story

Shloimeh traveled to Europe to visit Kivrei Tzadikim. He had many places but his bucket list place, the place he wanted to visit and daven at the most, was the kever of Rav Tzvi Elimelech Spira zt'l, the Bnei Yisaschar in Dinov.. As he approached the kever, he was taken aback as he saw his old friend Dani from Bnei Brak Over the past decade, Shloimehs friend had struggled with his Yiddishkeit, eventually cutting off all ties with his life, by moving to Tel Aviv, where he adopted a secular lifestyle. It was a pleasant surprise to see him here, at the kever of this great Tzaddik and Shloimeh noted that the way his friend davened demonstrated that he had come full circle and returned to a life of Torah. When Shloimeh said hello to him, the obvious question was in the air, and Dani did not shy away from explaining.

***

There is no mistaken identity here. Your memory serves you correctly. I left the fold. But, oh, just two months ago, everything changed. I was wondering someplace in Tel Aviv and ran into an old neighbor. We greeted each other briefly.

He was about to carry on with his day. But right before turning away, he glanced at me. No Yarmulkah. No tzitzis. No peyos. No sign I was Jewish.

I could tell he was holding something in. Finally he blurted it out.

"Dani, I want to tell you something you don't know. Ten years ago, you left your house. Obviously it caused everyone great pain and stress. But you should know that ever since the day you left, your parents have never locked the door at night. Not once.

"Do you know why? They keep the door open at night, just in case you decide to come back home. They don't want you to come home only to find it locked. I just wanted you to know that". After saying those words he turned and walked away. He did not even wait for my response.

It's a good thing. Because as soon as he turned away, I started crying bitter tears. I couldn't believe it. I never realised how much my parents love me. I never realised how much they wanted me to come back home.

But than it hit me. It is not only my parents who won't lock the door on me. The Al-mighty wont do that to me either. He too, has been waiting ten long years for me to come home, to just come towards the door and turn that knob. His door is always open.

As soon as I realised that, I decided to come home.