More than We Keep Shabbat - Shabbat Keeps Us - Rabbi Peretz B. Eichler

[Music] there's a story that people have heard but not really with all the details I think it's important for us to really appreciate the beauty of this story and the one which follows it hi I'm parents be Eichler here on hidde brewed for thinking outside the lock quite a number of years ago there was a very difficult time in Poland and this was in the in the 30s and the the tension in Poland had mounted and there was a family that could only afford to send one of its children to the United States of America so there was a very sad farewell especially between the father and his young daughter who was about 12 or 13 at the time her name was Rosie Rosie Goldstein and I guess while we really shouldn't have favorites rosie was kind of this her father's favorite and he looked at her with tears in his eyes he said Rosie the going to America remember remember all the good things that that you experienced here I remember Rosie more than we keep shabbos shabbos keeps us Rosie promise me you always remember there and the little girl hug her father it says I will Papa I will and with tears in their eyes the mother the father and the daughter and the rest of the family parted now when Rosie got to America things were not exactly shall we say Rosie when she got there the family that greeted her that was part of their family who the people in Poland thought were naturally religious shoes didn't quite look like the Jews in Poland in fact they had kind of thrown off everything that they just considered to be miss Diggle things that they didn't need anymore you know like keeping shabbos and putting on chillin and keeping kosher so rosie was kind of disappointed they said I Rosie want kosher food store down the block he can bring you home for we won't stop you from doing that now Rosie you got to get to work right away now we know you're only 13 years old but you know you don't have time to go to school you gotta keep your end of what you're doing here we're giving you read write and you got to pay for your food so rosy got to go to work now we did a great job lined up for you oh I have to go to work she said ya lousy we got a great place with the factory not far from you and they put her to work of course Rosie didn't know one Friday afternoon came she looked at a watch she said home it's almost time for shabbos I have to go the boy said hey where you going young lady oh it's time for shabbos and it's funny other Jewish girls here they're saying you stay here you finish when we tell you okay he got another two hours but it'll only be shabbos the Sabbath of that time hey you want to come back in Monday you say NL I'm sorry I'm really not feeling well have to go home and so she made an excuse and she went home and kev chavez the following week the same thing happened but now Rosie decided that she was not going to work on Chavez she remembered the image of her father Rosie remember more than we keep shabbos shabbos keeps us I won't let you down talk to you I won't let you down papa I won't let you down week after week it was another a few of the stomach ache a headache a toy an elbow wake whatever it was she was not going to work on shabbos till finally her family corner fit hey Rosie you want to say you we're not charging you ready rent this has got to stop you have to keep your part of the upkeep you've got to go to work on Saturday that says it's like everybody else does I don't know I guess I'll have to she said so that shot this morning she set out for work tears in her eyes but yet she kept seeing image of a father and a mother Rose me more than we keep shabbos shabbos keeps us so she went to go to the factory but something stopped her she sat down in the bench she looked at the pigeons she sang she had a little something to eat with her and she made kiddush over whatever she had and she made her shot on that park bench a lonely little girl crying herself to sleep well when she looked up it was dark to realize that shabbos was over she went back to her house opened the door and walking and her uncle and her cousins looked at her and their faces were pale and she burst out into tears I know I know I'm sorry I just couldn't do it ha leave I'll pack up I'll go somewhere else Rosie how're you doing here what do you mean I came back I came back I couldn't go to work we know that Rosie because because there was a fire in the factory that you worked in and everybody was killed Rosie accept you because you didn't go to work on Shabbos Rosie you lived it was known as the triangle shirt factory fire a tragedy that struck new york city at that time every single child and worker most of them were jewish perished in that fire except for Rosie goldstein how do I know this story because I spoke to Rosi Golan's granddaughter a woman who remembered the story as told to her parents and then who she told to her children and she said that that was something that Rosie Goldfein even as she became older and wiser passed on to her kids and all the children today perpetuate that very same heritage remember children more than we keep chaves chaves keeps us as indeed it did for Rosie colston but it shouldn't take a fire or tragedy to make us realize that more than we keep shabbos shabbos keeps us it always has and it always will parents be I quit thinking outside the locks here on here to boot you