The Miraculous Story Of Walter Kairy - Featuring Yaakov Shwekey

Every Shabbos when we sing the words Ki Eshmera Shabbos Elishmereni, I think about an unbelievable story from the book. A story of faith, a story of true sacrifice, and a story of a man who chose Shabbos. And he watched Shabbos choose him right back. It's the story of Walter Kerey, Yom Tov ben Yaakov, alav shalom. Zechuso yagein aleinu. Walter didn't grow up religious. Shabbos was not part of his childhood, not part of the rhythm, not part of his world. But one summer afternoon as a teenager on his way to Bradley Beach, he stopped off in Lakewood, New Jersey to pick up some friends who were learning at the Yeshiva there. And he was there, something unexpected happened. He passed by a classroom and inside a shiur was taking place. Fast, Yiddish, intense, alive. He didn't understand the language, he had no background. He should have just kept walking, but he couldn't. He was transfixed. At the front stood a white-bearded rabbi burning with passion and holiness and truth, and Walter understood none of the words. But he felt the fire behind them, and he stood there frozen, unable to leave. When the shiur, when the class ended, he asked his friends, "Who in the world was that?" They told him that was none other than was Reb Aharon Kotler. And right then and there Walter made a quiet promise. I may not be ready for everything, but I will never work on Shabbos again. I need to be a part of this fire. It was only one small step, but it was a step that changed everything. Years passed. That single step became a path. Walter grew in Yiddishkeit, he built a home, he raised a family, and opened a children's clothing store in Brownsville. Life was steady until the night of July 13th, 1977. There was a colossal blackout. Darkness swallowed the entire Brooklyn. Riots erupted, gates were ripped down, stores were empty, alarms were dead, and the streets went wild. Walter watched helplessly as everything he built disappeared in one night. His entire store just wiped clean. His entire inventory gone. No insurance, no safety net. The only thing Walter had left was courage. And so, courageously, Walter rebuilt. He went and he borrowed $25,000 and he reopened his store. But then came the real test, the biggest business day of the year. December 24th fell on Shabbat. That one day could determine his entire future. Without it, he can collapse. He couldn't close the store on Shabbat. He would be crushed. So, Walter went on to meet Reb Moshe Feinstein and he asked him, "Is there any heter to open just this once? Just one time?" Reb Moshe answered, "Instead of giving you a heter to open, I will give you a bracha if you keep it closed." So, Walter thought about it and he chose Shabbos. And right then, Reb Moshe added something unforgettable. "In the zchus of you honoring Shabbos, Hashem will give you 100 times what you think you will lose." The Friday before the big shopping day arrived and the store was packed wall to wall. Customers everywhere. It wasn't as busy as it would be the next time, but it was still busy. But as Shabbat approached, time was slipping. 3:00, 3:30. Shabbat was moments away and the people would not leave the store. How do you give up the business? Making money every second. Walter faced an impossible choice. He had no way to close. If he stayed open, he would betray Shabbat. If he forced them out, could lose everything. Walter, he did the only thing he could think about. He climbed onto the table and shouted, "Fire!" Go! Go! Go! Panic. The crowd ran. The store emptied and Walter watched them go. He locked the doors and he ran to greet the Shabbat. Motzei Shabbos, he reopened for a few hours and incredibly, the sales matched the previous year. He had not lost a single dollar. But Reb Moshe had promised more. Well, more was on its way. Weeks later, the phone rang. It was his landlord. She owned six stores on the block. Most were empty after the riots. She wanted to sell the entire building to Walter. The price? $120,000. The terms? $20,000 down and 20,000 a year for the next 5 years. Walter borrowed the down payment. He repaired the stores. He bought and brought in tenants and within 1 year, the rent roll reached over $300,000 annually. In real estate value, that meant a building worth more than $3 million dollars. And then it became clear. Reb Moshe had promised him 100 times what he thought he would lose by closing on Shabbos. The $26,000 he feared giving up. The money he thought he was sacrificing multiplied beyond imagination. What looked like loss became blessing. What looked like risk became protection. What looked like a test became abundance. Shabbos protects those who protect it. Because that's what Shabbat does. Shabbat protects those who protect it. Ki ishmeru Shabbat el ishmerem.