The Side Door

cool yesterday muharrem the Queen oh my Vicki no sir every year to the Greenwald travels from Israel to Germany for Hashanah and Yom Kippur where he serves as cousin and the great synagogue of Frankfurt few years ago matzo and Kippur sudoc was exhausted I was tired from the whole day of Davin Inc and fast so I said I'll rest a little I'll calm down a little and then I'll walk to my hotel or go to eat something by the time he was done and ready to leave all 2,000 people who had been Dominic just a half-hour earlier in the eland my room at the great synagogue had gone home to break their fast he was the last man standing the security guards were gone most of the lights were off and the front gates were locked I walk out from the side door all of a sudden I see a person it's a white yarmulke white hair I see something is wrong he's like trying to go in he's very lost so they walked up to the man approached him and he asked him if he can help him the man looked really frustrated and confused he tells me what's going on where is everyone why are the gates of the shul closed isn't it the night of Kol Nidre today I told him right away co-leader a was yesterday today were ready after an ela and everybody left the shul all of a sudden I see this person breaking down and he tells me how did it happen to me how did I make this mistake how did I miss call me Dre soo they tried to calm him down and tell him luck there'll be another college right next year but the man wouldn't hear it the man said you don't understand ever since I grew up as a kid my father would always take me once a year to show on Yom Kippur night to hear the Khalid ray and 20 years ago before my father passed away he made me promise that I'll never miss the Kol Nidre on yom kippur night because he knew that would be my only connection to my heritage and tonight is the first time since my father passed away that I missed Kol Nidrei once it occurred that he felt such compassion he looked a man in the eyes and he said you know what your unlock tonight I told them repeat don't worry I'm the husband of the show coming with me the shul we'll go in together and we'll do Kol Nidre and then said really would you really do that for me to the extent gladly he took him by his hand walked him to the side of the show they walked in through the side door the night before we had 2,000 people in the shul the Shoeless packed and now at this moment I'm only with this ye'd that wants to hear Kol Nidrei we walk to the Ahmed I give the seed the talus and I give my master I show him where the Khalid raised I go up to the Bhima I put it on again my Tallis and the Hat I wanted to see it to feel that he didn't miss out that he will get his colony Dre and I started to call me Dre again the island be she as soon as to the opened his mouth to sing old ass I'm welcome again he felt like he was given this supernatural second wish he never before was able to concentrate so deeply and sing with such heart as he did in that empty Sheol after Yom Kippur for this man [Music] please father [Music] of audio I felt chills in my whole body and I reminded myself of the six million Jews that went and the Holocaust and I felt that the neshamah star with us and the whole connection of a Jew is that he wants to be close to his father in heaven Oh [Music] we finished the Kol Nidre right away he hugged me and tells me you don't know what you did for me you saved my life both men were in tears and as they embraced they know that they will never forget this moment for the rest of their lives there's a fascinating Gemara that says hashem created the world with the letter hey and when we study the shape of the hey we can learn a lot about how this world works the hey doesn't have a floor on the bottom it's wide open and that symbolizes how difficult it really is to stay grounded in this world it's not a question of if we fall the question is one we fall because all of us at some point or another slip we make mistakes and hit rock bottom but as we take a closer look at the hey we notice that on the side towards the top there's a small opening hinting to a side door that's always open in the piece hanging between the top and the bottom represents a Shems extended hand reaching out to all of us asking us to climb back on top and enter through that side door because no matter how far we are no matter how deep down we are as long as we're trying as long as we're climbing as long as we're showing up knocking on those gates it's never too late the side door is always open [Music]