In 1885 Rabbi Shalom Ber of Lubavitch was in Yalta and prayed in a small synagogue of Polish Chassidim. On the night of Rosh Hashanah, the Rebbe remained in the synagogue to pray after the congregation had already finished. The sexton ordered the gentile who cleaned the synagogue not to extinguish the light and not to lock the door, and the sexton himself went home.
When the sexton had finished his festive meal, he had a pang of conscience: how could he leave a Jew and a Torah scholar alone in the synagogue? He returned to see what was happening, and when he arrived he saw the gentile standing in the vestibule crying bitterly. The sexton asked, “Why are you crying?”
The man answered: “I am used to hearing joyful prayer with singing; however, here was a man standing pouring out his soul, and how could I keep from crying? I remembered all my problems: my uncle died, my cow expired, my aged mother is sick, and I wanted to cry.”
When the sexton entered the sanctuary and saw the Rebbe praying, two fountains of tears were opened in him.
(Sefer Hama’amarim 5711, p. 90)
