Naftali was still up, which was no surprise. He often learned very late into the night. But why was he crying like this?

Chaim could not have been happier. He had merited to save the life of a budding talmid chacham, and now his daughter was engaged to this special special person!

But there was something wrong. He couldn’t place his finger on it, but Chaim noticed as time went on that there was something bothering Naftali.

It didn’t make sense. The young man had everything he could ask for. He had a comfortable room, and all his physical needs were being met so that he could devote his entire day to learning in the beis medrash. Yet there was something upsetting Naftali, but he would not say a word about what it might be to anyone.

One night, before he returned to his home located nearby, Chaim walked through his inn to make sure everything was in order. It was a little after midnight, and the inn was very quiet. The sound of soft snoring drifted into the hallways, and outside, a wind rattled the windows as Chaim passed by.

And then he heard it. The unmistakable sound of someone crying. He paused, holding his breath so that he could discern where the sound was coming from.

“Hello?”

He looked around as the crying intensified. Backing up a few paces, he realized the sound was coming from Naftali’s room. He saw light flickering from underneath the door. Naftali was still up, which was no surprise. He often learned very late into the night. But why was he crying like this?