On one occasion, the Rabbi of Berditchev approached a group of Chassidim after finishing the prayer of the Amidah, shook their hands, greeting them with a warm Shalom Aleichem.
They were caught by surprise, as none was out of town and neither were strangers there.
Seeing his surprise, the Rabbi explained: “Why are you so surprised? You were so far during the prayers, isn’t it? Some in the grain market in Odessa, others at the fair of wool, in Lodz, or on a vessel in a distant port waiting for a new shipment. When the sound of the prayers ended, you returned from your travels and therefore I am welcoming you”
