Once upon a time when all Israel went up on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, as they did three times a year, they had no water to drink because no rain had fallen for a long time.

Now there was a rich man in Jerusalem called N akdimon ben Gorion. Nakdimon went to the governor in Jerusalem and asked him to lend him twelve cisterns of water for the people to drink. "I will repay ,you," he said, "an equal amount of water in a given time; and if by the end of the appointed time I shall not have repaid you, I will pay you twelve talents of silver."

The governor gave him the water.

The time arrived when Nakdimon promised to return the water, and it had not rained. Early in the morning the general sent to Nakdimon and asked him to fill his cisterns with water or to pay for it, as he had promised.

Nakdimon replied: "The day is not yet over. Wait until the evening."

The governor laughed and said: "If it has not rained all this time, do you expect it to rain in this short while?"

Full of joy and happiness, the governor went to the baths, thinking that he had won the money.

At the same time Nakdimon went into the temple, and wrapping himself in the Tallit he prayed to God and said: "Lord of the universe, it is well known to Thy holy Name that I did this not for the sake of my own honor nor for, the honor of my father, but for Thy honor, in order that the Israelites who came here on a pilgrimage should have water to drink."

No sooner had he finished his prayer than God answered him. Heavy clouds covered the sky and the rain came down in such quantity that the cisterns were filled to overflowing.

As the governor came out of the bath, he met Nakdimon coming out of the temple, and said to him: "I see that it is raining."

Nakdimon replied: "You will have to pay me, for the cisterns are much fuller now than they were when you lent, them to me."

The governor replied: "I know full well that God has sent this heavy rain for your

sake, nevertheless you owe me my money anyhow, for the sun has just set, and the time of the rain is mine, for it is night time."

Nakdimon went back to the temple and, wrapping himself again in his Tallit, he prayed and said: "Lord of the universe, show that Thou hast friends in this world, and just as Thou hast performed a miracle for me by sending the rain, so perform another

by causing the sun to reappear."

Directly a wind arose, the clouds were scattered and the sun shone again.

When the governor saw it, he said: "If it were not that the sun is shining again, I should have a claim against you for the money."

Our sages tell us that the real name of Nakdimon was Buni, and that he was called

Nakdimon, because the sun shone again on his behalf. We are further told that the sun stood still for the sake of three men, one was Nakdimon, the other was Joshua, for whom the sun stood still when he fought the kings before Gibeah, the third was our master Moses, when he defeated Amalek. Therefore, my dear friends, have faith in God, who does not forsake His pious ones who put their trust and hope in Him.