A young Jewish girl was sold into slavery to a Greek master. She was small and frightened, torn from her family, and carried to a foreign house where strange gods stood in every corner. But the Greek did not mistreat her. He raised her in his household, fed her, and watched her grow.
Years passed. The girl became a young woman of remarkable beauty and sharp intelligence. Then the Master of Dreams intervened. Three nights in a row, the Greek dreamed the same dream: a voice commanding him to release the girl and send her away. "Free her," the voice said, "or you will die."
The Greek was terrified. He had grown fond of the girl and had no wish to part with her. But the dream was vivid, the threat unmistakable. According to Avot de Rabbi Nathan (chapter 66), the Greek struggled with his decision, hoping the dreams would stop. They did not.
On the fourth morning, trembling with fear, the Greek called the girl before him and told her she was free. He gave her a purse of silver and sent her on her way. She traveled alone through dangerous roads until she reached a Jewish community, where she was taken in by a family of scholars.
The girl eventually married a Torah scholar and raised children who became learned in their own right. The Midrash HaGadol on Deuteronomy, in the portion of Ha'azinu, records this tale as proof of divine providence. God watches over every Jewish soul, even one sold into foreign hands. The Greek who obeyed the dream was spared. The girl who endured captivity with faith was rewarded with a life of dignity and purpose. Her fate, which seemed so cruel, was merely the winding path that led her home.