I'm not talking about missing a concert – I mean sleeping for decades and waking up to a world completely transformed. The Talmud (Ta'anit 69b) tells us of several people who experienced miraculous long sleeps, and in Ginzberg's Legends of the Jews, we encounter one such tale, a story of divine intervention and a reward for extraordinary piety.

We know about the sons of Moses, but there were others who escaped the clutches of Nebuchadnezzar. One of the most remarkable escapes was that of Ebed-melech, a righteous Ethiopian. His salvation came as a direct reward for his earlier act of courage: rescuing the prophet Jeremiah when his life was in danger. Think about the weight of that: a single act of kindness echoed through the years, securing his own divine protection.

The day before the destruction of the Temple, imagine the chaos, the fear, the sense of impending doom. According to the legend, just before the Babylonian army stormed Jerusalem, Jeremiah, acting on divine instruction, sent Ebed-melech on a seemingly simple errand. He was to go to a specific spot outside the city gates and offer refreshments to the poor, carrying a small basket of figs.

It seems simple, right?

But here's where the extraordinary enters the story. Ebed-melech reached the designated spot, but the heat was overwhelming. Exhausted, he fell asleep under a tree. Now, this wasn't just a little nap. He slept for a staggering sixty-six years! When he finally awoke, the figs in his basket were still fresh and juicy (talk about divine preservation!), but the world around him was unrecognizable. The landscape had changed, the city was altered. He was completely disoriented.

Can you imagine the confusion? He entered the city, searching for Jeremiah, but nothing was as he remembered it. He approached an old man and asked for the name of the place. When he heard the word "Jerusalem," Ebed-melech exclaimed in disbelief, "Where is Jeremiah, where is Baruch, and where are all the people?" (Jeremiah 38:7-13)

The old man, understandably, was perplexed. How could someone who knew Jeremiah and Jerusalem be unaware of the devastating events of the past six decades? He recounted the destruction of the Temple and the captivity of the Jewish people. But Ebed-melech simply couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Finally, the truth dawned on him. Ebed-melech realized that God had performed a tremendous miracle, sparing him from witnessing the horrors that had befallen Israel. He had been sheltered from the pain, the suffering, the destruction.

What does this story tell us? Perhaps it's about the power of good deeds and how they ripple through time. Maybe it highlights the idea that even in the darkest of times, divine protection and miracles are possible. Or, perhaps, it's a testament to the idea that sometimes, the greatest blessing is to be shielded from the worst of human experience. Whatever resonates with you, the legend of Ebed-melech offers a potent reminder of faith, reward, and the enduring presence of the divine.