Nakdimon ben Gorion was one of the wealthiest men in Jerusalem, and he had made a dangerous bargain. He borrowed twelve wells of water from a Roman nobleman — the Hegemon — promising to return them filled to the brim by a specific date. If he failed, he would owe a staggering sum of money.
The deadline arrived, and the wells were dry. No rain had fallen. The Hegemon rubbed his hands in anticipation of the fortune he was about to collect. He sent a message to Nakdimon: "Pay me my money, or return my water." Nakdimon asked for more time. "The day is not yet over," he said.
The Hegemon laughed. The sun was already sinking toward the horizon. What rain could possibly fall in the few hours remaining? He went to the bathhouse, confident in his victory.
Nakdimon went to the Temple and wrapped himself in his prayer shawl. "Master of the Universe," he prayed, "You know that I did not borrow those wells for my own honor, but for Yours — to provide water for the pilgrims coming to Jerusalem." The sky darkened. Clouds rolled in from nowhere. And the rain fell in torrents, filling all twelve wells to overflowing.
But the Hegemon had one last trick. "The sun has already set," he declared. "The rain came after the deadline. You owe me the money." Nakdimon returned to prayer, and God performed a second miracle: the sun broke back through the clouds, reappearing after it had already set. The day was extended. The wells were full. The debt was canceled. And Nakdimon received his name — from the word "nakad," meaning the sun broke through — because the sun itself reversed course for his sake.