(1) After two years’ time, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile, (2) when out of the Nile there came up seven cows, handsome and sturdy, and they grazed in the reed grass. (3) But presently, seven other cows came up from the Nile close behind them, ugly and gaunt, and stood beside the cows on the bank of the Nile; (4) and the ugly gaunt cows ate up the seven handsome sturdy cows. And Pharaoh awoke. (5) He fell asleep and dreamed a second time: Seven ears of grain, solid and healthy, grew on a single stalk. (6) But close behind them sprouted seven ears, thin and scorched by the east wind. (7) And the thin ears swallowed up the seven solid and full ears. Then Pharaoh awoke: it was a dream!
~ Bereshit has many dreams. What are the dreams we had so far?
- Avimelech's dream - she's his wife (Genesis 20:3-7)
- Yaakov's ladder (Genesis 28:10-15)
- Yaakov's sheep (Genesis 31:10-13)
- Lavan's dream - don't harm or do good to Jacob (Genesis 31:22-24)
- Yosef's dreams - sheaves / sun and moon (Genesis 37:5-9)
- Butler's and Cupbearer's dreams (Genesis 40:9-17)
- Pharaoh's dreams - cows / stalks (Genesis 41:1-7)
~ Count the dreams of Bereshit. Count the dreamers.
~ What other things you know with these numbers?
~ Which dreams are interpreted, and which are not?
A few facts about dreams before we go on...
- People who don’t remember their dreams might think that they’re just not dreaming, but that is false. Not remembering dreams is not the same as not having them, and not remembering dreams is not unusual. A large 2012 study of more than 28,000 people found that it’s more common for men to forget their dreams than for women. Click here for a pdf of the study.
- Similarly, 2015 study monitored 289 people who didn’t recall their dreams and found that they displayed “complex, scenic and dreamlike behaviors and speeches” while they slept. Click here for a summary of the study.
- There is evidence that we recall less as we age. Click here for a summary.
- Blind people, whether blind at birth or during life, dream. Their dreams have more vivid sounds, smells, and tactile sensations than people with sight. Click here for that study.
Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav: Three matters require a plea for mercy: A good king, a good year, and a good dream. The Gemara enumerates the sources for these cases: A good king, as it is written: “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord as the watercourses: He turns it whithersoever He will” (Proverbs 21:1). A good year, as it is written: “The eyes of the Lord, thy God, are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year” (Deuteronomy 11:12). And a good dream, as it is written: “O Lord, by these things men live, and altogether therein is the life of my spirit; wherefore You will recover me [vataḥlimeni], and make me to live” (Isaiah 38:16). Due to their apparent etymological similarity, the word taḥlimeni is interpreted as deriving from the word ḥalom, dream.
~ What do those three things have in common, in your opinion?
~ Why would we plea for mercy from God in these three cases?
The Gemara cites additional maxims concerning dreams and their interpretation. Rav Ḥisda said: One should see any dream, and not a fast. And Rav Ḥisda said: A dream not interpreted is like a letter not read. And Rav Ḥisda said: A good dream is not entirely fulfilled and a bad dream is not entirely fulfilled. And Rav Ḥisda said: A bad dream is preferable to a good dream. And Rav Ḥisda said: A bad dream, his sadness is enough for him; a good dream, his joy is enough for him. Similarly, Rav Yosef who was blind and ill said: Even for me, the joy of a good dream negates it. And Rav Ḥisda said: A bad dream is worse than lashes, as it is stated: “God has so made it, that men should fear before Him” (Ecclesiastes 3:14), and Rabba bar bar Ḥana said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: That verse is about a bad dream.
~ What are the five ideas that the Gemarah brings in Rav Hisda's name?
~ Are they stand alone or complementary, in your opinion?
~ Why does Rav Yosef say "even for me"? What does being blind and ill have to do with his words?
~ Is a bad dream useful?
With regard to the verse: “The prophet that has a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that has My word, let him speak My word faithfully. What has the straw to do with the grain? says the Lord” (Jeremiah 23:28), the Gemara asks: What do straw and grain have to do with a dream? Rather, Rabbi Yoḥanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai: Just as it is impossible for the grain to grow without straw, so too it is impossible to dream without nonsensical matters. On a similar note, Rabbi Berekhya said: Even though part of a dream is fulfilled, all of it is not fulfilled. From where do we derive this? From the story of Joseph’s dream, as it is written: “And he said: Behold, I have dreamed yet a dream: and, behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars bowed down to me” (Genesis 37:9), and at that time his mother was no longer alive. From the same source, Rabbi Levi said: One should always anticipate fulfillment of a good dream up to twenty-two years after the dream. From where do we derive this? From Joseph, as it is written in the story of Joseph’s dream: “These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren” (Genesis 37:2); and it is written: “And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh King of Egypt” (Genesis 41:46). From seventeen to thirty how many years are they? Thirteen; and add seven years of plenty and two of famine; the total is twenty-two and only then was the dream fulfilled when his brothers came and bowed down to him.
~ What are the lessons derived from Yosef's dreams?
Rav Huna said: A good person is not shown a good dream and a wicked person is not shown a bad dream. That was also taught in a baraita: All of King David’s life he never saw a good dream, and all of Ahitophel’s life he never saw a bad dream. The Gemara raises a difficulty: Is it not written: “No evil shall befall you, neither shall any plague come near your tent” (Psalms 91:10)? And Rav Ḥisda said that Rav Yirmeya bar Abba said in explanation of that verse: This means that you will be frightened neither by bad dreams nor by evil thoughts. Neither shall any plague come near your tent, means that you will never find your wife with the uncertain status of a menstruating woman when you return from a journey. Rather, one might say that he does not see bad dreams; others see bad dreams about him. The Gemara asks: And when he does not see a dream, is that a virtue? Didn’t Rabbi Zeira say: Anyone who sleeps seven days without a dream is called evil, [Rashi: it indicates that God does not wish to appear to him even in that indirect manner]. Allusion to this is, as it is stated: “And he that has it shall lie satisfied [vesave’a], he shall not be visited with evil” (Proverbs 19:23). The Sages said: Do not read it as satisfied [vesave’a], rather read it as seven [vesheva], which is an allusion to the fact that one who sleeps seven times and does not experience a dream is considered evil. Rather, one must say that David saw dreams and the baraita says as follows: David certainly saw dreams, but he did not understand what he saw.
~ How do you understand Rav Huna's idea?
~ According to Rabbi Ze'ira, what happens if you don't dream?
Rav Huna bar Ami said that Rabbi Pedat said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: One who sees a dream from which his soul is distraught, should go and have it interpreted before three. The Gemara is surprised by this: Interpreted? Didn’t Rav Ḥisda say: A dream not interpreted is like a letter not read? If one is concerned about a bad dream, why would he actively promote its fulfillment? Rather, say as follows: He should better it before three. He should bring three people and say to them: I saw a good dream. And they should say to him: It is good, and let it be good, may God make it good. May they decree upon you from heaven seven times that it will be good, and it will be good. Afterwards they recite three verses of transformation from bad to good, three verses of redemption, and three verses which mention peace. The Gemara elaborates:
Three transformations:
“You transformed my mourning into dancing; You loosed my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness” (Psalms 30:12);
“Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old together;
for I will transform their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow” (Jeremiah 31:12); and: “Nevertheless the Lord your God would not hearken unto Balaam;
but the Lord your God transformed the curse into a blessing unto you” (Deuteronomy 23:6).
And three redemptions, as it is written:
“He has redeemed my soul in peace so that none came near me; for they were many that strove with me” (Psalms 55:19);
“The redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion, and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (Isaiah 35:10); and: “The people said to Saul: Shall Jonathan die, who has wrought this great salvation in Israel? So the people rescued Jonathan, that he died not” (I Samuel 14:45).
And three mentions of peace, as it is written:
“Peace, peace, to him that is far off and to him that is near, says the Lord that creates the expression of the lips; and I will heal him” (Isaiah 57:19); “Then the spirit clothed Amasai, who was chief of the captains: Yours are we, David, and on your side, you son of Yishai; peace, peace be unto you, and peace be to your helpers” (I Chronicles 12:19); and: “Thus you shall say: All hail and peace be both unto you,
and peace be to your house, and peace be unto all that you have” (I Samuel 25:6).
The Gemara relates: Ameimar and Mar Zutra and Rav Ashi were sitting together. They said: Let each and every one of us say something that the other has not heard. One of them began and said: One who saw a dream and does not know what he saw should stand before the priests when they lift their hands during the Priestly Blessing and say the following:
Master of the Universe, I am Yours and my dreams are Yours, I dreamed a dream and I do not know what it is. Whether I have dreamed of myself, whether my friends have dreamed of me or whether I have dreamed of others, if the dreams are good, strengthen them and reinforce them like the dreams of Joseph. And if the dreams require healing, heal them like the bitter waters of Mara by Moses our teacher, and like Miriam from her leprosy, and like Hezekiah from his illness, and like the bitter waters of Jericho by Elisha. And just as You transformed the curse of Balaam the wicked into a blessing, so transform all of my dreams for me for the best. And he should complete his prayer together with the priests so the congregation responds amen both to the blessing of the priests and to his individual request. And if he is not able to recite this entire formula, he should say: Majestic One on high, Who dwells in power, You are peace and Your name is peace. May it be Your will that You bestow upon us peace.
~ Should you have dreams interpreted, according to the general voice of the Gemara?
~ Why is this ritual being described? What do you make of the three sets of three verses? Why are they transformations, redemptions and peace?
~ So far, how do you summarize the attitude to dreams in the Talmud?
The Gemara relates: Shmuel, when he would see a bad dream, would say: “And the dreams speak falsely” (Zechariah 10:2). When he would see a good dream, he would say: And do dreams speak falsely? Isn’t it written: “I speak with him in a dream” (Numbers 12:6)? Rava raised a contradiction between these verses: On the one hand, it is written: “I speak with him in a dream”; and on the other hand, it is written: “And the dreams speak falsely.” The Gemara resolves this contradiction: This is not difficult because there are two types of dreams. Here, the verse, “I speak with him in a dream,” refers to dreams that come by means of an angel; here, the verse, “And the dreams speak falsely,” refers to dreams that come by means of a demon. In a long chain of those transmitting this statement, it is said that Rabbi Bizna bar Zavda said that Rabbi Akiva said that Rabbi Panda said that Rav Naḥum said that Rabbi Birayim said in the name of one elder, and who is he, Rabbi Bena’a: There were twenty-four interpreters of dreams in Jerusalem. One time, I dreamed a dream and went to each of them to interpret it. What one interpreted for me the other did not interpret for me, and, nevertheless, all of the interpretations were realized in me, to fulfill that which is stated: All dreams follow the mouth of the interpreter.
...
~ What are the attitudes towards dreams expressed in this bit of the Gemara?
~ Which attitude does this story support?
~ Which attitude does this story support?
~ What attitude does this story support?
אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: הִשְׁכִּים וְנָפַל פָּסוּק לְתוֹךְ פִּיו — הֲרֵי זֶה נְבוּאָה קְטַנָּה. .... חֲמִשָּׁה אֶחָד מִשִּׁשִּׁים, אֵלּוּ הֵן: אֵשׁ, דְּבַשׁ, וְשַׁבָּת, וְשֵׁינָה, וַחֲלוֹם. אֵשׁ — אֶחָד מִשִּׁשִּׁים לְגֵיהִנָּם. דְּבַשׁ — אֶחָד מִשִּׁשִּׁים לַמָּן. שַׁבָּת — אֶחָד מִשִּׁשִּׁים לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא. שֵׁינָה — אֶחָד מִשִּׁשִּׁים לַמִּיתָה. חֲלוֹם — אֶחָד מִשִּׁשִּׁים לַנְּבוּאָה. ....
Rabbi Yoḥanan said: One who awakened in the morning and a verse immediately falls into his mouth, it is a minor prophecy.
... [the Gemara goes through a long list of visions in dreams and their meanings] ...
Gemara says: There are five matters in our world which are one-sixtieth of their most extreme manifestations. They are: Fire, honey, Shabbat, sleep, and a dream. The Gemara elaborates: Our fire is one-sixtieth of the fire of Gehenna; honey is one-sixtieth of manna; Shabbat is one-sixtieth of the World-to-Come; sleep is one-sixtieth of death; and a dream is one-sixtieth of prophecy.
~ What is the general idea regarding dreams in the Gemara?
~ And now?
~ How is this dream being accepted by the Talmud?
~ What can dreams also be, according to this piece?
The innkeeper’s father appeared to the innkeeper in a dream and said to him: Go take the purse placed at my head. The following day, he said to the Sages: This is what appeared to me in my dream. They said to him: Dreams during twilight on Shabbat evening have no substance and should not be trusted. Even so, Rabbi Meir went and guarded his money all that day and then took it.
~ What is this dream about?
~ Why do the sages say that dreams at the twilight of Shabbat have no substance?
~ Does Rabbi Meir hold by that? How else can you explain his actions?
~ Was this dream true/effective?
RMI.—If one finds a purse in his chest with the word "charity" written over it, we depend upon the written word and it is Charity. So, too, if one said to his children, "This is Charity," and it seems to them now that he said this to inform them of a fact, the money is Charity. But if it seems to them that he told them this so that they should not take any, or so that they should not consider him wealthy, then we put no stock in his words. So also, if one is informed in a dream that his father concealed money in a certain place and that the money is Charity, we put no trust in these words, because the words of dreams are of no account either one way or the other. If one handles a box of charity funds and one of other funds, and money is later found on the floor, we say it belongs to the chest he used last. If he used both simultaneously, we say it belongs to the larger sum. But if he finds it in a crevice or hole, where, we might say, it has been lying for a long time without being noticed, then we give it to the larger fund even if he handled them successively.