Torah portion: Dream a little dream

“Although I have hidden my face from Israel, I will communicate with him through dreams” (Bavli, Chagigah 5b).

This week’s portion begins with Jacob’s famous dream: “He dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven, and behold the angels of God were ascending and descending on it” (Genesis 28:12). 

It is a transcendent moment in which God promises not only the perpetual survival of Jacob’s descendants, but gives them the land on which Jacob is sleeping. It is one of the seminal moments in Jewish history on so many levels, but what really are dreams about in our tradition?

The Talmud teaches us that “dreams are one-sixtieth of prophecy” (Berachot 57b); and in the Book of Numbers we are taught, “I the Lord will make myself known to him in a vision, and will speak to him in a dream” (Numbers 12:6). 

It is clear that our nighttime visions have important meanings. There are multiple pages in the talmudic Tractate Berachot that deal specifically with dream interpretation. Here, our sages explain the hidden meanings of symbols found in our dreams. All sorts of things and actions are explained, such as dreams that include your nose falling off, pouring oil on olives, kissing the moon and even shelling eggs. A donkey means that salvation can be hoped for, grapes may be signs of good or bad luck, a goat means that it will be a good year, and dreaming of myrtle portends that the dreamer will either have success with his property or will inherit property from somewhere else. 

Our rabbis have long dialogues dealing with dream interpretations and symbols, and the importance of investigating the meaning of any dream. The talmudic sage Rav Hisda even goes so far as to say that, “A dream which is not interpreted is like a letter which is not read” (Berachot 55a).

We all have them. Some are conscious and lucid, others are vaguely remembered as we awake. All too often in this modern culture, we either ignore them or discount them entirely as only the psychological processing of our unconscious mind. While this may be true, our tradition considers dreams much more important than just some unconscious therapy session. Unless we want to leave the letter unopened, it is incumbent upon us to try to understand the symbols and experiences that our souls have while sleeping. 

Again, our sages give us techniques to help us remember and understand our dreams. It is clear through the talmudic dialogues that it is helpful to share the dream with someone you trust. Tell them about it, in as much detail as you can. Often in the relaying of the dream we remember more details. Moreover, our friend may have an insight that we simply miss because of how emotionally attached we were to the dream itself. 

Rebbe Nachman of Breslov suggests that “a person who wants his dream to be fulfilled should record the details, including the date, time and place when the dream occurred” (Sefer HaMiddot). This keeping of a dream journal is a great tool recommended by psychologists and teachers from multiple spiritual traditions that can help us remember and integrate the dream experience. Many therapists suggest keeping the journal by your bed, and upon waking (even if it is in the middle of the night) writing down your recollections of the dream. 

Whatever methods we use to remember them and whatever system we employ to understand their meanings, our tradition is clear that dreams are vitally important, and we need to pay attention to them. Perhaps that precept is what is most simply taught in our portion’s telling of Jacob’s dream. 

The angels (in Hebrew, the word is the same as “messengers”) are “ascending and descending” the ladder: ascending first. They start their journey here on Earth, and travel back and forth to the celestial realm. Maybe those “messengers” are the dreams themselves, and it is merely by paying attention to them that we can become more aware of divinity and the journey of our souls. I have always personally resonated to this understanding: that our dreams are, at the very least, vehicles that allow us to be more aware of God, life, and our relationship and purpose in the world.

May we all pay close attention to our sleeping visions, remembering that God promises to communicate to us through them. May our dreams be filled with understanding, and give us the hope and strength to have peace, health, and joy in our lives and in all the world.

Rabbi Michael Barclay is the spiritual leader of the Temple Ner Simcha in Westlake (newshul.net) and the author of “Sacred Relationships: Biblical Wisdom for Deepening Our Lives Together” (Liturgical Press, 2013). He can be reached at RabbiBarclay@aol.com. This teaching is in honor of the union and dreams of Michael and Lillian Cohanzad.