A Dream Come True

The aspiration that Jews had — and continue to have — for thousands of years, to realize the final and complete Redemption at the hands of Moshiach, fits into the category of a genuine dream that will be realized. This dream possesses all the characteristics of a realistic dream: It is about ushering a world of light. It is a selfless dream about having a world where others will not suffer. It is a dream that carries the seeds of its own actualization by acting now in a kind and holy way.

Prescient Dreams

Dream interpretation has been the subject of much discussion and debate. The Jewish position about dreams is discussed at length by our Sages.

The Talmud describes two types of dreams. The first is a dream that is devoid of any meaning and substance. The other type of dream, however, is the prescient one; one that is revealed to the person as a prophecy.

This week’s Parsha discusses the latter form of a dream. Pharaoh, the mighty ruler of Egypt, has two dreams in one night. The first was a scene of seven fat cows that were swallowed up by seven lean cows. After they were swallowed, the lean cows remained lean. The second dream was about how seven full stalks of grain were swallowed up by seven meager stalks of grain that were left unchanged. Pharaoh’s dream was interpreted by Joseph as a prediction that there will be seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine.

How does one know if a dream has any meaning?

The Talmud quotes R. Yochanan who said:

“The following three dreams come true: a morning dream, a dream that his friend dreamt about him and a dream that was interpreted while dreaming. Some add a repetitive dream. “ What is the significance of these three (four) characteristics?

Four Characteristics of a Prophetic Dreams

An evening dream is one that follows a long day filled with all sorts of thoughts, words and actions that obscure the radiance of the soul. Chassidic literature, thus, explains that the dream is the soul’s therapeutic way of purging itself from the dark influences from the world around. The crazy scenes that appear in dreams are simply the accumulation of the dust and static that the soul must get rid of in order for it to shine brightly.

A morning dream, by contrast, is a dream that occurs after the soul has already been cleansed and is at its full capacity to be receptive to the spiritual frequencies that bombard the world at all times, but do not get through because of the obstructions.

Our souls are likened to flames. But, the preoccupation with alien ideologies and selfish lifestyles do not allow the soul to be fully expressive and to shine brightly. This is what the holiday of Chanukah is all about. By lighting the Chanukah lights, we allow our souls to shine brightly.

The second sign that a dream has meaning for you is when someone else dreams about you. In a meaningless dream, everything revolves around the dreamer. This type of dream highlights our egocentric nature. Only a dream that is about someone else possesses the ring of truth. Only the person whose thoughts are preoccupied with others, have dreams that are meaningful and Divinely inspired.

The third characteristic of a “real” dream is when a dream carries within it its own interpretation. A dream, by definition, is not reality. For a dream to connect to the real world it must possess the seeds for its own implementation.

The fourth characteristic is when a dream repeats itself. When a person is in a dream state, they cannot focus on one thought. No sooner do they entertain one thought, they get bored with it and are compelled to consider a totally different one. Only a dream that is repeated has the ring of truth, because Divine reality is not compromised by repetitiveness.

Dreams and Aspirations

Every one of us has dreams and aspirations. To gauge which dream is rooted in self-indulgent fantasy and which dreams are Divinely inspired that one should take seriously and follow, we must follow the four conditions. Only those dreams and aspirations that relate to the “morning,” i.e., light and reflect positive thinking, are real dreams. Only dreams that are not egocentric are connected to the Divine. And only those goals that one does not allow to remain in the realm of theory but finds the way to implement them is a real dream. And finally, only when one does not get bored of the dream, but persists until it is realized, that is a sign of its veracity and Divine nature.

The aspiration that Jews had — and continue to have — for thousands of years, to realize the final and complete Redemption at the hands of Moshiach, fits into the category of a genuine dream that will be realized. This dream possesses all four characteristics. It is about ushering a world of light. It is a selfless dream about having a world where others will not suffer. It is a dream that carries the seeds of its own actualization by acting now in a kind and holy way. It is a dream that notwithstanding the many disappointments we had throughout history, we never gave up hope and we will not give up hope until the light of Chanukah, the light of our souls, will shine brightly all the time.

From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Miketz by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.