Visions of illicit relationships are explained in terms of love for our hallowed tradition.
By LEVI COOPERharedi man fuzzy psychedelic cool 88(photo credit: )
The lengthy talmudic discussion dealing with different dreams and their interpretation includes some fascinating but troubling examples. One such passage is when a renowned heretic shared his dreams with Rabbi Yishmael (B. Brachot 56b). The sage then proceeded to interpret each of the images. The apparently innocent dreams that the heretic shared with the sage were consistently interpreted as depraved crimes.
The heretic reported his first dream: "I saw myself pouring oil into olives." Rabbi Yishmael didn't address the heretic directly, but offered his interpretation: "This man has defiled his mother."
"I dreamed that I plucked a star," continued the heretic.
"You have stolen from a Jew," explained Rabbi Yishmael, for indeed the Jewish people are compared to stars (see Genesis 15:5).
The heretic continued to share the images that he had seen: "I dreamed that I swallowed a star."
"You have sold a Jew and consumed the proceeds from the sale."
Despite the damning interpretations, the heretic persisted: "I dreamed that my eyes were kissing one another."
Again Rabbi Yishmael avoided responding directly: "He has defiled his sister."
"I dreamed that I kissed the moon."
"He has defiled a married Jewish woman."
The heretic continued relating the visions of his dreams: "I dreamed that I was walking in the shade of myrtle."
Understanding that the myrtle signified a wedding canopy, Rabbi Yishmael explained: "He has defiled a betrothed girl."
When the heretic described the image as inverted, Rabbi Yishmael understood that the intercourse had been unnatural.
The heretic now turned to birds that appeared in his dreams: "I saw ravens repeatedly landing on my bed."
"Your wife has misconducted herself with many men."
Ravens were not the only bird that landed on the bed of the heretic: "I saw pigeons repeatedly landing on my bed."
"You have defiled many women," explained Rabbi Yishmael.
"I dreamed that I took two doves and then they flew away."
"You have married two women and then dismissed them without properly giving them a bill of divorce."
"I dreamed that I have been shelling eggs."
"You have been stripping the dead of their possessions."
Suddenly the heretic demurred: "You have been right about all the dreams, except for the last vision; I am not guilty of stripping the dead of their clothes!"
The heretic, however, was quickly discovered for at that moment he was accosted by a woman: "This cloak which you are wearing belonged to so-and-so who is dead and you have stripped it from him!"
The heretic's dreams sounded harmless enough, yet they were interpreted in the worst possible light. Though the Talmud tells us that the interpretations were accurate we may wonder whether prima facie they were a fair assessment. A plausible reading might suggest that the harsh interpretations were tailor-made for the dreamer based on his known record. Had another dreamer, a person of different moral fiber, related the same visions to Rabbi Yishmael, it is entirely likely that he would have offered a less condemning interpretation.
This approach is buttressed by another set of dream interpretations this time apparently for a rabbinic protagonist (B. Brachot 57a). Only in this case the situation is flipped: Using homiletic devices, lewd dreams are interpreted along Torah themes; visions of illicit relationships are explained in terms of love for our hallowed tradition.
Thus for instance, if one dreams that he has intercourse with his mother, he may expect to obtain understanding. If one dreams he has intercourse with a betrothed woman, he may expect to obtain knowledge of Torah. If one dreams he has intercourse with his sister, he may expect to obtain wisdom.
If one dreams that he has intercourse with a married woman, he is guaranteed a portion in the world to come. The Talmud adds an important caveat: These interpretations are only valid if the dreamer does not know the woman and did not think about her in the evening before falling asleep.
The contrast is of course startling: Every possible crime is attributed to the apparently innocuous dreams of the heretic, while the inappropriate dreams of the student of Torah are understood to herald an increase in knowledge, wisdom and understanding. Is the Talmud merely providing excuses for inappropriate dreams of our rabbinic heroes?
Perhaps the central message of the Talmud is that each dream is taken from the content world of the dreamer: If your world is a world of Torah, even dreams that appear erotic are a reflection of your content world.
Dreams can therefore be considered a language. To foreigners the dream dialect sounds nonsensical. Even when a foreign language is translated, those who cannot comprehend the original may raise an eyebrow and wonder whether the translation is accurate, whether it is really the meaning of the string of noises that reach the ear. Each language has its own conventions. In many languages intonation can drastically change the content; in some tongues emphasis is key to understanding words; in other languages the meaning is dependent on context. The Talmud tells us that in the dream dialect, the personal background of the dreamer is cardinal to comprehending the dream lingo. Thus when assessing a dream the first question that should be asked is: Who is the dreamer?
While to some this may sound like apologetics, it is possible that our sages are not merely cleaning up erotic dreams that threaten to embarrass us. The Talmud appears to be presenting an approach to dreams: Dreams are symbols that reflect our inner world. If our inner world is one of Torah, then they reflect Torah; if our inner world is one of licentious behavior, then even seeing an innocent image of kissing the moon is a reflection of a corrupt lifestyle. Thus the talmudic passage should be read as more than a key or a legend for understanding different dreams; dreams should be seen as a window into our inner world and we may ask: What are we communicating about ourselves in the dream dialect?
The writer is on the faculty of Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies and is a rabbi in Tzur Hadassah.
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