What Happens When We dream?

I Thank You Liturgy from our daily morning prayers	Modeh Ani	מוֹדֶה אֲנִי
I thank You, living and enduring Ruler, for You have graciously returned my soul within me. Great is Your faithfulness.	Modeh ani l’fanecha, melech chai v’kayam, shehechezarta bi nishmati b’chemla, raba emunatecha	מוֹדֶה אֲנִי לְפָנֶיךָ מֶלֶךְ חַי וְקַיָּם שֶׁהֶחֱזַרְתָּ בִּי נִשְׁמָתִי בְּחֶמְלָה, רַבָּה אֱמוּנָתֶךָ

• According to Modeh Ani – our soul returns to us when we wake up. So where did it go while we were sleeping?

Zohar (A 13th century foundational work of Kabbalistic literature)

At night, all things return to their original root and source…When a person lies in bed, the soul goes out and wanders the world above, and enters the Place that she enters… When a person awakes, the soul tells the person about the dream.

• How many of you regularly remember your dreams?

Derekh Hashem, Part Three, On the Soul and Its Activities – Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto a.k.a. The Ramchal (1707-1746 Italy)

What happens when a person dreams? God decreed that the bond between body and divine soul should be loosened (disconnected a bit) while we sleep. The portions of the soul from the level of ruach and above rise and sever from the body. Only the nefesh remain with the animal soul. The freed portions of the soul can move about in the spiritual realm and associate with spiritual beings such as angels who oversee natural phenomena, other angels associated with prophecy and shedim (demons), god forbid, depending on variety of factors. When the higher levels of soul perceive something, they can transmit it step by step until it reaches the animal soul. (Jacobs ladder) The imagination is then stimulated and forms images in its normal manner. A dream can be true or false or blurry…A person can receive info about his future if God decrees it…Dreams can arise either solely from the imagination or from the stimulation of soul.

Dreams in Torah

Genesis 28:10-13

בְּרֵאשִׁית כח:י-יא

(10) Jacob left Beer-sheba, and set out for Haran. (11) He came upon a certain place and stopped there for the night, for the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of that place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. (12) He had a dream; a ladder was set on the ground and its top reached to the sky, and angels of God were going up and down on it. (13) And Hashem was standing upon him and said, “I am Adonai, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac: the ground on which you are lying I will assign to you and to your offspring.

וַיֵּצֵא יַעֲקֹב מִבְּאֵר שָׁבַע וַיֵּלֶךְ חָרָנָה׃ וַיִּפְגַּע בַּמָּקוֹם וַיָּלֶן שָׁם כִּי־בָא הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ וַיִּקַּח מֵאַבְנֵי הַמָּקוֹם וַיָּשֶׂם מְרַאֲשֹׁתָיו וַיִּשְׁכַּב בַּמָּקוֹם הַהוּא׃ וַיַּחֲלֹם וְהִנֵּה סֻלָּם מֻצָּב אַרְצָה וְרֹאשׁוֹ מַגִּיעַ הַשָּׁמָיְמָה וְהִנֵּה מַלְאֲכֵי אֱלֹהִים עֹלִים וְיֹרְדִים בּוֹ וְהִנֵּה יְהֹוָה נִצָּב עָלָיו וַיֹּאמַר אֲנִי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי אַבְרָהָם אָבִיךָ וֵאלֹהֵי יִצְחָק הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה שֹׁכֵב עָלֶיהָ לְךָ אֶתְּנֶנָּה וּלְזַרְעֶךָ׃

Genesis 32:25-29

בְּרֵאשִׁית לג:כה-כט

(25) Jacob was left alone. And a figure wrestled with him until the break of dawn. (26) When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he wrenched Jacob’s hip at its socket, so that the socket of his hip was strained as he wrestled with him. (27) Then he said, “Let me go, for dawn is breaking.” But he answered, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.” (28) Said the other, “What is your name?” He replied, “Jacob.” (29) Said he, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven* with beings divine and human,* and have prevailed.

וַיִּוָּתֵר יַעֲקֹב לְבַדּוֹ וַיֵּאָבֵק אִישׁ עִמּוֹ עַד עֲלוֹת הַשָּׁחַר׃ וַיַּרְא כִּי לֹא יָכֹל לוֹ וַיִּגַּע בְּכַף־יְרֵכוֹ וַתֵּקַע כַּף־יֶרֶךְ יַעֲקֹב בְּהֵאָבְקוֹ עִמּוֹ׃ וַיֹּאמֶר שַׁלְּחֵנִי כִּי עָלָה הַשָּׁחַר וַיֹּאמֶר לֹא אֲשַׁלֵּחֲךָ כִּי אִם־בֵּרַכְתָּנִי׃ וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו מַה־שְּׁמֶךָ וַיֹּאמֶר יַעֲקֹב׃ וַיֹּאמֶר לֹא יַעֲקֹב יֵאָמֵר עוֹד שִׁמְךָ כִּי אִם־יִשְׂרָאֵל כִּי־שָׂרִיתָ עִם־אֱלֹהִים וְעִם־אֲנָשִׁים וַתּוּכָל׃

Genesis 41:15-16	בְּרֵאשִׁית מא:טו-טז
And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, but no one can interpret it. Now I have heard it said of you that for you to hear a dream is to tell its meaning.” Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “Not I! God will see to Pharaoh’s welfare.”	וַיֹּאמֶר פַּרְעֹה אֶל־יוֹסֵף חֲלוֹם חָלַמְתִּי וּפֹתֵר אֵין אֹתוֹ וַאֲנִי שָׁמַעְתִּי עָלֶיךָ לֵאמֹר תִּשְׁמַע חֲלוֹם לִפְתֹּר אֹתוֹ׃ וַיַּעַן יוֹסֵף אֶת־פַּרְעֹה לֵאמֹר בִּלְעָדָי אֱלֹהִים יַעֲנֶה אֶת־שְׁלוֹם פַּרְעֹה׃

• How is interpreting a dream similar to interpreting the Torah?
• Why do dreams occur frequently in the Torah?
• How is the Torah itself like a dream?

Jewish Dream Rituals

Hatavat Chalom (lit. “making a dream good”) – Prayer for a Negative Dream According to the Talmud, one who has a dream that he does understand should recite a prayer asking for clarity. The prayer is to be said during the time of the Priestly Benediction.

Ruler 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.

Talmud Berakhot 55b:7

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 dream, why would he actively promote its fulfillment? Rather, say as follows: He should make it better before three (people). 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 Gd 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.

Jewish Practices for Sweet Dreams

• Kriyat Shema – Say Bedtime Shema, Hamapil, and archangel prayers
• She’elat Chalom – State out loud a questions or intention you want to have answered in your dream before bed
• Sefer Chalomot – Keep a dream journal – when you first wake up stay completely still and eyes closed and do reverse recall (tell story backwards or just recall whatever you can), Can also do a voice memo on your phone, and review your dreams during waking hours with others whom you trust.

Dream Interpretation Exercise

Rabbi Jill Hammer on dreams

The process of reflecting on a dream, whether alone in writing or in conversation with others, is a key to recovering its hidden blessing and wisdom.

Rabbi Judah the Hasid (1150-1217 Germany) on dreams

“Whatever will happen to a person — be it good or bad — is shown to him beforehand in dream symbolism…The symbolic imagery of dreams may be compared to sign language. When a person is traveling to a foreign country, he will meet people whose language he does not understand. They will communicate to him through sign language, much like we communicate with the deaf. A sage can discern what he is being shown in his dream, and why it was shown to him in those symbols, and what the symbols stand for.

Using the materials provided, creatively respond to any of the following prompts…

• Have you ever had a dream that seemed to be telling you something about your life?
• Or a really bizarre dream that was perplexing?
• Have you ever had recurring dreams? Or a dream that seemed significant when you were having it so that the images and feelings stayed with you after you woke up?
• Is it possible for someone else to interpret your dreams for you?
• What are the benefits of sharing your dreams with others?
• Can someone else’s dream hold meaning for us?