Dreams

Starting with פרשת וישב, the idea of dreams, comes to the forefront. We first learn of Yosef telling his dreams to his brothers. This caused them to hate their brother, and ultimately sell him as a slave.

The dreams of the butler and the baker, were Yosef’s ticket to get out of jail. His correct interpretation of the butler’s dream, allowed him to meet Pharoah.

And when Yosef interpreted Pharoah’s dreams, he was promoted to a position of great importance. This led to the formation of the Jewish Nation in Egypt.

The Rabbis tell us that there are three types of dreams, and that dreams are one sixtieth prophecy.

The first type of dream is induced by demons and contain negativity and impure thoughts. This is why we say the nighttime Shema before bed, and wash our hands in the morning.

The second type of dream reflect the natural consequences of the day. We carry with us our thoughts and activities of the previous day. These dreams are not that significant.

The final category of dreams could be actual prophecy. This is the lowest level of communication between G-d and man, but it can be real. Since there is no longer prophecy in our times, it could still reflect some kind of Divine communication. One needs to be on a very high level to receive such dreams.

Today we are taught not to put too much weight on our dreams. However, if one wakes up totally frightened about a dream he had, he should either say a special prayer during the ברכת כהנים, or, if it’s particularly frightening, declare a fast that day, called, תענית חלום.

May all of our hopes and dreams for ourselves and כלל ישראל, come true.