Dreaming Big (Temple Beth Or)
Around this time of year, we read in our parshiot ha-shavua about a certain biblical character who really got dreams: Joseph. As the stories at the end of Genesis tell us, Joseph was able to interpret the dreams which others had. He could take the inchoate forms of another person’s dream and give them real-world meaning. Joseph could take a dream and translate it into something which made sense to people and was life-changing.
As I sit here today—sipping on a cup of coffee, thinking of dreams and sleep—I am reminded how precious sleep is in our lives. We all know that dreams may be either good or bad; however, who could worry about sleep itself?
Believe it or not, in the ancient world, there were people who considered sleep a fraught activity. In the Babylonian Talmud, the ancient rabbis state that ‘sleep is like one-sixtieth of death.’ However, while the rabbis might have considered sleep dangerous, they also saw in it important potential. It is only during sleep that we can dream, and— according to this same passage of Talmud—while sleep may be one-sixtieth of death, ‘a dream is also one-sixtieth of prophecy.’ According to the rabbis, we could access the massive power of prophecy by sleeping and having dreams.
Even in our less mystically-oriented 21st century context, I think it is important not just to sleep (of course!), but to dream. When our minds can freely explore ideas—as they can during sleep—we can access aspects of our inner selves which are otherwise inaccessible. However, I would go one step further with this idea: We should follow Joseph’s example and engage with dreams in our conscious lives too. When we allow ourselves to consider the multitudinous, exciting possibilities in our lives, we can give meaning to our dreams- maybe we can even access that “one-sixtieth of prophecy” which the Talmud mentions.
As we close out the year 2015 and weigh changes we might make in 2016, we can strive to give this idea meaning in our lives. I would recommend any reflective Jew to take a few moments for meditation before the end of the year to consider: “How will I further my learning in the coming year?” If a parent, I would recommend also considering: “How can I work to ensure that my child continues his or her formation into a knowledgeable, mature Jewish adult?”
As we consider Joseph as model both of a dreamer and dream-interpreter, I am pushed to recall how Joseph’s connection to dreams stretches all the way back to the beginning of his tale- a time when he earned his brothers’ ire. Early in his life, as he approached his brothers from afar, they snidely remarked, “[Oh great…], here comes the dreamer…” As we start another new year, let us resolve to turn this witticism on its head. Let’s tap into our dreams, and work to turn them into reality so fervently that should anyone see us and say, “Here comes the dreamer,” we may take it as a compliment!