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I Dreamed A Dream

Parshat Vayeshev:
Genesis 37:1-40:23;
Amos 2:6-3:8.

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Sunshine and laughter.
Music and art.
Sports and water play.
Exploration and discovery.

Some things are sim

b tter tog

I

n this week's portion, Vayeshev,
In addition, we are taught that one
we find a significant chunk of the
should fast after having a bad dream
Joseph narrative (which thanks to
(fasting is not just for Yom Kippur in
Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber
the Jewish tradition!). [Bab. Talmud,
of Technicolor Dreamcoat fame, many
Shabbat 11]
of us are quite familiar with).
What are we to make of these
One of the constant themes
teachings about dreams? The
throughout the Joseph saga
ancient rabbis believed that
is the power and purpose of
by putting dreams into words
dreams. Joseph has dreams
(having them interpreted), one
of his own that we know later
essentially opened the door for
on turned out to be (mostly)
said dreams to actually come
true. His fratricidal brothers
to fruition. In essence, putting
refer to him as "the dreamer."
into words what your subcon-
And he correctly interprets
scious had seen was viewed as
Rabbi D an
the dreams of Pharaoh's cup-
a mechanism for realization.
Horwitz
bearer and Pharaoh's baker,
What a powerful concept!
and ultimately the dreams of
The essential takeaway point
Pharaoh himself!
of Joseph's dream saga and the accom-
What does Judaism have to say
panying wisdom of the ancient rabbis
about dreams? Are dreams a reflec-
is that the first step toward achiev-
tion of our desires? Are they simply
ing one's aspirations is putting one's
reminders of what we were thinking
dreams into words — in effect, putting
about right before we went to sleep?
the vision out into the world. Thus, to
Or do they foretell our future?
sum up in rhyme:
The ancient rabbis had much to
Whether or not dreams come true,
say about dreaming, often using the
is (almost) entirely up to you.
Joseph story as their basis.
Only by actively articulating what
For example, we learn in the Talmud we hope to see, can we focus on tak-
that all dreams follow their interpreta-
ing the steps necessary to make our
tion (interpreting dreams was a big
dreams reality! *
deal in those days!). We also learn
that a dream that is not interpreted
Dan Horwitz is the rabbi and founding director of
is like a letter that is not read. We are
The Well, a pluralistic Jewish community-building,
taught that it might be better to have
education and spirituality outreach initiative of the
a negative dream than a positive one,
Lori Talsky Zekelman Fund at Temple Israel geared
as the negative dream will, hopefully,
to the needs of young adults and those who
cause the dreamer to repent for his/her haven't connected with traditional institutions
shortcomings.
in Metro Detroit. For information, visit
Even those dreams that seem to tell
www.meetyouatthewelLorg.
the future are not completely realized,
which we learn from the fact that
Joseph dreamed his mother would bow
Conversations
to him as well as his father and broth-
•Have you ever dreamed that you were
ers, but that didn't happen because she
in the company of a loved one who has
died before having the chance to do so.
already passed on? What was that like?
Also, it may take a long time for a
•Does your daily routine change at all
dream's prediction to come to pass, as
after having a nightmare?
evidenced by Joseph having to wait 22
•What would it be like to keep a dream
years between his dreams of his sib-
journal next to your bed where you
lings bowing to him and their appear-
write down the things you remember
ance before him in Pharaoh's court.
upon waking?
[Bab. Talmud, Berachot 55]

Like sunshine and laughter, come experience
why Summer Camp and Hillel are better
together. For campers 2-5 years old.

For more information, contact Robin Pappas,
Director of the Early Childhood Center, at
248-539-1489 or rpappas@hillelday.org .

HILLEL

DAY SCHOOL

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Mind and soul. Better together.

JN

December 3 2015

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