“Famed psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud described
dreams as the royal road to the unconscious and
suggested that by studying the obvious content of
dreams, we could then bring to light the hidden and unconscious desires that
lead to neurosis.
“Analyzing dream symbols and ascribing meaning has become a
popular source of both entertainment and self-reflection in popular culture. Do
dreams really have hidden meanings? Can you learn your unconscious wishes and
desires by interpreting your dreams?
“While most modern theories of dreams would suggest that the
answer is no, this hasn't stopped interpreters and analysts from publishing a
whole host of dream dictionaries that purport to identify what these common
dream themes and symbols really mean.” (https://www.verywellmind.com/understanding-your-dreams-2795935)
Rabbis in the Talmud did not hesitate to interpret dreams
either. Today’s entire daf TB Berachot 56 discusses dream interpretation. Rabbi
Chanan teaches that a river, a bird, and a pot are symbols of peace in a dream.
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi teaches that after you wake up you should accentuate
the positive aspect of the symbol over the negative by thinking of the
appropriate positive verse and not a negative verse. (See 56b)
13 times Abaye and Rava had the identical dream and Bar
Haddaya interpreted Abaye’s dream in a positive light and Rava’s dream in a
negative for a very simple reason. Abaye paid the interpreter’s fee while Rava didn’t.
I’ll just give you a three examples from the Gemara.
“The Gemara relates: Bar Haddaya was an interpreter of
dreams. For one who gave him a fee, he would interpret the dream favorably,
and for one who did not give him a fee, he would interpret the dream
unfavorably. The Gemara relates: There was an incident in which both Abaye
and Rava saw an identical dream and they asked bar Haddaya to
interpret it. Abaye gave him money and paid his fee, while Rava did
not give him money. They said to him: The verse: “Your ox shall
be slain before your eyes and you shall not eat thereof” (Deuteronomy 28:31) was
read to us in our dream. He interpreted their dream and to Rava he said:
Your business will be lost and you will derive no pleasure from eating because
of the extreme sadness of your heart. To Abaye he said: Your business
will profit and you will be unable to eat due to the joy in your heart.
“They said to him: The verse: “Go your way, eat your
bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart” (Ecclesiastes 9:7) was
read to us in our dream. To Abaye he said: Your business will profit and you
will eat and drink and read the verse out of the joy of your heart. To Rava he
said: Your business will be lost, you will slaughter but not eat, you will
drink wine and read passages from the Bible in order to allay
your fears.
“Abaye and Rava said to him: We saw lettuce on the mouth
of the barrels. To Abaye he said: Your business will double like lettuce
whose leaves are wide and wrinkled. To Rava he said: Your work will be bitter
like a lettuce stalk.” (Sefaria.org translation)
Finally Rava started paying bar Haddaya’s plea and wouldn’t
you know it, he interpreted Rava’s dreams in a positive light. “Ultimately,
Rava came and gave him, bar Haddaya, a fee. And then Rava, said
to him: I saw my wall fall. Bar Haddaya said to him: You will acquire
property without limits. Rava said to him: I saw Abaye’s house [appadna]
fall and its dust covered me. Bar Haddaya said to him: Abaye will die
and his yeshiva will come to you. Rava said to him: I saw my house fall,
and everyone came and took the bricks. He said to him: Your teachings will be
disseminated throughout the world. Rava said to him: I saw that my head
split and my brain fell out. He said to him: A feather will fall out of the
pillow near your head. Rava said to him: The Egyptian hallel,
the hallel that celebrates the Exodus, was read to me in a dream. He
said to him: Miracles will be performed for you.” (Sefaria.org translation)
These stories teach me that you get what you pay for!
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