Wednesday, August 15, 2012

"I [didn't] dream a dream" - Brakhot 14

"R. Yonah further said in the name of R. Zera: Whoever goes seven days without a dream is called evil, as it says, And he that has it shall dwell satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil. (Prov. 19:23) Read not sabea', [satisfied] but sheba' [seven]. "

So if you go seven nights without dreaming, it implies evil. Hmm....I think I may be in trouble. But seriously, this does have a really important implication. To me, this shows how connected the rabbis saw the realm of the Divine with the human. Dreams being one of the few potent connections between the supernatural and the natural, they were suspicious of anyone who lacked the ability to forge that connection. How can we read this into modernity? How can we encourage people to build that connection for themselves, to make sure that they're 'dreaming' at least once a week?

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