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December 8, 2023 (18 Kislev 5784) Parasha Vayeshev - Dream Your Dreams
Dear Friends, I hope this correspondence finds you doing well and enjoying a magnificent beginning to the Hannukah festival. Please join us for in-person services in our sanctuary this Shabbat morning at 10:00am. At the conclusion of the service, we will retire to the social hall for a festive Hannukah Kiddush and a competitive (yet hopefully friendly) Dreidel competition. This week’s Torah reading is taken from Parshat Vayeshev. Many of you are familiar with the biblical narrative. It begins with the story of Yoseph, Yaakov’s favorite son, being given a K’Tonet Passim, an ornately designed tunic, by his father. Visiting the theater district, we’ve surely all learned about Yosef’s exploits while enjoying Joseph and The Technicolor Dreamcoat. Yaakov’s blatant act of favoritism creates antipathy, jealousy, and even hatred among Yoseph’s brothers, leading them to a fratricidal plot. They reluctantly decide to sell Yoseph into slavery, and he circuitously descends to Egypt. Meanwhile, the brothers deceive Yaakov into thinking that Yoseph was mauled by a wild beast, causing their father immeasurable grief. After various plot twists and turns, Yosef finds himself in jail in Egypt after being accused of “making eyes” at Potiphar’s wife. There, he spends his time with the other inmates helping them manage their everyday stresses, (which I assume are many when in prison!). He specifically helps the other men interpret their profoundly unsettling dreams. When it is found out that Yoseph can interpret dreams, he is brought to Melech Pharaoh, who is struggling with his own demons. In an unkinglike manner, the Pharaoh is petrified, as he cannot determine the significance of his nocturnal visions. Genesis 41:8 describes the Pharoah as וַתִּפָּ֣עֶם רוּח֔וֹ, his very spirit was agitated. Fast forward a few more verses, and Yoseph is called to interpret the king's dreams. Yosef humbly predicts the future of Egypt yet explains that this skill is not an inherent power, but rather a reflection of Hashem’s greatness. “וַיַּ֨עַן יוֹסֵ֧ף אֶת־פַּרְעֹ֛ה לֵאמֹ֖ר בִּלְעָדָ֑י אֱלֹהִ֕ים יַעֲנֶ֖ה אֶת־שְׁל֥וֹם פַּרְעֹֽה”. In the eyes of Yosef and the biblical narrator, the art of interpreting dreams is pretty straightforward: God made me do it! However, in the modern world, interpreting and understanding dreams falls into a little-known discipline called oneirocriticism. For hundreds of years, academics have postulated their own theories on what dreams mean, and more importantly, how to go about interpreting them. Freud, the 19th-century founder of psychotherapy, believed that the contents of one's dreams reflect one's true desires; meaning that someone's dreams are their true, unfiltered thoughts. However, these thoughts appear in the unconscious mind, as they are too stressful to deal with in the real world. Carl Jung, the Swiss-born founder of analytic psychology, believed that dreams are deeply more personal and cannot be readily interpreted by anyone or even by oneself. Jung theorized that dreams are compensation for the underdeveloped part of our psyche, which can be exclusively accessed through the analytic approach. Calvin Hall, a 20th-century behavioral psychologist, proposed a cognitive theory that theorized that what people see in their dreams is reflective of what they think and do in their waking lives. As your Rabbi, far be it from me to criticize Freud, Jung, or Hall, but of course, in the grandest of Jewish traditions, I certainly can engage in biblical criticism! I would suggest that a more sophisticated religious interpretation than the Bible’s “God made me do it” approach, is taken from the Sefer Shaarai Kedusha, a 19th-century Mussar text by Chayim Vital. Vital quotes Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai as teaching that “You must strive to examine your dreams for they are a manifestation of the Holy One’s guidance, personally directed to you.” In other words, while Hashem is not interpreting the dreams directly for you, God is holding your hand and sending you a direct message regarding your behavior, which you alone are responsible for examining. As an exception, however, Rashi, an 11th-century French commentary, explains that a person who transgresses does not receive this guidance of Hashem through their dream. The Zohar shares that when the nation is worthy through Torah and Mitzvoth, impending announcements of misfortune are announced through dreams to the righteous leaders of the generation so that these leaders may issue us a warning. Hopefully, when the people hear about the decree, they do Teshuva (repentance) and return to their Maker through holy acts, deeds, and words. In the spirit of dreaming, even in the face of these most challenging times, I invoke the prophetic swords of Theodore Herzl, who shared the inspired wisdom of, “If you will it, it is not a dream.” Given such license, I dream for health, prosperity, discernment, joy, and light for me, my family, and you, the dear members of our sacred community. May our dreams and actions, works and holiness, eradicate evil and violence and provide a mystical and spiritual spark which leads to the immediate return of the hostages, the security of the People of Israel, and the safety of those who defend our holy land. If such dreams can be realized, our metaphorical Hannukioth will forever illumine the world with Hashem’s message of peace and love. Shabbat Shalom and Chag Urim Sameach, Rabbi Eric L. Wasser, EdD, Hon.DM
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