Are Dreams Real?

I'm not Jewish but I had a dream concerning Israel. There was a lot of symbolism and wondered if it meant anything to you. I saw a Jewish scroll with Hebrew writing on it. I obviously didn't understand it. A group of people wanted to enter Israel but were told they didn't have the right paperwork, but could enter if they produced fruit of the vine in the form of juice. Another group had the same problem but said they didn't have fruit of the vine. They were told they could bring juice from any fruit. That was it. I would be grateful for an opinion.

Shalom!

Thank you for your question.

Dreams are certainly a fascinating subject to think about. We all wonder if there is any meaning to our dreams or whether it is all just fantasy.

The Torah is full of dream episodes right from the book of Genesis. However, even in the Torah we see that dreams always contains some fantasy or non-sense. Take for example Joseph’s dream of which parts were inaccurate as the dream depicted his deceased mother bowing down to him along with everyone else.

The Jewish sages throughout the ages have been divided as to whether dreams should be given any credibility. As the revered Rabbi Karelitz, known as the Chazon Ish, writes: "Many times I had dreams but I paid no attention to them." Most sources insist that dreams merely reflect the experiences and pressures that one experienced during the day. The prophet Daniel seems to support this position when he says "Your thoughts came while on your bed".

Indeed, nowadays when people are so involved in worldly affairs along with the non-stop media brainwashing in all areas of life, not to mention our many personal pressures, it is simply natural for one to dream all sorts of disturbing thoughts. The 12th century Rabbi Menachem Meiri tells us that dreams are primarily nonsense. As such, one should not pay any attention to most dreams.

One should always endeavor to go to sleep in a happy and joyful mood which is said to trigger positive dreams. One who had a disturbing dream should consider giving to charity which is said to nullify anything negative a dream might foretell.

Genesis 18; Daniel 2:29; Berachot 55; Meiri, Sanhedrin 30a; OC 220, 288 and commentaries