Thursday 27 February 2020

Berachot 55: Hemorrhoids, Fat Faces, Dream Interpretation

The Gemara continues to discuss our last Mishna.  Proofs are provided for each of the halachot which were not time based but instead were recited over experiences and events.  

Rav Yehuda had praised one who prolongs one's time in the bathroom, but the Gemara notes that this is one of the ten things that bring on hemorrhoids.  The other nine are eating the leaves of bulrushes, grape leaves, tendrils of grapevines, the palate and tongue of an animal, the spine of a fish, a salty fish that is not folly cooked, drinking wine dregs, wiping oneself with lime and clay, wiping oneself with a stone that was used by another person already.  This is resolved by understanding that it is only one who prolongs one's time in the bathroom and also suspends oneself.  

Still on the topic of bathroom habits, we are also told the story of Rabbi Yehuda son of Rabbi El'ai: a woman told him that his face was fat and full like those of pig farmers and those who do not work hard but make lots of money.  That was a compliment.  He said that he did not do those jobs but that his face was pleasant because he looked in every one of the twenty-four mirrors in the bathrooms between his walk to the study hall from home.  


Three things require begging for mercy: a good king, a good year, and a good dream.  
Rabbi Yochanan said that three things were proclaimed by G-d G-dself: Famine, plenty and a good leader.  


Rav Chisda said that a dream is better than a dream during a fast, and we must interpret our dreams.  Also, a bad dream is best because it causes us to feel remorse and then to repent while a bad dream leaves us sad and a good dream leave us joyful.  The rabbis seem to agree that G-d send us our dreams.  Not all parts of dreams will be fulfilled, as Joseph's dream of eleven stars bowing down to him could not happen because the moon, Joseph's mother, had already died.  Rav Huna teaches that good people have bbad dreams and wicked people are shown good dreams.  


The Gemara If we are concerned about a dream, one should bring three people and tell them tha, "I saw a good dream" and they should respond, "It is good and let it be good, may G-d make it good" . They should say seven times that it will be good, and then they recite nine verses.  Three are about transformation from bad to good, three are about redemption, and three are about peace.  


One who fears the evil eye when entering a city should hold the thumb of one's right hand in one's left hand and vice versa while reciting, "I, so and so child of so and so, come from the descendants of Joseph, over whom the evil eye has no dominion", followed by a verse from Genesis (49:22).  If he is concerned about his own evil eye because it might damage others, he should look at the side of his left nostril.  


One who is sick should not reveal it on the first day of the illness to protect oneself from bad luck.  When Rava was ill his servant would announce on the second day of illness, so that those who like him will pray for him and those who hate him will rejoice over his distress.  Proverbs (24:17-18).  teaches that we should not rejoice when our enemy falls because it could upset G-d who would turn away his wrath from that person. 
Shmuel would say that both his good and bad dreams were false statements


We are told the story of Rabbi Elazar, who went to the twenty-four dream interpreters in Jerusalem and each interpreted  his dream in accordance with the "mouth of the interpreter".  This is taken to mean that our dreams might follow what we've eaten or said; that we are required to repent for something.


Our daf also speaks about the Pharaoh's famous dreams and about 


Finally, the rabbis discuss whether or not our dreams reveal the thoughts of our hearts.  Rava says that dreams are thoughts that enter a person's mind rather than things we can't see.  The examples stated include a golden palm tree and an elephant going through the eye of a needle.

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