Berachot 57: Dream Interpretations and Blessings

Today's daf continues to explain our first Mishna, beginning with some of the conversation about dream interpretation on yesterday's daf.  Dreams about sexual relations with mothers, sisters and other inappropriate partners are of particular interest; they tend to represent wisdom and the promise of a place in the World to Come.  Other dreams, about seeing wheat and barley, represent peace and showing one's sins.  Vines with grapes, figs, pomegranates sometime represent success with children and business.  Olives represent the goodness of Torah in our lives.

Goats can represent blessed years and myrtle represents property.  Geese, roosters, broken eggs, nuts, glass vessels and other fragile things are also discussed.  Defecation is a good omen if one does not wipe and dirty his hands in his dream.  Ripped clothing, standing naked in Babylonia or in Eretz Yisrael suggest that we might be without transgressions, but perhaps without mitzvot as well.  We are reminded that Torah scholars often write for themselves when we learn about several dreams that suggests that the dreamer will become the head of a yeshiva.  

Bloodletting tells us that we will be counted and forgiven.  Snakes have to do with livelihood.  Wine is always a good omen for Torah scholars, says Rabbi Yochanan, using a proof text from Proverbs (9:5).  He also said that when we awaken with a verse "falling into our mouths" it is a minor prophecy.  

If we see King David, we should expect piety.  If we see Solomon we should expect wisdom.  If we see Ahab we should be concerned about calamity.  Some more about our dreams, first from the books of Prophets:

• the book of Kings means greatness
• the book of Ezekiel means wisdom
• the book of Isaiah means consolation
• the book of Jeremiah means calamity

Next, from the books of Writings:

• the book of Psalms means piety
• the book of Proverbs means wisdom
• the book of Job means calamity

And the three minor books of Writings:

• the Song of Songs means piety
• Ecclesiastes means wisdom
• Lamentations means calamity
• the scroll of Esther means that a miracle will be performed on his behalf

Regarding Sages:

• Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi means wisdom
• Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya means wealth
• Rabbi Yishmael ben Elisha means calamity

Regarding Torah scholars:

• Ben Azzai means piety
• Ben Zoma means wisdom
• Acher, Elisha ben Avuya means calamity

All types of animals in dreams are auspicious except for dreams about elephants, a monkey and a long-tailed ape.  Didn't the Master say that a miracle follows a dream of an elephant?  The Gemara answers that this was only when the elephant was saddled.

Dreams about metal utensils are auspicious except for a hoe, a chisel, and an axe.  Dreams about all fruits and vegetables are auspicious except for unripe dates and turnip heads.  All colours are auspicious except for techelet, sky-blue, and, and all birds are good omens except for eagle owls, owls and kurferai which are nocturnal and frightening to look at.

Six matters are good omens for people who are sick: sneezing, sweating, diarrhea, seminal emissions, sleep, and dreams. Proof texts are provided for each of these.  We are told that six matters cure a sick person from illness: cabbage, beets, dried foley, the stomach, placenta and diaphragm of an animal.  Perhaps small fish also help to cure illness.  

Ten things cause a sick person to relapse back into a more severe illness: eating ox meat, fatty meat, roasted meat, poultry, roasted egg; shaving, eating cress, drinking milk, eating cheese, and bathing in a bathhouse.  Perhaps eating nuts and cucumbers are also dangerous.  Kishu'im, cucumbers, might be named because they are as kashim, harmful, to the body as swords. 

And another comment about dreams.  When we dream about something, it represents something else.  For example, a corpse in one's home is a sign of peace in one's home.  

Our daf ends with a number of blessings that should be recited when we see extraordinary sights.  Rav Hamnuna taught that when one sees the wicked Babylonia we see five blessings.  The ruins of Babylonia gets its own blessing, and so do the ruins of Nebuchadnezzar's house.  There are several other blessings described.  While Rav Ashi said that he never heard of these statements by Rav Hamnuna, he recites all of them based on his own logical reasoning.