Ma’amarim bi-refu’ah (Chapters on Healing)

Dreams

For do not interpretations belong to God? There are many kinds of dreams in the world: dreams that are mostly true and close to prophecy, but the sages said that there are no dreams without idle [irrelevant] matters [b. Berakhot 55a]; dreams that are mostly or completely false; dreams that will be fulfilled in the near future and others in the far future; and yet others will be fulfilled at the end of days. And some say: [they can be fulfilled] even after twenty-two years, like the dreams of Joseph, and some say: even after more than twenty-two years, as long as the events start happening early on, like Joseph’s dreams that, even though they were fulfilled after twenty-two years, in any event [the fulfillment] was set in motion by his being sold into Egypt.

And some dreams are invalid and not fulfilled. And there are pointless dreams, a result of a person’s thoughts and food and drink. And there are natural dreams, that everyone is accustomed to dreaming, according to his qualities: someone who is irascible dreams about wars and quarrels at night; someone who is melancholic dreams of puzzling and fearful and morbid things; someone who is of this or that quality always dreams according to that quality. And these dreams neither raise up nor bring down. [ . . . ]

There are dreams that have a simple meaning, and they do not need interpretation. And there are dreams that hint at contradictions, which we can interpret in one manner or another, and this means they have two faces, either for good or for ill, or in one manner or another. These dreams follow after the mouth [i.e., depend on how the dreamer describes his dream], and only if the interpreter understands them according to their content, from the hints of the dream, but if the hints of the dream differ [from the dream], his words have no substance. And a wise man is needed to comprehend these dreams, who will understand the solution of the dreams, and how they hint.

And there are dreams according to what a person is. And sometimes two people have the same dream, and for one it holds good tidings, and for the other bad tidings, like black grapes for an ignorant person and for a Torah scholar, and similarly wine, and a pumpkin, and watermelons, and the camel, and the ox. For some people these are good in a dream, and for others they are bad.

And this is something no one in the world can know about a dream, except the Holy One, blessed be He, and the angel who makes people dream dreams. And about dreams such as that, did not Joseph say, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me them, I pray you.” This is to say, there are dreams that I cannot interpret, and no one like me can interpret them, except the Holy One, blessed be He, but there are some that I can interpret. So please tell them to me, and I will see from the dream whether or not I can interpret it.

And sometimes these hidden dreams, a master of dreams can attain them, if he knows the qualities and customs and business negotiations and status and wisdom and interests [of the client] more than other people who do not know those things about him, and interpretation of the dream depends on knowledge of them.

And there are set dreams that are the same for everyone, and regarding those, one fasts on the Sabbath. Similarly, for every kind of dream for which the simple meaning is its interpretation, or obvious things that do not need interpretation. And these words apply to fasting on the Sabbath. But with respect to monetary matters between a man and his fellow, dreams neither raise nor lower, and we hold them to be vain dreams. And even though it is written, I will speak unto him in a dream (Numbers 12:6) since we maintain that the burden of proof is on the party [in a legal dispute] who seeks to obtain money from his fellow, the plaintiff has to provide proof that the dream is true and not a lie, and this is impossible to know.