5774-5775 • W I N T E R E D I T I O N • 2 0 1 4 - 2 0 1 5 C O N G R E Chai-lightsG A T I O N BE T H IS R A E L • B E R K E L E Y FROM OUR RABBI The first time I met my mentor, Rabbi Avi Weiss, he asked is particularly powerful: “Master of the world, I belong to You me in a low soft voice: “Yonatan, tell me about your dreams.” and my dreams belong to You. I have dreamt a dream and I In the years that followed, in yeshiva and then as rabbi of do not know what it is. Whether I dreamt about myself or Beth Israel in Berkeley, I quickly learned that dreams form about others, or my companions dreamt about me, if they are the bedrock of vibrant communities. good dreams, confirm them and reinforce them like the dreams of Joseph, and if they require a remedy, heal them, as As we know, dreams play a critical role in the book of Gene- Moses sweetened the waters of Marah.” (Tractate Brachot 55b) sis which we are about to complete. Surely, Abraham was the father of all dreamers. Only a dreamer would have responded In a moving teaching R. Yochanan notes three indications that to God’s call to go to an undiscovered land. Similarly, Jacob’s a dream will be fulfilled: “Three types of dreams come true: dream of the angels ascending and descending the heavenly a dream that occurs in the early morning hours, a dream ladder captures our longing to spiritually reach the divine. dreamt by one person for another person, and a dream that is resolved within a dream.” (Ibid.) But above all, Joseph is the Torah’s quintessential dreamer. Joseph “baal hachlomet”—“Joseph, the one who is possessed I believe that Rabbi Yochanan’s enigmatic advice is not only by dreams” as his brothers mocked him—initially paid a a guide to predicting an unforeseen outcome; it must also be heavy price for his dreams. With time however, Joseph’s read as advice for proactively making our dreams come true. dreams also became a source of power and inner-strength. Joseph’s ability to interpret the ministers’ dreams in prison, The first type of dream is “A dream that occurs in the early and thereafter the meaning of Pharaoh’s dream in the royal morning hours.” It is a dream on the verge of wakefulness. palace, ultimately allowed him to become Egypt’s viceroy, a Every dream must retain a certain level of connection to re- true man of power. ality in order to see the light of day. In this sense, Genesis is truly the book of dreamers. It teaches The second type of dream is “A dream dreamt by one person that every beginning requires a dreamer and that every great for another person.” It is a shared dream. Dreams can’t be change is defined by a dream. — continued on page 3 Jewish law also recognizes the power of dreams. Countless rabbinic passages discuss rules and customs related to dream- I N TH I S IS S U E ing. In fact, according to Jewish law a person is permitted, Gan Shalom . .6 even encouraged to fast and pray after experiencing a bad New Members . .10-11 dream. One should even afflict themselves as one does dur- Guide for Purim . .14 ing a traditional fast day, lest the bad dream reflected a bad Class Schedule . .15 omen or came as a result of past transgressions. Times of Action . .16 Calendar . .17-19 In a similar vein, the Talmud records prayers composed by our early rabbis to be said upon experiencing a dream. 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