Berakhot 55

“I have dreamed yet a dream.”

Today’s text zigzags through a lot of different and diverse concepts.

We are reminded of the importance of humility for among the warnings of sitting or standing near an inclined wall is the guidance to not expect our prayers to be answered because doing so suggests we think we are worthy. We are also warned against passing judgment against others outside a court of law. We are warned against prolonging our prayers because “hope deferred makes the heart sick.” I am wondering if the meaning here is that we should not be “showy” and too “supplicant” in how we pray because that is a form of hubris. This reminds me of the passage from Berkakhot 34 that counselled against appearing too eager when offered a great honor: “When approached the first time, one should refuse; the second time, one should vacillate like a wick that has just begun to catch a flame but is not yet burning; and the third time, he should stretch his legs and descend before the ark.”

We are reminded against prolonging one’s time in the bathroom and also to avoid a litany of things that lead to hemorrhoids (and yes, the Rabbis appear to be concerned about hemorrhoids today): bulrushes, grape leaves, grapevine tendrils, the palate and tongue of an animal and any other part of an animal that is not smooth, the spine of a fish, an uncooked salty fish and stones or wine dregs. At first glance, it is hard to reconcile this concern with hemorrhoids with the focus on humility, but the odd list is there to remind us of our human qualities and to not get too much ahead of ourselves. Rabbi Yehuda defends himself against being called “fat face” because there are “twenty-four bathrooms” between his study hall and residence and he checks out all of them.

Rabbi Yehuda comments that among the things that will curtail one’s days is conducting oneself with an “air of superiority.” A good reminder of this is the inspection of twenty-four bathrooms!

There is also a focus on finding a good leader. The text reminds us of the importance of community approval of such a leader (an early form of democracy): “One may only appoint a leader over a community if he consults with the community.” And the leader should be wise, because it is upon the wise that wisdom is instilled (and if only we could find a wise leader today…)

We are told of the importance of understanding our dreams: “A dream not interpreted is like a letter not read.” The interpretation of a dream creates its meaning. All dreams are said to “follow the mouth.” (Although a dream during a fast should be discounted – perhaps because the dreamer could be delirious from lack of food.)

Bad dreams are said to exist for purposes of repentance. Against all logic, a good person is not shown a good dream, while a wicked person is not shown a bad dream. The Koren Talmud’s notes indicate that this is because a good person is shown a bad dream to repent (and perhaps to guard against becoming too “superior”) and a bad person is shown a good dream because his repentance is not desired. If one goes seven days without dreaming there is the supposition that it is because he has done such evil things that he is beyond repenting.

It’s a bit of twisted logic: the good are honored with bad dreams so that they can repent their few transgressions, while good dreams that beset the evil exist to remind them of the few good things they have done in their lives. There is no point of providing the evil with a platform of repentance, since they are evil.

What does the discussion today of avoiding an air of superiority, twenty-four bathrooms, deferred hope, an animal’s tongue, a wise leader, and dreams all add up to? What is the meaning of this diverse passage? Perhaps it is all summed up with this passage: “Even a dream that will be fulfilled in the future contains some element of nonsense.”

I am fascinated by the focus on interpreted dreams. If one has a bad dream or does not understand the meaning of his dream, the Talmud says to go before three people and ask for their interpretation. This article from My Jewish Learning explains this practice:

https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/dreams-dream-interpretation/