Berakhot 56b (נו:) — the Talmud in English

He bent two cedars

[He tied two cedars and bent them] one toward the other

with a rope, it is prohibited.

[He tied]

one leg

[one of his legs]

to one cedar, and one leg to the other cedar, and they released

[they untied]

the rope, and the two cedars stood upright and moved apart from one another,

and the two cedars straightened and moved apart from one another,

until he was split

[Bar Hedya’s body was cut in two up to his head].

Rava said: I will not forgive him until he is split

even

in his head and falls in two

parts!

They released the rope completely, and

each one

of the cedars

went and stood in its place, and he was split

also in his head,

and fell in two

parts.

Ben Dama, the son of Rabbi Ishmael’s sister, asked Rabbi Ishmael: I saw

in my dream

my two cheeks that had fallen out!

He said

to him: The two cheeks of the mouth are an indication that

two Roman battalions plotted evil against you

with their mouths,

and died!

Bar Kappara said to Rabbi: I saw

in my dream

my nose that had fallen off!

Rabbi said to him:

It is an indication that

anger has departed from you!

For anger is evident on the nose, which becomes heated and emits vapor when one is angry.

Again,

he said to him,

Bar Kappara said to Rabbi:

I saw

my

two hands severed!

Rabbi said to him:

It is an indication that you will become wealthy, and again

you will not need the work of your hands!

Bar Kappara said to him,

Bar Kappara said to Rabbi:

I saw

in my dream

my two legs cut off!

Rabbi said to him:

It is an indication that

you will ride on a horse!

And you will not need to walk on your feet.

Bar Kappara said to him again:

I saw that they said to me

in my dream,

“You will die in Adar, and you will not see Nisan!”

[You will die in the month of Adar and will not merit seeing Nisan].

He said to him:

“Adar” is an expression related to adereta [honor and splendor], and “Nisan” is an expression related to “trial.” Thus, the meaning of what they said to you is:

“You will die with glory, and you will not come to a trial!”

A certain Sadducee said to Rabbi Ishmael: I saw

in my dream

that I was watering olives with oil!

He said to him,

Rabbi Ishmael:

“You have intercourse with your mother!”

—Like the oil that comes out of the olive and then waters it again.

Again,

he said to him,

that Sadducee said to Rabbi Ishmael:

I saw

in my dream

that I uprooted

[that I pulled out]

a star!

Rabbi Ishmael said to him:

Rabbi Ishmael said:

You stole a son of Israel!

For Israel is compared to the stars.

Again,

he said to him,

that Sadducee said to Rabbi Ishmael:

I saw that I swallowed a star!

Rabbi Ishmael said

to him:

You stole a son of Israel,

and

sold him and consumed the proceeds

[the money from the sale of the Israelite].

Again,

he said to him,

that Sadducee said to Rabbi Ishmael:

I saw

in my dream

that my eyes were kissing one another

[close together and touching one another]!

Rabbi Ishmael said to him:

Rabbi Ishmael said:

“You have intercourse with your sister!”

—For only the relationship between siblings is a reciprocal closeness, since neither brother is considered superior to the other [whereas other familial relationships are not of the same generation].

Again,

he said to him,

that Sadducee said to Rabbi Ishmael:

I saw that I kissed

the

moon

[that I kissed the moon].

He said to him,

Rabbi Ishmael said:

“You have intercourse with the wife of an Israelite!”

For Israel is compared to the moon.

That Sadducee said to Rabbi Ishmael:

that Sadducee said to Rabbi Ishmael:

I saw

in my dream

that I was walking on a myrtle canopy

[that I was walking beneath a wedding canopy of myrtles].

Rabbi Ishmael said to him:

Rabbi Ishmael said:

“You have intercourse with a betrothed maiden!”

For they were accustomed to make for her, when she entered the wedding canopy, a canopy of myrtles, which was called a hinuma.

Again,

he said to him,

that Sadducee said to Rabbi Ishmael:

I saw a burden

[a load]

above me

[over me],

and it

[I] was

below me

[beneath the burden]!

He said to him:

It is an indication that

your intercourse

with the betrothed maiden was

reversed,

with her above and him below.

Again,

he said to him,

that Sadducee said to Rabbi Ishmael:

I saw ravens circling my bed

[ravens seeking access to my bed]!

Rabbi Ishmael said to him:

Rabbi Ishmael said:

Your wife has committed adultery with many men,

and they appear to you as ravens waiting for you to move away so that they can eat as they please.

That Sadducee said to Rabbi Ishmael:

that Sadducee said to Rabbi Ishmael:

I saw doves circling my bed!

Rabbi Ishmael said to him:

Rabbi Ishmael said:

You rendered many women impure!

That Sadducee said to Rabbi Ishmael:

that Sadducee said to Rabbi Ishmael:

I saw

in my dream

that I was holding

my

two doves

in my hands,

and they flew away!

Rabbi Ishmael said to him:

Rabbi Ishmael said:

You married two women

[you married],

and released them without a bill of divorce!

That Sadducee said to Rabbi Ishmael:

that Sadducee said to Rabbi Ishmael:

I saw

in my dream

that I was peeling eggs

[that I was peeling eggs]!

Rabbi Ishmael said to him:

Rabbi Ishmael said to him: It is an indication that

you are stripping corpses

[that you remove the clothing from the dead]!

The Sadducee said to Rabbi Ishmael:

The Sadducee said to Rabbi Ishmael:

All of them,

the interpretations you gave me,

are found in me, except for this one,

the last one [that I strip corpses],

for

it

is not found

in me!

Meanwhile

[in the interim],

a certain woman came,

and said to him

to the Sadducee:

This garment that

you

are covering yourself with

in it,

belongs to a certain man who died, and I stripped it from him

[I stripped it from his garment and dressed in it]! And it became clear that all of Rabbi Ishmael’s words were correct.

Again,

the Sadducee said to Rabbi Ishmael:

the Sadducee said to Rabbi Ishmael:

I saw

in my dream

that they said to me: “Your father left you property in Kapotakia!”

Rabbi Ishmael said to him:

Rabbi Ishmael said:

Do you have property in Kapotakia?

He said to him: No!

Rabbi Ishmael continued questioning him:

Did your father go to Kapotakia?

He said to him: No!

He said to him:

“If so,”

“Kapotakia,” which you heard in your dream, is an acronym of kafa and dika. And

“kafa”

means

“beam”

[a beam] in Persian and Greek, while

“dika”

means

“ten”

in Greek. It is an indication that you have money in the tenth beam.

Go and look at the beam at the head of the tenth row

[the beam at the top of the tenth row] in your house, and you will find

that it is full of coins!

The Sadducee went

and inspected it, and

found that it was full of coins.

Rabbi Hanina said: One who sees a well in a dream,

it is an indication that he will

see peace, as it is stated

[Genesis 26]:

“Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found there a well of living water!”

The well did not remain in Isaac’s possession until he made peace with the Philistines, and they no longer quarreled with him over it.

Rabbi Natan says: One who sees a well in a dream has found Torah.

As it is stated

concerning Torah [Proverbs 8]:

“For one who finds me finds life,” and it is written here

concerning the well [Genesis, there]:

“a well of living water.”

[It is preferable to derive this from the wording of the verse rather than merely from its subject matter.]

Rava said: One who sees a well in a dream has found actual life!

For water is life for a person.

Rabbi Hanan said: Three

[types of]

dreams

that announce

peace are these!

And they are: one who sees a

river,

one who sees a

bird, and

one who sees a

pot

in his dream!

“River”

alludes to peace, because

it is written

[Isaiah 66:12]:

“Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river.”

“Bird”

alludes to peace, because

it is written

[there 31:5]:

“As birds flying, so will the Lord of Hosts protect

Jerusalem.”

“Pot”

alludes to peace, because

it is written

[there 26:12]:

“The Lord will establish peace for us!”

The expression “placing” is used with regard to a pot when it is placed on the fire.

Rabbi Hanina said: And

when one sees

a pot containing no meat, we stated this. But a pot containing meat is a sign of calamity,

as it is said

[Micah 3:3]: “They eat the flesh of My people, strip their skin from them, and break their bones;

[Micah 3:3]: “They eat the flesh of My people, strip their skin from them, and break their bones,

and they spread them out as in a pot, and as meat within a cauldron,

then they will cry out to the Lord, but He will not answer them, and so on”—

meaning that the gentiles will break them apart, like meat that is sliced into pieces to be placed inside a pot.

Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said: One who sees a river in a dream should rise early and say, “Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river,” before another verse

concerning a river

precedes it: “For it will come like a river of distress,”

which refers to calamity.

For when one rises early and a verse falls into his mouth, that is like a minor prophecy. Therefore, it is preferable for him to recite a verse alluding to good before a verse alluding to evil falls into his mouth.

One who sees a bird in a dream should rise early and say: “As birds flying, so will the Lord of Hosts protect

Jerusalem,”

before another verse

that is not favorable, concerning birds, precedes it. It is [Proverbs 27:8]:

“As a bird wandering from its nest

so is a man wandering from his place”!

One who sees a pot in a dream should rise early and say, “The Lord will establish peace for us,” before another verse precedes it,

which is [Ezekiel 24:3]:

“Set the pot

set it

and also pour water into it!” This is a parable for the punishment with which the Lord will punish them through the king of Babylonia: Jerusalem will be like a pot, and Nebuchadnezzar will place it on the fire.

One who sees grapes in a dream should rise early and say, “As grapes in the wilderness,

I found Israel!”

before another verse

of calamity precedes it. It is [Deuteronomy 32:32]:

“Their grapes are grapes of poison,

bitter clusters for them.”

One who sees a mountain in a dream should rise early and say:

[Isaiah 52:7]

“How lovely upon the mountains are the feet of the herald,” before another verse

precedes it, which is [Jeremiah 9:9]:

“Upon the mountains I will raise weeping and lamentation.”

One who sees a shofar in a dream should rise early and say

[Isaiah 27:13]

“And it shall be on that day that a great shofar will be sounded,” before another verse

of calamity precedes it, which is [Hosea 5:8]:

“Blow a shofar in Givah,

a trumpet in Ramah; sound an alarm at Beth-Aven; after you, Benjamin!” They blew in order to warn of the sword of the armies coming against them.

One who sees a dog in a dream should rise early and say:

[Exodus 11:7]

“But among all the Children of Israel, no dog will sharpen its tongue,” before another verse

precedes it, which is [Isaiah 56:11]:

“And the dogs are brazen in spirit,

they know no satiety.”

One who sees a lion in a dream should rise early and say:

[Amos 3:8]

“A lion has roared; who will not fear?” before another verse

of calamity precedes it, namely

“A lion has risen from its thicket,

and a destroyer of nations has set out; he has departed from his place, to make your land desolate, your cities to be destroyed, without inhabitant!” [Jeremiah 4:7] This is an allusion to Nebuchadnezzar, who is compared to a lion.

One who sees a haircut in a dream should rise early and say

[Genesis 41:14]:

“He shaved himself and changed his garments!”

which is stated for good, referring to a haircut signifying honor and greatness,

before another verse

stated for bad, concerning Samson

“If I am shaved, my strength will depart from me”

which indicates that his haircut caused him weakness and fear of others.

One who sees a well in a dream should rise early and say: “A well of living water,” before a verse

of calamity precedes it, namely

“As a well keeps its waters,

a well

its waters

so she keeps her evil” [Jeremiah 6:7].

One who sees a reed in a dream should rise early and say

[Isaiah 42:3]:

“A bruised reed He shall not break, before another verse precedes it.”

And that verse is

“Behold, you have trusted in the support of this bruised reed”

The Sages taught: One who sees a reed in a dream should anticipate wisdom, as it is stated

[Proverbs 4:7]

“The beginning of wisdom: acquire wisdom!”

But one who sees

reeds

in the plural

should anticipate understanding,

as it is stated

[there]

“And with all your acquisitions acquire understanding!”

The expression “with all your acquisitions” is an expression of plurality, and this is alluded to by the plurality of reeds.

Rav Huna said:

One who sees in his dream

kera

[a pumpkin], or

kora

[the soft part that grows on the branches of a date palm during its first year and hardens during the second year], or

kira

[wax], or

kanya

[a reed],

all of them are favorable for a dream,

and are a good sign!

It was taught: Squashes are shown in a dream only to one who fears Heaven with all his strength!

One who sees an ox in a dream should rise early and say

[Deuteronomy 33:17]:

“His firstborn ox, grandeur is his,”

which indicates his importance,

before another verse

alluding to evil precedes it, namely

“When an ox gores a man”

[Exodus 21:28], which is damage resulting from the arrogance caused by his importance.

The Sages taught: Five things were stated regarding one who sees an ox

in his dream, and they are these: If he saw that he was

eating its flesh,

he will

become wealthy

.

If he saw that the ox

gored him,

he will

have sons who gore

one another

in Torah

. If he saw that the ox

bit him,

suffering will come upon him

. If he saw that the ox

kicked him,

a distant road will present itself to him

to travel upon. If he saw that he

rode it

[that he was riding the ox], he will

rise to greatness

.

The Gemara raises an objection:

But wasn’t it taught: “If one saw in a dream that he

rode it, he

will die?”

The Gemara answers:

It is not difficult; this

refers to the case where the indication is that he will rise to greatness, when he saw

that he was riding the ox, and

that

which indicates death is when he saw

that the ox was riding him.”

refers to the statement that he will rise to greatness, when he saw

that he was riding the ox, and

whereas

that

which alludes to death is when he saw

One who sees a donkey in a dream should anticipate salvation, as it is stated

[Zechariah 9:9]: “Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion; raise a shout, daughter of Jerusalem!

Behold, your king will come to you; he is righteous and saved, humble and riding on a donkey,

and upon a foal, the offspring of she-asses.” This verse is stated regarding the King Mashiaḥ.

One who sees a cat in a dream, in a place where the cat is called

a

“shunra,” it is an indication that a beautiful song will be made for him. But in a place where the cat is called “shinra,” it is an indication that

a bad change will befall him!

“shunra,”

this is an indication that

a

beautiful song will be made for him.

But in a place where a cat is called

“shinra,”

it is an indication that

One who sees grapes in a dream,

if the grapes are white — whether in their season or not in their season, they are favorable for those who see them, and this is a good sign for him. If he saw grapes that are black, if he saw them

in their season, they are

favorable

for him, but if he saw them

not in their season, they are bad

for him.

One who sees a white horse in a dream, whether

he sees it

at rest or

whether he sees it

in

a state in which the horse is

running,

it is a favorable

sign

for him. If he sees a horse that is

red,

if he sees it

at rest,

it is a

favorable

sign for him, but if he sees it

in

a state of

running, it is a

difficult

sign for him.

One who sees

a person named

Ishmael in a dream—his prayer is heard!

Just as Ishmael’s prayer was heard, as it is stated [Genesis 21:17]: “God heard the voice of the lad.”

is good

for him; but if he sees it

in

Specifically

when he sees

Ishmael son of Abraham

himself.

But

one who sees

an Arab

[a descendant of Ishmael]

in general, not—there is no favorable sign in this, because even if his name is “Ishmael,” he is not called by virtue of the verse “for God has heard.”

This applies specifically

when he sees

One who sees a camel in a dream

is given an indication that

a death sentence was decreed against him from Heaven, but he was saved from it!

Rabbi Ḥanina said: What is the verse

that is the source for this sign? As it is stated [Genesis 46:4]:

“And I shall descend with you to Egypt, and I shall also surely bring you up!”

The expression “I shall also bring you up” is close to an acronym for “camel.”

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: From here they derived that a camel alludes to having been saved from death, as it is stated [II Samuel 12:13]: “The Lord, too, has removed your sin; you shall not die!” The word “too” is gimel in Greek, and gimel resembles gamal. Phinehas

One who sees a camel in a dream,

it is an indication that

a death sentence was decreed against him from Heaven, but he was saved from it!

Rabbi Ḥanina said: What is the verse

that serves as the source for this sign? It is stated [Genesis 46:4]:

“And I will descend with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up!”

The expression “I will also bring you up” is close to an acronym for “camel.”

in a dream—a miracle will be performed for him!

Just as many miracles were performed for Phinehas during the incident of Zimri.

One who sees an elephant in a dream is given an indication that many miracles have been performed for him!

The word “gam” has the numerical value of gimel in Greek, and “gimel” resembles “gamal,” camel.

One who sees

Pinchas

in a dream—a wonder will be performed for him!

And one who sees several

elephants in a dream— miracles upon miracles have been performed for him! That is, many miracles will be performed for him.

The Gemara raises an objection:

But wasn’t it taught: “All kinds of animals

are for seeing them in a dream, except for the elephant and the monkey,” whose appearance is strange?

The Gemara answers:

It is not difficult,

in a dream—

wonders upon wonders have been performed for him!

That is, many miracles will be performed for him.

The Gemara raises an objection:

But it was taught: “All kinds of animals

are

good signs

for

seeing them

in a

dream, except for an elephant and a monkey,”

whose appearance is unusual?

The Gemara answers:

It is not difficult,