Berakhot 57a — the Talmud in English

For

this

that seeing an elephant is considered a good sign is in the case

that

the elephant

has a saddle,

that there is a saddle upon it, or that it is tied with a halter, and through this it appears like all the animals; whereas

this

that they said it is not a good sign is in the case

that it does not have a saddle,

for then its appearance is different from all the animals.

One who sees

the name

“Huna”

written before him

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

For the nun of “Huna” hints at the nun in the word “miracle.”

And one who sees the name

“Hanina”

or

“Hananiah”

or

“Yohanan”

written before him in a dream:

miracles of miracles will be performed for him!

For in these names there are two nuns, and it is a hint that many miracles will be performed for him.

One who sees

the word

“eulogy” in a dream,

it is a sign that

Heaven took pity on him and redeemed him!

For the notarikon of the word “eulogy” is “took pity” and “redeemed.”

And these words

that these words hint at these matters apply specifically when he saw one of these words [Huna, Hanina, eulogy],

in writing!

For they were written before him in the dream. But if he saw a person whose name was Huna or Hanina, or if he saw that they were making a eulogy for the dead, it is not a good sign.

One who answers, “May His great Name be blessed,”

in a dream

is assured that he is a son of the World to Come!

One who recites the Shema

in a dream

is worthy

of

the Divine Presence resting upon him, but his generation is not worthy of this!

One who puts on tefillin in a dream should anticipate greatness, as it is stated

[Deuteronomy 28:10]

“And all the peoples of the earth will see that the Name of the Lord is called upon you”

and they will fear you.”

And it was taught in a baraita: Rabbi Eliezer the Great says: These are the tefillin of the head!

For they contain most of the Name “Shaddai”: the shin is in the box of the head-tefillin, and the dalet is in the knot of the straps.

One who prays in a dream: it is a good sign for him!

And these words,

that it is a good sign, apply specifically in the case

that he did not finish

his prayer, but awoke from his sleep in the middle of his dream. For when he is in the middle of his prayer, it is a sign that he is close to the Holy One, blessed be He.

One who has intercourse with his mother in a dream,

should anticipate understanding,

which is understanding one matter from another,

as it is stated

[Proverbs 2:3]

“For if you call for understanding,”

meaning that understanding initially receives wisdom, and ultimately grows stronger and gives influence, resembling a person who emerges from his mother’s womb and then returns and comes upon her.

One who has intercourse with a betrothed maiden in a dream should anticipate Torah, as it is stated

[Deuteronomy 33:4]:

“The Torah that Moses commanded us is the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob.” Do not read “inheritance”

but “betrothed.”

One who has intercourse with his sister in a dream should anticipate wisdom, as it is stated

[Proverbs 7:4]

“Say to wisdom: You are my sister,”

and she is called his sister because it is impossible to separate wisdom from the sage, and they remain close wherever he is.

One who has intercourse with a married woman in a dream is assured that he is a son of the World to Come!

For he takes his portion and his fellow’s portion in the World to Come, resembling a person who takes his fellow’s wife.

And these words,

apply in the case

that he did not know her

[that he did not know the woman whom he saw in his dream]

and had not thought about her from the evening

before going to sleep . But if he had thought about her, it is not a sign at all, for it is assumed that the dream was caused by his thoughts.

Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba said: One who sees wheat in a dream has seen peace

that is destined to come upon him!

As it is stated: “He makes your border peace; with the fat of wheat

He will satisfy you.”

One who sees barley in a dream: his iniquities have departed. As it is stated

[Isaiah 6:7]

“And your iniquity shall depart and your sin shall be atoned for!”

And “iniquity has departed” is close to the notarikon of “barley.”

Rabbi Zeira said: I did not ascend from Babylonia to the Land of Israel until I saw barley

[barley]

in a dream!

For through this they informed me that all my iniquities had been forgiven.

One who sees a vine laden with fruit in a dream,

it is a sign that

his wife does not miscarry! As it is stated

[Psalms 128:3]

“Your wife is like a fruitful vine,”

and the conclusion of the verse is, “your children like olive saplings around your table.”

One who sees a vine branch

[a branch of a vine]

in a dream should anticipate the Messiah, as it is stated:

[Genesis 49:11]

“Binding his foal to the vine, and to the vine branch the son of his she-ass!”

And Onkelos translated it as referring to the days of the Messiah. And the translation of “the son of his she-ass” is “they will build his Temple,” and it calls the Temple “she-ass,” on account of “the Gate of the Place of the Passage” [Ezekiel 40:15].

One who sees a fig tree in a dream,

it is a sign for him that

his Torah is preserved within him! As it is stated

[Proverbs 27:18]:

“He who guards a fig tree shall eat its fruit.”

One who sees pomegranates in a dream,

if he saw

small

pomegranates, it is a sign that his

fruit

[business will increase],

his business will prosper like a pomegranate!

That his business affairs will be numerous. But if he saw large

pomegranates,

it is a sign that

his

[business will grow],

his business will prosper like a pomegranate!

That his business affairs will be large like a pomegranate.

And if he saw pomegranates

split

[cut open],

if he is a Torah scholar, let him anticipate Torah, as it is stated:

[Song of Songs 8:2]:

“I would give you to drink of spiced wine, of the juice of my pomegranate,”

and this is an analogy for Torah.

But if he is an ignoramus, let him anticipate mitzvot! As it is stated: “Your temple is like a split pomegranate,”

and they expounded it,

“What is ‘your temple’?” —

That even the empty ones among you are full of mitzvot like a pomegranate,

which is full of seeds!

One who sees olives in a dream,

if

small

they are, it is a sign that

he will be fruitful and multiply

and his business will prosper like olives!

And this applies

specifically when he saw the

fruit

of the olive,

but

if he saw the

trees

of the olive, it is a sign that

he will have many sons, as it is stated

[Psalms, there]:

“Your sons are like olive saplings around your table.”

Some say: One who sees an olive in a dream,

a good name will go forth for him! As it is stated

[Jeremiah 11:16]:

“A leafy olive tree, beautiful with goodly fruit, the Lord called your name.”

One who sees olive oil in a dream, let him anticipate the light

that is in

Torah, as it is stated

[Exodus 27:20]

“And they shall take for you pure olive oil,

crushed for lighting”! And “light” is Torah, as it is stated [Proverbs 6:23], “For a mitzva is a lamp, and Torah is light.”

One who sees dates in a dream,

it is a sign that

his sins have ended,

as it is stated

[Lamentations 4:22]

“Your iniquity has ended, daughter of Zion.”

And “tamar” is an acronym for “the teachers have ended.” And “teachers” is an expression for sins, as it is stated: “Hear now, you teachers.”

Rav Yosef said: One who sees a goat in a dream,

it is an indication that the

year will be blessed for him.

And if he saw several

goats,

many

years will be blessed for him! As it is stated

[Proverbs 27:26]

“And enough goats’ milk for your bread,”

meaning that you will have goat’s milk sufficient for your needs.

One who sees myrtle in a dream,

it is an indication that

his possessions will prosper for him!

For the leaves of the myrtle are arranged in threes, one above another, like a braid, indicating that so his possessions will endure for him and for his sons after him,

and if he has no possessions,

it is an indication that

an inheritance will fall to him from another place.

Ulla said—and some say that a tanna taught it in a beraita—and this

indication applies specifically when he

saw

myrtles

in their place

[in the place where they grow, while they are attached].

One who sees an etrog in a dream,

it is a sign that

he is splendid before his Master, as it is stated

regarding the etrog [Leviticus 23:40]:

“The fruit of a beautiful tree, branches of date palms.”

One who sees a lulav in a dream,

it is a sign that

he has only one heart directed to his Father in Heaven!

For “lulav” is an acronym for “it has a heart,” and it indicates that he has only the good inclination. This is unlike other people, who have two hearts, the good inclination and the evil inclination, as they expounded in the Mishna from “with all your heart.”

One who sees a goose in a dream, let him anticipate wisdom. As it is stated

[Proverbs 1:20]:

“Wisdoms cry aloud outside,

in the streets she gives her voice.”

And likewise the goose makes its voice heard in the public thoroughfares.

And one who has intercourse with it

[with the female goose] in a dream, it is an indication to him that

he will be head of a yeshiva!

For he proclaims and commands the public, just as the goose makes its voice heard publicly.

Rav Ashi said: I saw it —

the female goose,

and had intercourse with it

in a dream,

and

indeed

I rose to greatness,

I became head of a yeshiva in Mata Mehasya!

One who sees a rooster in a dream, let him anticipate a male child.

And if he saw several

roosters, let him anticipate

several

male children!

One who sees a

hen

in a dream,

let him anticipate a beautiful garden

[and some say, a beit-midrash ]

and

a

joy!

For “hen” is an acronym for “a beautiful garden and joy.”

One who sees eggs in a dream,

it is a sign that

his request is suspended

and stands before the Holy One, blessed be He, and it is uncertain whether it will be granted or not! Like these eggs, whose edible contents are sealed and covered within their shells.

And if he saw in his dream that

the eggs were broken,

it is a sign that

his request has been fulfilled!

Just as the edible contents within the eggs were exposed.

And likewise

if he saw

nuts, and likewise cucumbers, and likewise glass vessels, and likewise all

things

that break like

these,

ones,

if he saw in his dream that they broke, the indication that each and every one of them alludes to is nullified.

One who enters a large city

in his dream, it is an indication that

his desires have been fulfilled, as it is stated

[Psalms 107:30]:

“And He guided them to the haven of their desire,”

for a large city is called a “haven,” and since Scripture called it “the haven of their desire,” it implies that there his desire will be fulfilled.

One who shaves his head in a dream, it is a good sign for him,

for shaving is a sign of greatness and splendor, as we find with Joseph when he came before Pharaoh [Genesis 41:14]: “And he shaved himself and changed his garments.” And if he saw that he was shaving

his head and his beard,

it is a good sign

for him and for his entire family!

One who sits

in his dream

in a small raft

[a boat],

a good name will go forth for him.

And one who sits

in a large raft,

a good name will go forth

for him and for his entire family!

And this applies

when this is how it is interpreted—specifically when he

sees that

the raft is

raised and rising

[elevated] and traveling above the height of the water, and it is not submerged in it.

One who relieves himself

[attends to his needs]

in a dream, it is a good sign

for

him!

For it is a sign that his foulness and disgrace depart and leave him,

as it is stated

[Isaiah 51:14]

“The crouching one hastens to be released,

and he shall not die in the pit, and his bread shall not lack.” And “crouching” is an expression of emptying. And they expounded it regarding the emptying of his bowels.

And this applies

when this is how it is interpreted—specifically when he

sees that

he relieves himself and

does not wipe himself

afterward, and does not make his hands repulsive.

One who goes up to a roof in a dream rises to greatness!

And if he saw in his dream that ultimately he

went down

from the roof, he is

descending from his greatness!

Abaye and Rava both said:

This is not a sign that he will descend from his greatness, for

since he

has already

gone up

to the roof,

he has gone up!

And since it was indicated to him that he would rise to greatness, the rest of the dream consists of meaningless matters, and he will not descend again.

One who tears his garments in a dream,

it is a hint that

his verdict is torn up!

One who stands naked in a dream,

if he is

in Babylonia,

it is a sign that

he stands without sin!

For outside the Land of Israel there are no merits, but there is the sin of dwelling there. And this one who stands naked—it is a sign that he is naked of its sins. But if he stands naked

in the Land of Israel,

where many mitzvot are dependent upon it, it is a sign that he is

naked without mitzvot.

One seized by a sergeant

[the king’s soldier] in a dream,

protection is made for him!

The hint is that he will be protected from harm, just as the sergeant protects him so that he will not flee.

And if he saw that

they placed him in a collar

[an iron chain around his neck], it is a hint that

they added protection to his protection!

That is, that he will be especially protected.

And this matter

that this is its interpretation—specifically in the manner in which he sees himself placed

in a collar. But

if they tied him with

an ordinary rope, they did not

hint by this that they added protection to his protection.

One who enters a marsh in a dream becomes head of a yeshiva!

For in a marsh large and small reeds stand together densely, and so too with a head of a yeshiva: they all gather, the great and the small together, to hear the discourse from his mouth.

And if he saw himself entering

a forest, he becomes head of the kallah students!

For he explains the words of the teaching at a gathering of the students, and since he is not the students’ rabbi, they do not all come to him, but only the great ones who wish to delve deeply into the words of the rabbi. Therefore he resembles a forest, in which there are large trees and they are not close to one another.

Rav Pappa and Rav Huna son of Rav Yehoshua saw a dream; Rav Pappa

saw himself

entering a marsh,

and indeed he

became head of a yeshiva.

Whereas

Rav Huna son of Rav Yehoshua

saw himself

entering a forest,

and he

became head of the kallah students.

Some say: both of them entered a marsh

in their dreams,

but Rav Pappa

saw another thing in his dream,

that

there was

hanging

around his neck

a bell

[and since it made a noise, it is a sign that he would make his voice heard to the public, and it was hinted by this that he

would become head of a yeshiva,

but

Rav Huna son of Rav Yehoshua, for whom no bell was hanging

upon him,

a bell

in his dream, did not

become

anything but

head of the kallah students,

who makes his voice heard only to the few.

Rav Ashi said: I entered

in my dream

a marsh, and I hung a bell

around my neck,

and I barked with it,

and I rattled the bell aloud! And indeed, in the end Rav Ashi became head of a yeshiva in Mata Mehasya.

A tanna taught before Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak: One who lets blood in a dream, his sins are forgiven him,

because sins are hinted at by the color red, as it is stated [Isaiah 1:18], “Though your sins be red like scarlet.” And letting the blood out of his body hints that the sins depart from him.

The Gemara raises an objection:

But it was taught

to the contrary: One who lets blood in a dream,

his sins are arranged for him!

And the Gemara understood that “arranged” means that they stand and remain.

The Gemara answers:

What is “arranged”?

Arranged to be forgiven

and it is found that the two baraitot said one thing.

A tanna taught before Rav Sheshet: One who sees a snake in a dream, his livelihood is prepared for him!

Like the snake, whose food is dust, and it is available to it everywhere. And if

it bit him

the snake in a dream,

his

livelihood is doubled for him. And if

he killed it,

the person killed the snake, it is a sign that

his livelihood has been lost!

Rav Sheshet said to him:

to the one who taught this before him: On the contrary, if he killed the snake and overcame it,

all the more so

should one say

that his livelihood is doubled!

But the Gemara’s conclusion is:

That is not so;

in truth, if he saw that he killed it, it is a sign that his livelihood has been lost,

and

the reason of

Rav Sheshet

who interpreted it in the opposite manner

is

because

he saw a snake

[a snake]

in his dream and killed it!

And therefore he wished to interpret his dream favorably [as above, that “all dreams follow the mouth”].

A tanna taught before Rabbi Yoḥanan: All kinds of liquids

are

good

signs

for

one who sees himself in a

dream

that he is drinking them, for he quenches his thirst with them, and it is a hint that his requests will be fulfilled,

except for wine,

which has no fixed sign, for even when one drinks wine in reality [and not in a dream],

there is

one who

drinks it and

it is

good for him, and there is

one who

drinks it and

it is

bad for him!

And it follows that it can constitute a hint both for good and for bad, and therefore its interpretation cannot be determined.

And the Gemara explains:

There is one who drinks it and it is good for him, as it is stated

[Psalms 104:15]

“Wine gladdens the heart of man.” And there is one who drinks it and it is bad for him, as it is stated

[Proverbs 31:6]

“Give strong drink to the perishing

[to the wicked, who is banished and goes away],

and wine to the bitter of soul

[to the mourner, to dispel his sorrow] .”

Rabbi Yoḥanan said to the tanna

[to the amora who taught this before him]:

Teach,

say this:

For a

Torah scholar,

seeing wine in a dream is

always

a

good

sign

for him, as it is stated

concerning Torah study [Proverbs 9:5]

“Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine I have mixed!”