Speak Unto Beings In A Dream ...
And he said, "Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream."
— Numbers 12:6
Passages on dreaming abound throughout the Judeo-Christian traditions, referencing communication between humanity and the divine via altered states. Prophets receive revelation through visions and dreams, imparted to them by a higher power. In the Hebrew and Greek texts of these traditions, it seems to be common sense that dreams should inspire spiritual insight.
In the spirit of the holiday season, with both Christmas and Hanukkah upon us, here we dive into a handful of the most compelling passages on dreaming from the Jewish and Christian traditions, from the Torah to the Bible, exploring their implications for the broader religious philosophy of dreaming.
Walls of Pride
For contemplatives, dream states provide ideal conditions in which to experience revelation, as they may knock down the walls of pride that otherwise stand in the way of spiritual insight. In the Book of Job, dreaming is described as a state in which one's defenses fall. While the vulnerability that arises in their absence can be utilized for good or for ill, divine intervention occurs only when the ego is shaken loose from its comfortable abode. In its wake, clarity resounds.
In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they slumber in their beds,
He may speak in their ears and terrify them with warnings,
To turn them from wrongdoing and keep them from pride.
— Job 33:15-17 (English Standard Version & New International Version)
Such passages may sound ominous from one angle, with forces swooping down from above to whisper fearful warnings in one's sleeping ears. Such messages could be interpreted as vaguely threatening. After all, when one is most vulnerable, anything can happen.
Dreams, whether divinely inspired or not, may warn of what may come by showing one's subconscious self at its most heedless. The mistakes we make in dreams occasionally unfold into waking life, but we may catch and correct them before they do. Here, frightful dream messages function to deter conceited misbehavior.
As with most texts, however, such passages can read quite differently under other translations. Terrifying warnings become seals of instruction. A nightmare becomes revelation.
In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed;
Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction,
That he may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man.
— Job 33:15-17 (King James Version)
In dreams, our ears are most open, our minds most malleable. Like a goldsmith smelting gold, the divine seals its inscription, its instruction, upon dreaming beings, molding the realm of the mind. This plastic, plasmic world is infused with the spark of the creative.
In order for the message to truly leave its mark, it must bypass the ego. Although for some, a strong sense of self persists even into the realm of dreams, for others, it dissolves, so that the walls of pride no longer stand between humanity and the divine. When these walls of pride fall, when one's ears are open, then one may receive revelation.
Dream Worlds
In fact, in the Rabbinic literature, all walls collapse and the "spirit" (rwḥ) or "soul" (nšmh) is said to leave the body during sleep, which is likened to death. This incorporeal essence is depicted as wandering the world while the body sleeps. Dreams may very well be these wanderings.
Indeed, Rabbi Eliezer's interpretation, as recorded in his aggadic-midrashic work on the Torah, argues that the soul does not sleep, namely on account of its likeness with the Creator. Even at its most restful, it remains awake. Just as the soul does not perish upon death, so too, it remains active in sleep. The soul wanders these dream worlds. Sleep, however, is an incomplete form of death, while dreams, likewise, are an incomplete form of prophecy. Several additional pieces of Rabbinic literature make this case in mathematical terms.
Nonetheless, according to the Old Testament, consciousness detaches itself from volitional activity. One thus enters the state of šēnāh, sleep (Greek: hypnos), or tardēmāh, trance (Greek: enypnion), a deep sleep in which the flow of thought continues in the form of figments of the imagination and dreams.
Dive Into
As Descartes observed during his dive into dreaming, certain dreams are difficult to distinguish from waking life. There are nonetheless certain tell-tale signs that seem to mark the difference. Dreams often defy logic. Moreover, their contents rarely spill over into waking life in any satisfying way.
It will be as when a hungry man dreams – and behold, he is eating; But when he awakens, his hunger is not satisfied, or, as when a thirst man dreams – and behold, he is drinking, but when he awakens, behold, he is faint and his thirst is not quenched.
— Isaiah 29:8
Having dived into the dream, the effects don't always linger upon resurfacing. The dreamer, though eating and drinking, remains hungry and thirsty upon waking. Even so, other aspects of dreams bleed into everyday waking life. Emotional remnants, sometimes unbeknownst to the dreamer, linger well into the day. In the New Testament, Pontius Pilate's wife expresses her concern over a dream of Jesus.
While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, "Have nothing to do with that righteous Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him."
— Matthew 27:19
Dreams leave us with strong impressions, the affective quality of which can haunt us. Heed their warnings, many will say.
Contents of the Subconcious
Prior to the birth of Jesus Christ, the Bible depicts Joseph receiving news from angels via dreams. Various others report similar occurrences. While such news may not always be auspicious, it is nonetheless delivered with care and urgency.
Even without the image of divine messengers interceding, dreams impart valuable lessons. While some dreams remain on the mundane level, many of them forgotten, others might be life-changing. What transpires in sleep, while dreaming, can on occasion prove earth-shattering, revealing the contents of the subconscious, excavating and unearthing otherwise buried and ignored patterns and processes.
If any of the above resonates, leave us a comment to let us know your own reflections on dreams. We thank you for your mutual exploration of this subject. May you dream deeply and wake with clarity.
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