Dreams are symbolic communications. And, as Rabbi Lawrence Hoffman says, “Symbols symbolize.” That is, they don’t have a specific fixed meaning. Instead, they hold emotional meanings particular to an interpreter’s experience. 

Dreams in Parshat Vayeshev (Gen. 37:1 – 40:23)

Seventeen year old Joseph tells his father and brothers about two special dreams. Then, the dreams become symbols for the whole family. So, they mean different things to different people.

Here are the dreams. There we were binding sheaves in the field, when suddenly my sheaf stood up and remained upright; then your sheaves formed a circle around my sheaf, and bowed down to it. Also: The sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me (Gen. 37:7, 9).

Joseph’s relatives interpret the symbols through their own feelings. This the Torah makes clear. Joseph’s brothers vie with each other for power. So they see Joseph as an arrogant bundle of grain. And they mock him. Do you mean to rule over us, Joseph? (Gen. 37:8) Joseph’s father seems tired of parenting and especially exasperated with Joseph’s adolescent self-absorption. Are we to come and bow low to you? he says (Gen 37: 10).

A deeper meaning

Surely Joseph also interprets the dreams in his own way. But the Torah doesn’t tell us about Joseph’s perspective. So, I will make an educated guess.

“Joseph,” the dreams say, “you stand on the edge of adulthood. When you were younger, your world was small. You focused on what you want, and what you need. But now, you’re looking outward. You see your older siblings as full people. And you want them to see you the same way. You long for a sign of respect. Can’t they send a nod your way?

“But it isn’t that easy. Because they don’t really see you at all. They see only their own ideas about you. Daddy’s little favourite. An arrogant intruder. A helpless baby. A reminder of your late mother. But you don’t want to be trapped in those roles. Instead you want to understand who you truly are. You wish you could subdue these family projections and stand up confidently on your own.

“You can feel your own spirit coming alive now. And it’s a big feeling. It reminds you of how you feel about God. The One who opens portals between worlds. Who heard your father’s prayer, brought him love, and saved him from an angry brother. When will that same cosmic light shine on you? 

“So there you stand, at the centre of your own expanding circle. Why can’t your family join you in it? Maybe you could talk openly, without worrying about age or status. Maybe you could discover a generous space of possibility. An imaginative place, where sheaves stand upright and stars bend low.”

Dreams Come True

Readers, you know how this story ends. Joseph’s brothers sell him into slavery, and tell their father he died. For 13 years, Joseph and his family live separate lives. Until the brothers come to the royal courtier Joseph begging to buy food.

And then, all of the dream interpretations come true. The brothers, alert to power, bow down. Only then do they see Joseph for who he is. Joseph, man of imagination, draws his brothers into an unbelievable game. Only then does he feel compassion for them.

What strange magic is this? No magic at all. Just symbols symbolizing. As we feel ourselves into life, so we feel ourselves into dreams. Our interpretations tells us who we are, how we move through the world. We interpret dreams as we interpret life.

It can be hard to see ourselves. Our mental screens can block clear perception and right action. Dreams can help us see. Interpretation can help us understand. Isn’t Joseph’s story an urgent call to pay attention to our dreams? To let them show us our paths in life? And to learn how to read them?

Here are some great resources to start this spiritual journey. Jill Hammer, Undertorah: An Earth-Based Kabbalah of Dreams. Bonnelle Strickling, Dreaming About the Divine.

*** Thanks to the Rosh Chodesh group at Congregation Beth Israel for speaking together about dreams!