Dream Interpretation

December 6, 2024

In this week’s parashah, Jacob dreams of angels climbing a ladder reaching from earth to heaven, with God promising to return the descendants of Israel to the Land of Israel. Awaking with a jolt, Jacob is struck by the vividness of his dream. “Was it real?” asks Rabbi Ammi Hirsch. “Did God, in fact, communicate with Jacob and promise him everlasting security — or was it just a dream?” While rabbinic tradition cautions that dreams are only “1/60th of prophecy,” Rabbi Hirsch says, “Sometimes, dreams do create reality…”