Dream Interpretation

A Source Sheet for Jewish Witches and Witchy Jews exploring dream interpretation in Jewish teachings and traditions.

Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash

Dream Interpretation

Judaism has a long history of dream interpretation starting in the Torah, being unpacked in the Talmud, all through the diaspora, and even amazing pop culture moments like in Fiddler on the Roof.

Dreams are serious business in Jewish teachings.

There are 5 matters in our world which are one-sixtieth of their most extreme manifestations. They are: Fire, honey, Shabbat, sleep, and a dream. The Gemara elaborates: Our fire is 1/60 of the fire of Gehenna; honey is 1/60 of manna; Shabbat is 1/60 of the World-to-Come; sleep is 1/60 of death; and a dream is 1/60 of prophecy.

Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot 57b.13

Before I start upacking resources from Tanakh, Talmud and elsewhere — let me offer up two amazing books to get you started. The first is a modern masterpiece and the second is a recently republished translation of a 15th century CE masterpiece on Jewish dream interpretation, and the third is an ancient text of dreams and dreaming from the 1st century BCE.

1. The Jewish Dream Book: The Key to Opening the Inner Meaning of Your Dream by Vanessa Ochs (amazon | bookshop.org)

2. Dream Interpretation from Classical Jewish Sources by Solomon Ben Jacob Almoli (amazon)

3. On Dreams by Philo of Alexandria (Sefaria.org)

Now, on to the rest of the resources.

Table of Contents:

• Tanakh

• Talmud

  • Jerusalem Talmud

  • Babylonian Talmud

• Halakhah

• Kabbalah