Pt2 Symbolism of Plants, Animals, Birds, and Nature in Talmudic Dream Interpretations: Over 40 Dream Elements and Their Meanings (Berakhot 56b-57b)

This is the second part of a three-part series. Part 1 is here; the outline of the series can be found at Part 1.

Part 2

Donkey = (messianic) salvation - Zechariah 9:9 (#18a)

הרואה חמור בחלום —

יצפה לישועה,

שנאמר:

״הנה מלכך יבוא לך,

צדיק ונושע הוא,

עני ורכב על חמור״.

One who sees a donkey in a dream --

should anticipate (messianic) salvation (ישועה),

as it is said:

“Behold, your king comes unto you;

he is triumphant, and victorious,

lowly, and riding upon a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9).¹

Cat: ‘shunra’ = nice song ; ‘shinra’ = change for the worse (#18b)

(See footnote.)²

הרואה חתול בחלום —

1. באתרא דקרו ליה ״שונרא״ —

   1. נעשית לו שירה נאה.

2. ״שינרא״ —

   1. נעשה לו שינוי רע.

One who sees a cat in a dream --

1. in a place where in Aramaic they call it shunra (שונרא),

   1. a nice song [shira na’a] will be composed for him.

2. If he sees a cat in a place where they call cats shinra (שינרא),

   1. it is a sign that he will undergo a change for the worse [shinui ra].

Grapes: white = good ; black, in-season = good ; black, not in-season = bad (#18c)

הרואה ענבים בחלום —

1. לבנות, בין בזמנן, ובין שלא בזמנן —

   1. יפות.

2. שחורות

   1. בזמנן —

      1. יפות.

   2. שלא בזמנן —

      1. רעות.

One who sees grapes in a dream --

1. and they were white or light colored, regardless of whether it was in their season or not in their season,

   1. it is a good sign.

2. One who sees black grapes --

   1. in their season —

      1. it is a good omen.

   2. However, one who sees black grapes when it was not in their season —

      1. it is a bad omen.

Horse: white = good ; red - walking = good ; running = bad (#18d)

הרואה סוס לבן בחלום —

בין בנחת, בין ברדוף —

יפה לו.

אדום —

• בנחת —

  • יפה,

• ברדוף —

  • קשה.

[...]

One who sees a white horse in a dream —

regardless of whether the horse was walking or running —

it is a good omen for him.

One who sees a red horse³ —

• walking —

  • it is a good omen;

• running —

  • it is a bad omen.

[...]

Camel = death was divinely decreed upon him, but he was spared (#19)

הרואה גמל בחלום —

מיתה נקנסה לו מן השמים,

והצילוהו ממנה.

One who sees a camel [gamal] in a dream --

it is an omen that death was decreed upon him from heaven

but he was spared.

Prooftexts - R’ Ḥama b. Ḥanina & Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak - Genesis 46:4; II Samuel 12:13

אמר רבי חמא ברבי חנינא:

מאי קראה?

״ואנכי ארד עמך מצרימה,

ואנכי אעלך גם עלה״.

רב נחמן בר יצחק אמר:

מהכא:

״גם ה׳ העביר חטאתך,

לא תמות״.

[...]

R’ Ḥama, son of R’ Ḥanina, said:

What verse alludes to this?

“I will go down with you into Egypt;

and I will also surely bring you up again [gam alo]” (Genesis 46:4), the acronym for which is gamal.

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said:

The source for this is from here, another verse:

“YHWH also [gam] has put away your sin;

you shall not die” (II Samuel 12:13).

[...]

Elephant (single) = miracles will be performed for him; Elephants (multiple) = major miracles (#20)

• הרואה פיל בחלום —

  • פלאות נעשו לו.

• פילים —

  • פלאי פלאות נעשו לו.

[...]

• One who sees an elephant [pil] in a dream --

  • it is an omen that miracles [pelaot] will be performed for him.

• One who sees multiple elephants in a dream --

  • miracles upon miracles⁴ will be performed for him.

[...]

R’ Ḥiyya bar Abba - Wheat = peace - Psalms 147:14 (57a, #5a)

אמר רבי חייא בר אבא:

הרואה חטים בחלום —

ראה שלום,

שנאמר:

״השם גבולך שלום,

חלב חטים ישביעך״.

R’ Ḥiyya bar Abba said:

One who sees wheat in a dream —

has seen peace,

as it is stated:

“He makes your borders peace;

He gives you in plenty the fat of wheat” (Psalms 147:14).

Barley = iniquities are taken away - Isaiah 6:7 (#5b)

הרואה שעורים בחלום —

סרו עונותיו,

שנאמר:

״וסר עונך,

וחטאתך תכפר״.

One who sees barley [se’orim] in a dream —

has received a sign that his iniquities are taken away,

as it is stated:

“And your iniquity is taken away [ve-sar avonekh],

and your sin expiated” (Isaiah 6:7);

se’orim is an acronym for sar avon.

Anecdote of R’ Zeira - immigrated from Babylonia to Eretz Yisrael only after seeing barley in dream

אמר רבי זירא:

אנא לא סלקי מבבל לארץ ישראל,

עד דחזאי שערי בחלמא.

R’ Zeira said:

I did not ascend from Babylonia to Eretz Yisrael

until I saw barley in my dream.

Vine: laden (with grapes) = wife will not miscarry ; planted = anticipate the Messiah - Psalms 128:3; Genesis 49:11 (#6)

(See footnote.)⁵

• הרואה גפן טעונה בחלום —

  • אין אשתו מפלת נפלים,

  • שנאמר: ״אשתך כגפן פריה״.

• שורקה —

  • יצפה למשיח,

  • שנאמר: ״אסרי לגפן עירה, ולשרקה בני אתנו״.

• One who sees a vine laden (טעונה) with grapes in a dream --

  • it is an omen that his wife will not miscarry,

  • as it is stated: “Your wife shall be as a fruitful vine, in the innermost parts of your house” (Psalms 128:3).

• One who sees a planted vine branch (שורקה) in a dream --

  • should anticipate the Messiah,

  • as it is stated: “Binding his foal unto the vine, and his donkey’s colt unto the vine branch” (Genesis 49:11).⁶

Fig = Torah is preserved within him - Proverbs 27:18 (#7a)

הרואה תאנה בחלום —

תורתו משתמרת בקרבו,

שנאמר: ״נוצר תאנה יאכל פריה״.

One who sees a fig tree in a dream --

it is a sign that his Torah is preserved within him,

as it is stated: “One who keeps the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof” (Proverbs 27:18).

Pomegranates: small = business will flourish ; large = business will increase ; slices: Torah scholar = anticipate Torah; ignoramus = anticipate mitzvot - Song of Songs 8:2 (#7b)

הרואה רמונים בחלום —

• זוטרי —

  • פרי עסקיה כרמונא,

• רברבי —

  • רבי עסקיה כרמונא.

One who sees pomegranates in a dream --

• if they were small --

  • his business will flourish (פרי) like the seeds of the pomegranate, which are numerous;

• and if they were large --

  • his business will increase (רבי) like a pomegranate.

פלגי —

• אם תלמיד חכם הוא —

  • יצפה לתורה,

  • שנאמר: ״אשקך מיין הרקח, מעסיס רמני״.

• ואם עם הארץ הוא —

  • יצפה למצות,

  • שנאמר: ״כפלח הרמון רקתך״.

מאי רקתך?

אפילו ריקנין שבך, מלאים מצות כרמון.

One who saw slices (פלגי) of pomegranates in his dream --

• if he is a Torah scholar --

  • he should anticipate Torah,

  • as it is stated: “I would cause you to drink of spiced wine, of the juice of my pomegranate” (Song of Songs 8:2), which is traditionally understood as an allusion to Torah.

• And if the dreamer is an am ha’aretz --

  • he should anticipate mitzvot,

  • as it is stated: “Your temples are like a split pomegranate” (Song of Songs 4:3).

As the Talmud interprets homiletically: What is the meaning of the word “Your temples [rakatekh]”?

Even the most ignorant [reikanin]⁷ among you, Israel, are full of mitzvot like a pomegranate.

Olives: small = business will flourish ; trees = will have many children; good reputation will spread for him - Psalms 128:3; Jeremiah 11:16 (#8a)

הרואה זיתים בחלום,

זוטרי —

פרי ורבי וקאי עסקיה כזיתים.

והני מילי פרי,

אבל אילני —

הויין ליה בנים מרובין,

שנאמר: ״בניך כשתלי זיתים וגו׳״.

One who sees olives in a dream --

and they were small --

it is a sign that his business will flourish, increase (פרי ורבי) and be durable like olives.

However, the Talmud adds a caveat, saying that this applies only when he sees the fruit of an olive tree;

but, one who sees olive trees —

it is a sign that he will have many children,

as it is stated: “Your children like olive plants, round about your table” (Psalms 128:3).

איכא דאמרי:

הרואה זית בחלום —

שם טוב יוצא לו,

שנאמר:

״זית רענן יפה,

פרי תאר,

קרא ה׳ שמך״.

[...]

Some say that

one who sees an olive tree in a dream --

it is a sign that a good reputation (שם טוב) will spread for him,

as it is stated:

“YHWH called your name

a leafy olive tree,

fair with goodly fruit” (Jeremiah 11:16).

[...]

1. See my recent series on the Messiah in the Talmud, where this verse is cited a number of times, in the context of discussing Messiah’s Donkey.

2. The symbolic interpretation here hinges on wordplay on dialectical differences in Aramaic. For related discussions elsewhere in the Talmud, compare these pieces of mine:

• “From Mnemonics to Miscommunication: A Talmudic Comparative Study of Judean and Galilean Aramaic Speech, Torah Study Methods, and Sociolinguistics (Eruvin 53a-b)“

• “Ugly Wives and Spiteful Husbands: Talmudic Farce in a Misogynistic Key (Nedarim 66a-b)“, section “Dialectical differences in Aramaic between Babylonia and Eretz Yisrael: A (Comic) Tale of Marital Miscommunication - 4 Misunderstandings“

And compare also my “Five Word Pairs That Underwent Semantic Shift In Late First Century CE According to the Talmud: Trumpet/Shofar, Willow, Table, Animal Stomach, and Babylon/Borsippa (Shabbat 36a)“.

3. Re the symbolism of a red horse, compare my piece here, “Appendix 2 - Allegorical Reading of Zechariah’s Vision in Zechariah 1:8 (Sanhedrin 93a)“, section ““על סוס אדם” – “Upon a red horse” - “Red horse” read as “blood horse”; symbol of divine intent to destroy through bloodshed - Play on דם (“blood”)“.

4. פלאי פלאות - literally: “miracles of miracles”, reduplication.

The symbolic interpretation here is based on wordplay, the similarity in sound between pil (elephant) and pele (wonderous act, miracle).

5. On the symbolism of grapes in the Talmud, compare my two-part series, “Talmudic Typological Interpretations: Egyptian Butler’s Dream in Genesis 40, Hosea’s Wife in Hosea 3, and Zechariah 11 (Chullin 92a)“, final part here.

6. This verse is cited in the context of the messiah elsewhere as well, see my “Pt1 Eretz Yisrael’s Miraculous Agricultural Fertility: Past, Present, and Future (Ketubot 111b-112a)“, section “Rav Dimi - the extraordinary character of future grapes and wine in the messianic era (Genesis 49:11)“.

7. ריקנין - literally: “empty people”, i.e. empty of (Torah) knowledge. (Compare the modern English idiomatic terms empty-headed, airheaded.)

See Jastrow (modernized):

Transferred sense: bare of knowledge, ignorant.

• Shir HaShirim Rabbah 4:4:8 (play on רקתך, Shir HaShirim Rabbah 3) הריקנין שבשלש … רצוף וכ׳ - “the least learned in the three rows (of scholars in front of the Sanhedrin) is as stuffed with knowledge as a pomegranate (is full of seeds)”.

• Ibid. ריקן שבישראל מלא וכ׳ - “an ignorant man in Israel is as full of argument etc”.;

• Bereishit Rabbah 32 (not הריקין);

• and frequently.

In general, for a famously harsh view of the am ha’aretz in the Talmud, see my three-part series, “Rabbinic Elitism and the Am Ha’aretz: Hierarchy, Hostility, Hatred, and Distrust (Pesachim 49b)“, final part here.