MEANING IN MITZVOT by Rabbi Asher Meir

Each week we discuss one familiar halakhic practice and try to show its beauty and meaning. The columns are based on Rabbi Meir's commentary Meaning in Mitzvot on Kitzur Shulchan Arukh.

A Dream-Fast
A number of halakhot relate to upsetting dreams. The Talmud emphasizes that we generally shouldn't rely on a dream as an omen, since "there is no dream that doesn't have some vain elements" (Berakhot 55a). Yet despite this reas- suring approach, we are not encour- aged to just forget our bad dreams. One suggested response is to fast the day following the dream - even if it is Shabbat. Another is to rectify the dream through a “hatavat chalom”, which we will discuss IYH next week.

Rav Kook explains this attitude by a fascinating analogy. He writes that dreams are part of a spiritual defense mechanism, which has the same relationship to the soul as natural reflexes have to the body. If a person eats something unhealthy, he will be disgusted as it enters his mouth; if despite this he tries to swallow it he is likely to cough it up; and if despite all the unhealthy food is consumed the chances are good it will be disgorged. But if the mechanism is not working properly, the person will digest the food and his health will be damaged.

Likewise, a person has a moral sense which tells him which acts and opinions to avoid, and a conscience that tells him not to internalize those harmful thoughts which he does encounter. If these defense mechanisms are caught off guard, then the soul "disgorges" the harmful thoughts through a frightening dream. The content of the dream is not what is important; what is relevant is that the fact of an upsetting dream is a reliable indicator that a person’s character has somehow internalized elements that are against his better nature.

The most dangerous thing a person can do in this situation is to simply ignore this warning sign, distracting himself from the upsetting message. This is like a person who is positively ill from something he ate yet instead of trying to eliminate the poison from his system tries to distract himself from his symptoms. The damage the food will cause will only be magnified the longer treatment is delayed.

A prompt dream-fast is an effective way of overcoming and curing the bad effects of the internalized opinions. "A fast [on the same day] is as effective for a dream as fire is to tow" (Shabbat 11b). The reason, Rav Kook explains, is that in most cases, the negative quality that we are reacting to involves an excessive tendency to material gratification. Therefore, the best response is to immediately overcompensate by fasting. This response is appropriate even on Shabbat, when the mitzva of Shabbat delight generally nullifies the negative effects of material desires. The upsetting dream may indicate that the person's relationship to such enjoyment has been so distorted that even Shabbat delights will lack a spiritual dimension.
Putting off the dream fast - even one day will not necessarily be effective, be- cause there is always the chance that by the time another day has passed the bad thoughts will have been digested in a person's character, and much strong- er spiritual medicine will be required.
(Based on Ein Ayah on Shabbat 11b.)

Rabbi Meir has completed writing a monumental companion to Kitzur Shulchan Aruch which beautifully presents the meanings in our mitzvot and halacha. It will hopefully be published in the near future.

Rabbi Meir authors a popular weekly on-line Q&A column, "The Jewish Ethicist", which gives Jewish guidance on everyday ethical dilemmas in the workplace. The column is a joint project of the JCT Center for Business Ethics, Jerusalem College of Technology - Machon Lev; and Aish HaTorah. You can see the Jewish Ethicist, and submit your own questions, at  www.jewishethicist.com or at www.aish.com.