KISLEV: A Dreamers Month

Hey.You a dreamer?Yeah.Haven't seen too many around lately. Things have been tough lately for dreamers. They say dreaming's dead, that no one does it anymore. It's not dead, it's just been forgotten. Removed from our language. No one teaches it so no one knows it exists. The dreamer is banished to obscurity. Well I'm trying to change all that, and I hope you are too. By dreaming every day. Dreaming with our hands and dreaming with our minds. Our planet is facing the greatest problems it's ever faced. Ever. So whatever you do, don't be bored. This is absolutely the most exciting time we could have possibly hoped to be alive. And things are just starting.(-Waking life)This month is the month of dreamers. This is the 9th month, and in it 9 of the Torah’s dream scenes take place. Kislev is symbolized by the 9th gemstone of the high priest’s breastplate - the amethyst - the crystal connected to dreamscapes. And so, This month plays between our dreams and our waking lives.Keep a dream journal. Prioritize sleep and see what it teaches you. Notice how you wake.Our tradition pays attention to dreams, and many foundational stories involve dream moments and interpretations, like Jacob’s dream with the ladder, and Joseph’s dream interpretation. We even have a prayer for transforming a nightmare into a blessing, called Hatavat Chalom.The Gmara (Bavli Brachot 55 a-b) teaches,אמר רב חסדאחלמא דלא מפשר כאגרתא דלא מקריאRav Chisda said: A dream not interpreted is like a letter not read.and later,אמר רבי שמואל בר נחמני אמר רבי יונתן אין מראין לו לאדםאלא מהרהורי לבוR' Shmuel bar Nachmani said that R' Yonatan said: [In their dream,] a person is only shown the thoughts of their heart.May this month gift us with dream presence and dream play, and may we manifest our dreams to our fullest integrity, and for the wellbeing of the whole world.Chodesh Tov,Rabbi Bluth