Sweet Dreams of Fruit

With all of the learning meditations on fruit that we enter into on Tu B’Shevat, the New Year’s Day for Fruit Trees, you may have sweet dreams that may require some of the following Talmudic interpretation!

Wheat:

Said Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba: One who sees wheat in a dream, has encountered the peace that will descend upon him in the future. As it is written, (Ps. 147:14) "He has placed peace in your borders; He will satiate you with the fat of wheat." One who sees barley in a dream, his transgressions have been removed...

Barley:

One who sees barley in a dream, his transgressions have been removed, as it is written, (Isaiah 6:7) "And your transgression has been removed, and your sin has been atoned." The word for barley, ‘se-orin’ can be seen as the abbreviation of the expression, ‘removal of transgression, sar avon’. Said Rabbi Zeira: I did not go up from Babylon to the Land of Israel, until I had seen barley in a dream. For then I knew all my sins had been forgiven.

Grapevine:

One who beholds a laden vine in a dream, has seen a sign that his wife will never miscarry. As it is written, (Ps. 128:3) "Your wife is as a fruitful vine…your children are as planted olives surrounding your table" One who beholds the branch of a grapevine in a dream, should look forward to the Messiah, as it is written, (Gen. 49:11) "He shall tie his donkey to the small grapevine, and to the grapevine, his donkey’s foal." Onkelos interprets this verse as describing the Days of the Messiah’s coming, "His donkey’s foal" being translated as, "when he shall build His palace," (based on Ezekiel 40:15), "His palace" being an allusion to the Third Temple.

Fig:

One who sees a fig in a dream, it is a sign that his Torah will be preserved within him (i.e. he will not forget the Torah he has learned). As it is written, (Prov. 27:18) "One who protects the fig shall eat its fruit." The Torah is likened to a fig. (Eruvin 54a)

Pomegranate:

One who sees pomegranates in a dream: If he saw small ones, it is a sign that his business will flourish like a pomegranate’s seeds (i.e he will have many customers). If he saw big ones, it is a sign that his business will increase like a pomegranate’s large size (i.e. his customers will make large orders). And if he saw halved pomegranates, if he is a Torah scholar he should anticipate Torah, as it is written, (Songs 8:2) "I shall give you to drink from the spiced wine, from the juice of my pomegranate." Both wine and pomegranate are allusions to Torah. And if he is unlearned, he should anticipate the opportunity to perform mitzvot, as it is written, (Songs 4:3), "Your forehead is as half of a pomegranate." Our Sages tell us: What is ‘your forehead’ referring to? That even the simplest amongst you are full of mitzvot like a pomegranate is full of seeds.

Olive:

One who sees olives in a dream: If they are small ones, it is a sign that his business will be fruitful, multiply, and be stable – like olives. And this interpretation (i.e. that the dream refers to business) is true only if he saw the fruit, that is, the olives themselves, but if he saw olive trees, then it is a sign that he shall have many children, as it is written, (Ps. 128:3) "your children are as planted olives surrounding your table." Some say: One who sees an olive in a dream will garner a good reputation, as it is written, (Jeremiah 11:16) "A succulent olive, beautiful exquisite fruit, has G-d called your name." One who sees olive oil in a dream should anticipate the light of Torah, as it is written, (Ex. 27:20) "And you shall take for yourself pure olive oil pressed, for light." "For light" is a reference to Torah, as it is written, (Prov. 6:23) "For a mitzvah is a candle, and the Torah, light."

Dates:

One who sees dates in a dream has seen a sign that his transgressions have ceased, as it is written, (Lamentations 4:22) "Your transgressions have ceased, daughter of Zion." The Hebrew word for date, "tamar," is a contraction of the words, "tamu hamorim," which means "the sinners have ceased." One who sees a myrtle in a dream has seen a sign that his assets will appreciate in value. The myrtle’s leaves sprout from the branch in sets of three, and give it a braided look. This alludes to his ability to bequeath his possessions to his children after him and suggests that his assets will increase in value over his lifetime. But if he has no assets, then the myrtle is a sign that an inheritance will fall to him from somewhere else. (I.e. he will inherit someone else’s fortune.) Said Ulla, and some say it was taught in a Baraita: And this sign of the myrtle is only true if he saw them in their position, i.e. attached to the myrtle bush.

Etrog:

One who sees an etrog in a dream has seen a sign that he is magnificent before his Maker, as it is written regarding the etrog, (Lev. 23:40) "The fruit of a magnificent tree, branches of dates." One who sees a lulav in a dream has beheld a sign that his heart is singularly dedicated to his Father in Heaven, i.e. he is completely devoted to Hashem. The word ‘lulav’ can be understood to be a combination of the two Hebrew words, ‘lo lev’, meaning ‘to Him, the heart’, and suggests this man has only a Yetzer Tov, a Good Inclination, and no longer possesses an Evil Inclination as do most people.

Nuts:

One who sees eggs in a dream indicates that his request is hanging in the balance before the Holy One. The edible part of the egg is hidden, and so is the answer to his request. Cracked eggs is a sign that his request will be granted, as the egg is now visible. And this similarly holds true for one who saw nutsor squash, or glass vessels, or any similar breakable item.

(Adapted from //chavruta.org based on Berachot 57a, and published in the above author’s e-book, ""TREE OF LIFE" (Sefer "Eitz Hayyim Hee") — available from our shop site: www.kabbalaonline-shop.com / (link to book).