A Bad Dream and “Hatavat Chalom”
Question
I had a very bad dream last night that I consider one of the worst dreams I ever had in my life. I dreamt that a close family very dear to me became extremely sick in a most horrible way and was suffering like I’ve never seen anyone suffer. This is someone who, in real life, is in excellent health now. Does me dreaming this mean it’s really going to happen?
Answers
No. In general, the Rabbis teach us that dreams reflect subconscious thought. This is mentioned in the Talmud. The only dreams worth worrying about are those dreamed by a great person and which are unrelated to the daily life of the dreamer. In Orthodox circles this means that we consider that most dreams are considered unimportant.
However, due to the fact that you are obviously very shaken up by the dream you had, I would suggest that you make what is called “Hatavat Chalom.” It can be found in the back of many Siddurim. It requires three friends, and you do not have to tell them what the dream was if you do not want to. The function of Hatavat Chalom is to change the spiritual dimension of the dream from bad to good, and, in my experience, it is normally quite effective.
Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team