Berachos Daf 56 ברכות דַף 56

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1. People dream about what they were thinking about

To illustrate the teaching (on 55b) that a person dreams about what he was thinking of during the day (אין מראין לו לאדם אלא מהרהרי לבו), the Gemara cites the incident of Caesar asking R’ Yehoshua bar R’ Chananya what he would dream of that night. R’ Yehoshua told him that he would dream of being pressed into service by the Persians in a degrading way. Caesar thought about the distressing vision all day and then dreamt of it at night.

2. Bar Hedya, the Dream Interpreter

The Gemara relates the story of Bar Hedya, the dream interpreter, who gave positive interpretations to those who paid for his services and negative ones to those who didn’t. Abaye and Rava shared many similar dreams and had them interpreted by Bar Hedya. Since Abaye paid, his dreams were always interpreted for good; Rava did not pay, and his dreams were interpreted for ill.

Finally, Rava discovered—in a book owned by Bar Hedya—that “dreams go according to the mouth” (כל חלומות הולכין אחר הפה), meaning according to the way they are interpreted. Rava cursed him and Bar Hedya fled, eventually meeting a gruesome death at the hands of the Roman royal court.

3. The meaning of a well in a dream

The Gemara discusses the symbolic meaning of items appearing in a dream. If one dreams of a well:

•R’ Chanina says he will see peace.

•R’ Nassan says he will find Torah.

•Rava says he will find life.