Prophecy and Dreams, presented by Dan Woods (Multi-access Tish)

Joseph, in this week’s parsha, Vayeishev, explains his dreams to his brothers with disastrous results. “Come now, let us kill him…. We shall see what comes of his dreams!” Later on, Joseph’s interpretations of dreams saves him. Maimonides taught that prophetic visions in the Bible were a form of highly potent dreams or visions. Yet the age of prophecy was declared over after the death of the 5th century prophets and the destruction of the second temple. Why was prophecy declared over? Why then are dreams considered “1/60th of prophecy,” by some rabbis? Are uninterpreted dreams indeed like an “unopened letter”? Rabbi Mordechai Kaplan focuses on cultural dreams are like American dream or the Aleynu. Given all of this, what role should dreams and prophecy play in the life of the Reconstructionist Jew?

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