It all starts with the verse from (Ecclesiastes 5:6): "So it is with a multitude of dreams and vanities and many words; rather, fear God.”
The verse seems to be saying that too much dreaming and talking is just empty noise. The key, the real deal, is fearing God – or, perhaps better translated, having a deep reverence and respect for the Divine. But how do we put that reverence into action, especially when we're spooked by a bad dream?
Rabbi says that if you're troubled by these dreams, there are three things you can do to find solace and even avert potential misfortune. What are they? Prayer, charity, and repentance.
Rabbi Yudan, quoting Rabbi Eliezer, emphasizes these actions as ways to "abrogate evil decrees." Think of them as hitting the cosmic reset button. And the beautiful thing is, they're all found together in one verse from II (Chronicles 7:14): "My people, upon whom My name is called, will submit, and pray, and seek My countenance, and repent their evil ways; I will hear from the heavens, and forgive their sin and heal their land.”
See how it all fits together? "And pray" – that's straightforward enough. "And seek my countenance" – that's where charity comes in. Why? Because in Hebrew, the word for righteousness, tzedek, is closely linked to tzedakah, which means charity. It's all about doing what's right and just. And "repent their evil ways" – well, that's repentance, taking responsibility for our actions and striving to do better.
Rabbi Mona adds fasting to the mix, pointing to (Psalms 20:2): "The Lord will answer you on your day of trouble." The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) understands "day" here to specifically mean a day of fasting.
But the list doesn't end there! Rabbi Ḥiyya and Rabbi Yosei suggest that even a change of name or a change of action can help. Some even suggest a change of place, drawing on (Genesis 12:1), when God tells Abraham, "Go for yourself from your land."
Think about Abraham. God changed his name from Abram to Abraham, and his wife's name from Sarai to Sarah. The Midrash points out that Abram and Sarai "cannot beget," while Abraham and Sarah "can beget." It's a powerful symbol of transformation and new possibilities. And what about the people of Nineveh? They changed their actions, repented, and God, seeing their change of heart, spared them.
Rabba bar Meḥseya and Ḥama bar Gurya offer a vivid image: a fast is effective for a dream like fire for tow – meaning it burns it away completely. Rav Ḥisda says this is effective even on the day the dream occurs, and Rav Yosef even extends this to Shabbat (the Sabbath).
Then comes the story of Hezekiah, King of Judah. God tells Isaiah to tell him he’s going to die. Hezekiah's response is powerful. He basically tells Isaiah, "I'm not buying it! I'm going to trust in God." Hezekiah quotes his ancestor Solomon "So it is with a multitude of dreams and vanities and many words…”
Hezekiah then turns to prayer. But to what wall does he turn?
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi says he turned to the wall of Rahab, the woman who helped the Israelite spies in Jericho. Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai says that even if her family was enormous, they were saved by her merit. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman suggests he turned to the wall of the Shunamite woman who provided for Elisha. Rabbi Huna, in the name of Rabbi Yosei, says he turned to the walls of his heart. The Rabbis say he turned to the walls of the Temple, lamenting that while his ancestors could not always pray within the Temple due to ritual impurity, he had no such barrier.
Immediately, God speaks to Isaiah again, granting Hezekiah fifteen more years of life. Despite Isaiah's initial prophecy, Hezekiah's faith, prayer, and connection to the merits of his ancestors changed the course of events.
So, what's the takeaway? When those unsettling dreams come, don't just lie there paralyzed by fear. Take action. Pray, give charity, repent, change your name, change your actions, maybe even change your location! Connect to something larger than yourself, whether it's the merit of past righteous individuals or the unwavering faith within your own heart.
These aren't just empty rituals; they're active ways of engaging with the Divine, of reminding ourselves that we have the power to shape our destiny, even in the face of the unknown. And perhaps, most importantly, they remind us to “fear God” – to live with reverence, intention, and a deep awareness of the interconnectedness of all things.
“So it is with a multitude of dreams and vanities and many words; rather, fear God” (Ecclesiastes 5:6). “So it is with a multitude of dreams and vanities and many words; rather, fear God” – Rabbi said: If you saw harsh dreams or harsh and unnatural visions, or if you fear them, jump to three matters and you will be saved from them, as Rabbi Yudan said in the name of Rabbi Eliezer: There are three matters that abrogate evil decrees, and they are: Prayer, charity, and repentance. All three are in one verse; this is what is written: “My people, upon whom My name is called, will submit, and pray, and seek My countenance, and repent their evil ways; I will hear from the heavens, and forgive their sin and heal their land” (II Chronicles 7:14). “And pray” – this is prayer; “and seek my countenance” – this is charity, as you say: “I will behold your countenance in righteousness” (Psalms 17:15);15The same Hebrew root, tzedek, or tzedaka, can be translated as either charity or righteousness. “and repent their evil ways” – this is repentance. Then, “I will hear from the heavens…” Rabbi Mona said: Fasting as well, as it is stated: “The Lord will answer you on your day of trouble” (Psalms 20:2).16From the fact that the verse says, “day,” and not time of trouble, the midrash understands that the reference is to a day of fasting. Rabbi Ḥiyya and Rabbi Yosei say: A change of name and a change of action, as well. Some say even a change of place, as it is written: “Go for yourself from your land” (Genesis 12:1). A change of name [is derived] from Abraham our patriarch, as it is stated: “Your name will no longer be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham” (Genesis 17:5). Abram cannot beget, Abraham can beget; Sarai cannot bear a child, Sarah can bear a child.17God changed Abram’s name to Abraham and Sarai’s name to Sarah when they were ninety-nine and eighty-nine years old respectively and bereft of children. In the same context, He promised them that they would have many descendants (see Genesis 17:1–16). The implication is that although Abram and Sarai could not have children, their name changes would enable them to do so. A change in action, from Nineveh, as it is stated: “God saw their actions, [that they turned from their evil way; and God reconsidered the harm that He had said He would do to them, and He did not do it]” (Jonah 3:10). Rabba bar Meḥseya and Ḥama bar Gurya say: A fast is effective for a dream like fire for tow. Rav Ḥisda said: On that day. Rav Yosef said: Even on Shabbat. Likewise, you find regarding Hezekiah king of Judah; when Hezekiah fell ill, the Holy One blessed be He said to Isaiah: ‘Go say to him: “Set your house in order, as you will die and will not live”’ (Isaiah 38:1). Hezekiah said to Isaiah: ‘Isaiah, the way of the world is that a person who goes to visit the ill says to him: May they have mercy upon you from Heaven, and the doctor goes to him and says: Eat this item and do not eat that item; drink this and do not drink that. Even if he sees him approaching death, he would not say to him: Set your house in order, so he will not be discouraged; yet you say to me: “Set your house in order, as you will die and will not live”? I, too, do not ascribe importance to you and I will not heed your words, and I adopt only what my ancestor18Solomon said: “So it is with a multitude of dreams and vanities and many words…”’19Even prophetic dreams can be nullified and thereby rendered vanity, if one fulfills the conclusion of the verse, which states to “fear God.” This can be expressed via prayer, fasting, and repentance (Maharzu). Immediately, “Hezekiah turned his face to the wall [hakir] [and prayed to the Lord]” (Isaiah 38:2). To which wall did he direct his face? Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: He directed his face to the wall of Raḥav, as it is written: “Because her house was upon the side of [bekir] the wall” (Joshua 2:15). He said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, Raḥav rescued two souls for You and how many souls did You rescue for her?’ It was taught that Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai says: Even if her family numbered two hundred people and they cleaved to two hundred [additional] families [through marriage], they were all rescued by her merit. It is not written here, “all her family,” but rather, “they took out all her families” (Joshua 6:23). ‘My ancestors who assembled all the converts to You,20See II Chronicles 2:16. all the more so.’21By their merit, You should rescue me. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: It was to the wall of the Shunamite woman that he directed his eyes, as it is written: “Let us make a [small] walled attic” (II Kings 4:10). He said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, this Shunamite woman made one wall for Elisha, and you revived her son; my ancestors who did all this tribute for you,22This is a reference to the building of the Temple. all the more so.’ Rabbi Huna said in the name of Rabbi Yosei: It was to the walls of his heart that he directed his eyes, as it is stated: “My innards, my innards, I am trembling; the walls of my heart, my heart is murmuring” (Jeremiah 4:19). “His heart”23This is interpreted as an allusion to the fact that Hezekiah turned to his own heart. is written.24In standard editions of the Bible, it is in fact written “my heart,” not “his heart” as stated in the midrash. He said before him: ‘Master of the universe, I have surveyed the two hundred and forty-eight limbs that You formed in me, and I did not find that I angered You with any of them; all the more so that my life should be granted to me.’25He said: Since it is Your way to forgive those who sin to You, all the more so should You grant me life given that I have not sinned (Etz Yosef). The Rabbis say: He directed his eyes to the walls of the Temple, as it is written: “By their placing their threshold near My threshold…[with but a wall between Me and them]” (Ezekiel 43:8). He said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, my ancestors were great men, but were unable to pray in the Temple at all times;26As they were married, they would become impure when they would have relations with their wives, and it would then be prohibited for them to enter the Temple. rather they would stand in their houses and pray, with a wall between them and the Temple. I, when I pray, have no wall between me and the Temple;27Hezekiah had not married; see Berakhot 10a. all the more so that my life should be given to me.’ Immediately, “the word of the Lord was to Isaiah” (Isaiah 38:4),28The following verses state: “Go, and say to Hezekiah…thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold.… I will add to your days fifteen years.” [when] he had not [even] departed from there. Isaiah said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘Master of the universe, initially, you said this to me and now you say that to me. How can I go and say so?’ [God] said to [Isaiah]: ‘He is humble and will accept it from you. Moreover, what you spoke has not yet become public, as it is written: “It was, Isaiah had not departed…”’ (II Kings 20:4). When Isaiah went to him, [Hezekiah] said to him: ‘Did I not say this to you initially: I do not ascribe importance to you and I will not heed your words; [I adopt] only what my ancestor said: “So it is with a multitude of dreams and vanities…”’
