About Dreams and Birthdays.....

We’re here again, to wish a happy birthday to all those celebrating in the month of December.  Birthdays are special.  They signify an opportunity to remake oneself.  They mark a new opportunity to “grow and learn and change. “ (Naomi Levy)  A birthday represents a chance to continue giving to others and to make a difference in the world.  Even an act as simple as making a birthday wish can be seen as an opportunity to dream about one’s yearnings.  It is important no matter what one’s age is that we continue to dream and strive to realize our G-d given potential.  

Today in our Torah portion, Vayeshev, we met Joseph the dreamer.  His dreams were not traditionally seen as reflections of his personal desires rather as a means of divine communication about future events.  Of course when he relays his dream to his brothers about his sheaf of grain remaining upright while their sheaves of grain bowed down to his, the reaction he received was one of hatred.  When he told his father and brothers that the sun and moon and eleven stars bowed down to him, his siblings’ hatred was increased.  There were other dreams in this parasha too.  The cupbearer and the baker of the King of Egypt had dreams while they were in prison and Joseph who was also there interpreted those dreams. 

Dreams had a tremendous impact on Joseph’s life. His own dreams led his brothers to throw him in a pit and sell him into slavery.  His interpretation of the prisoners’ dreams led him to gain a positive reputation that made its way to Pharoah and influenced Jewish history for generations to come.   Each response to his dreams actually helped fulfill the Divine plan which eventually led to the Exodus from Egypt although at first it hardly seemed that the results of Joseph’s interactions with dreams would lead to any good in the world.

We Jews have an attachment to dreams because they symbolize hope.  Every year at the end of Yom Kippur and Pesach we say, “next year in Jerusalem.”  The siddur talks about a time when there will be unity among all those living on earth.  The establishment of the State of Israel after 2000 years of living in exile was based on the dreams of all those who never lost sight of returning to our homeland. In Judaism it is not enough to just dream, you have to do something to make your hopes and aspirations, your dreams,  become a reality. 

One of our biggest dream is our utopian vision of the world, a world where conflict and violence exist no longer, where disease and hunger have been combatted successfully, where poverty is eliminated, and peace abides throughout all lands.  This dream hasn’t been realized but we continue to dream and to add our own footprint on earth that will take us one step closer to this reality.  It may be something which we will never see the end result, but hopefully we will have a sense that our own lives have contributed to future well-being.

So if you’re here celebrating with us today, whether you’re turning 11 or 40 or 95, don’t forget to dream big!  Think about what you’d like to accomplish with your own life that will add meaning not only to your own existence but also to the lives of all who come in contact with you.  And remember, we wish you all a yom huledet sameach and a year blessed with the fulfillment of your dearest aspirations.

Shabbat Shalom.