Talmud Bavli
Talmud Bavli

Responsa for Berakhot 111:2

בר הדיא מפשר חלמי הוה מאן דיהיב ליה אגרא מפשר ליה למעליותא ומאן דלא יהיב ליה אגרא מפשר ליה לגריעותא אביי ורבא חזו חלמא אביי יהיב ליה זוזא ורבא לא יהיב ליה אמרי ליה אקרינן בחלמין (דברים כח, לא) שורך טבוח לעיניך וגו' לרבא אמר ליה פסיד עסקך ולא אהני לך למיכל מעוצבא דלבך לאביי א"ל מרווח עסקך ולא אהני לך למיכל מחדוא דלבך

Bar Hedja was an interpreter of dreams. When one paid him a fee, he interpreted [the dream] favourably ; but if no fee was given him, he interpreted it unfavourably. Abbai and Raba had a dream ; Abbai gave him a Zuz but Raba gave him nothing. They said to him : We were made to read in our dream the words "Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes" (Deut. xxviii. 31). To Raba he said : Thy business will fail, and thou wilt have no desire to eat because of the grief of thy heart. To Abbai he said : Thy business will prosper, and thou wilt have no desire to eat because of the joy of thy heart.

Shut min haShamayim

Regarding the Talmudic tale of Bar Haddaya (Berachot 56a:2), who when given a fee would interpret dreams positively, and when not paid, would interpret them as negative omens. It is also said there (ibid.) that Rava found a book that fell from his hands, and in it was written 'All dreams follow the mouth'. We are astounded by this and ask [in a dream] whether it is possible that heavenly decrees are affected by human interpretation. Is this meant to be understood literally, that dreams depend on their interpretation, for better or for worse? Or is it not to be understood this simple way, since heavenly decrees do not change? For Bar Haddaya himself was nothing but a dream interpreter, and why was it then written in his book that 'all dreams follow the mouth'?
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