Description: Chapter 1 - 02
Derech Hashem
Section III – Chapter 1 - 02
The neshamah that we have lives a dual life, it is partly ensconced in the body, and tied to gashmiyos, yet at the same time exists on a spiritual plane. As a result, at times it can be exposed to certain spiritual forces and be aware of things that the body is not aware of, although this awareness doesn’t necessarily translate into us being actually cognizant of what is going on in the spiritual world.
Chazal refer to this in Maseches Megillah, that there is a concept of ‘af al gav d’ihu lo chazu mazlai chazai.’ Even though he didn’t see, his ‘mazal’ saw. This means that the neshamah experienced a vision from a spiritual plane and is aware of something, which didn’t quite translate into physical awareness, but was enough to frighten the person. In the case of the Gemarah it is talking about how Daniel saw the angel above the river, while the Nevi’im Chagai, Zechariah, and Malachi, didn’t see, but they were frightened nonetheless.
The concept of dreams can be understood in this way as well. Hashem created night for the purpose of us sleeping and resting, so that the body can regain its strength. During that time, our physical self is at peace, and our senses are dulled, so that we are not aware of what we see or hear or smell. Our minds rest as well, but the imagination still is active, and generally creates images of what we experienced that day. At times it can be affected by the food we ate, or different physical things we felt. This is the typical dream.
But Hashem also designed the night time and sleep for the neshamah. The neshamah during this time separates itself somewhat from the body, and parts of the neshamah, the neshamah, chayah and yechidah, and ruach, are elevated above the physical and can interact in a more direct way with the spiritual plane. Only the nefesh remains totally within the guf.
These other parts of our souls are now free to go and wander where they are allowed to go, they interact with spiritual powers. At times they connect with the angels who are in charge of the physical world, or they are approached by angels of destruction, malachei chabalah, or by the shedim, depending on different reasons which we don’t understand.
The experience which the neshamah has can possibly translate into something which the imagination formulates. As a result, we might have a dream which is affected by what the neshamah went through. However, it is highly diluted and compromised, coming through the many channels necessary for it to become something physical. That’s why dreams can be so fragmented, and partially true and mostly false. They tend to be mostly a confused jumble of information, which at times some parts can be picked out to teach us something of what is happening in the spiritual world.
If Hashem desires, dreams can be a method where the person is informed of the future, and this happens through the neshamah interacting with an angel, and the information or effect of this interaction reaches the nefesh, and becomes an image created by the mind, and that image can be clear or cryptic, depending on how much Hashem chooses to reveal to the person. This is referenced in a pasuk in Iyov, ‘bachalom chezyon Laylah, az yigleh ozen anashim.’
These dreams should not be confused with the concept of prophetic dreams, which was a form of prophecy experienced by nevi’im. These dreams, even when they are a product of a connection with an angel, have truth to them, but are still very affected by the other parts of our imagination, and that’s why Chazal say, every single dream has some ‘devarim betailim’ to it.
Derech Hashem
Section III – Chapter 1 - 02
The neshamah that we have lives a dual life, it is partly ensconced in the body, and tied to gashmiyos, yet at the same time exists on a spiritual plane. As a result, at times it can be exposed to certain spiritual forces and be aware of things that the body is not aware of, although this awareness doesn’t necessarily translate into us being actually cognizant of what is going on in the spiritual world.
Chazal refer to this in Maseches Megillah, that there is a concept of ‘af al gav d’ihu lo chazu mazlai chazai.’ Even though he didn’t see, his ‘mazal’ saw. This means that the neshamah experienced a vision from a spiritual plane and is aware of something, which didn’t quite translate into physical awareness, but was enough to frighten the person. In the case of the Gemarah it is talking about how Daniel saw the angel above the river, while the Nevi’im Chagai, Zechariah, and Malachi, didn’t see, but they were frightened nonetheless.
The concept of dreams can be understood in this way as well. Hashem created night for the purpose of us sleeping and resting, so that the body can regain its strength. During that time, our physical self is at peace, and our senses are dulled, so that we are not aware of what we see or hear or smell. Our minds rest as well, but the imagination still is active, and generally creates images of what we experienced that day. At times it can be affected by the food we ate, or different physical things we felt. This is the typical dream.
But Hashem also designed the night time and sleep for the neshamah. The neshamah during this time separates itself somewhat from the body, and parts of the neshamah, the neshamah, chayah and yechidah, and ruach, are elevated above the physical and can interact in a more direct way with the spiritual plane. Only the nefesh remains totally within the guf.
These other parts of our souls are now free to go and wander where they are allowed to go, they interact with spiritual powers. At times they connect with the angels who are in charge of the physical world, or they are approached by angels of destruction, malachei chabalah, or by the shedim, depending on different reasons which we don’t understand.
The experience which the neshamah has can possibly translate into something which the imagination formulates. As a result, we might have a dream which is affected by what the neshamah went through. However, it is highly diluted and compromised, coming through the many channels necessary for it to become something physical. That’s why dreams can be so fragmented, and partially true and mostly false. They tend to be mostly a confused jumble of information, which at times some parts can be picked out to teach us something of what is happening in the spiritual world.
If Hashem desires, dreams can be a method where the person is informed of the future, and this happens through the neshamah interacting with an angel, and the information or effect of this interaction reaches the nefesh, and becomes an image created by the mind, and that image can be clear or cryptic, depending on how much Hashem chooses to reveal to the person. This is referenced in a pasuk in Iyov, ‘bachalom chezyon Laylah, az yigleh ozen anashim.’
These dreams should not be confused with the concept of prophetic dreams, which was a form of prophecy experienced by nevi’im. These dreams, even when they are a product of a connection with an angel, have truth to them, but are still very affected by the other parts of our imagination, and that’s why Chazal say, every single dream has some ‘devarim betailim’ to it.