Between Dreams and Reality
Rabbi Max Chaiken
Just as Parashat Mikeitz opens with a dreaming king, so does our haftarah reading, where King Solomon awakens from a dream. While the Pharoah must eventually bring in Joseph to interpret the haunting images of his dreams, Solomon awakens blessed with wisdom itself, granted directly from God.
As the haftarah reading continues, we hear a story meant to demonstrate the king's wisdom. Two new mothers, both sex workers, approach Solomon after the baby of one of them has died, while the baby of the other is still alive. Both claim the living child as her own. Somolon's proposition to cut the baby in half reveals the true mother. Importantly, all of Israel sees the wisdom granted by God to Solomon as he is able to settle the terrible conflict.
Our dreams remain a potent force for inspiration and introspection to this day. Through interpretation of the dreams in our sleep or through working toward a dream that encapsulates all of our aspirations, we constantly connect our dreams to our lived reality. Joseph's interpretations of the symbolism of Pharaoh's dreams helps him plan for famine, so people don't starve. The wisdom Solomon found in his dream helps him resolve a life-threatening conflict, even if we might cringe at his method, suggesting the mothers split the baby in half.
While we don't read about the new mothers' dreams, I wonder about them. The passage calls us to consider, reflect, and interpret our dreams. Which of your dreams might turn into a source of wisdom?

Dream a Little Dream, Then Interpret It
Rabbi Dan Moskovitz
Whatever the actual nature of dreams is, we are still challenged to understand them. Our Talmudic Rabbis gave important guidance on this that has resonated for thousands of years: they held that the power of a dream lies with its interpretation and not with the dream itself (Babylonian Talmud, B’rachot, 56b).
In the Talmud, we read that, "a dream not interpreted is like a letter not read" (Babylonian Talmud, B’rachot 55a). As long as it is not interpreted it cannot be fulfilled — and we have an enormous personal responsibility regarding its outcome.
The term dream can also mean a “desired outcome.” Two modern dreams of this kind come to mind when we think of their power to transform nations and inspire a community to action. One is Theodore Hertzl’s "If you will it, it is no dream." This phrase from his book Old New Land would go on to become the slogan of the Zionist movement, manifest in the establishment of the State of Israel, and be celebrated in the choice of “HaTikvah” (The Hope) as Israel’s national anthem. In “HaTikvah,” we sing of this hope/dream of 2,000 years to return to our ancestral land a free people.
Another dream of this kind that moved a nation to action is Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech, where he speaks of a time he hopes is not too distant when, “my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character ("I Have a Dream," Rev. Martin Luther, Jr., August 28, 1963).
For Joseph, Hertzl, and King their dreams were not only their own. When shared with others, their dreams became calls to action. Such is the power of dreams, what wakes us from our sleep can also wake a nation and a people from their slumber, complacency, or indifference and enroll them in a shared dream of a better more hopeful future.
What is the power of dreams? It lies in their ability to inspire us to make our dreams a reality.