Vayeishev 37:9 · unit 1

Parashas Vayeishev · Passuk 37:9

The Complete Passuk

וַיַּחֲלֹ֥ם עוֹד֙ חֲל֣וֹם אַחֵ֔ר וַיְסַפֵּ֥ר אֹת֖וֹ לְאֶחָ֑יו וַיֹּ֗אמֶר הִנֵּ֨ה חָלַ֤מְתִּֽי חֲלוֹם֙ ע֔וֹד וְהִנֵּ֧ה הַשֶּׁ֣מֶשׁ וְהַיָּרֵ֗חַ וְאַחַ֤ד עָשָׂר֙ כּֽוֹכָבִ֔ים מִֽשְׁתַּחֲוִ֖ים לִֽי׃

And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brothers, and said: Behold, I have dreamed yet a dream: and, behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars bowed down to me.

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Berachos 55a.

Sefaria — Berachos 55a

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
אָמַר רַבִּי בֶּרֶכְיָה: חֲלוֹם, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁמִּקְצָתוֹ מִתְקַיֵּם, כֻּלּוֹ אֵינוֹ מִתְקַיֵּם. מִנַּיִן — מִיּוֹסֵף, דִּכְתִיב ״וְהִנֵּה הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ וְהַיָּרֵחַ״ וְגוֹ׳, וּבְאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה רָחֵל לֹא הָיְתָה.

English: Rabbi Berechyah said: A dream, even though part of it is fulfilled, is not entirely fulfilled. From where do we know this? From Yosef, as it is written “and behold the sun and the moon…” — yet at that time Rachel was no longer alive.

On the daf / in context: Berachos 55a discusses the partial fulfillment of dreams, using Yosef’s second dream as the classic example that not every detail materializes.

Type of Learning

Derash on the verse (Bavli sugya) — not a formal named middah of the 13. The presence of the moon (Rachel) in the dream, despite her prior death, proves that dreams are only partially realized.

What Is Learned

Even when a dream is fulfilled in its main outline, not every detail need come to pass. Yosef’s dream included the moon (Rachel), who had already died, showing that dreams are not fulfilled in their entirety.