Study Berakhot folio 56A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
אמר ליה קיסר לרבי יהושע ברבי חנניא: אמריתו דחכמיתו טובא, אימא לי מאי חזינא בחלמאי. אמר ליה: חזית דמשחרי לך פרסאי וגרבי בך, ורעיי בך שקצי בחוטרא דדהבא. הרהר כוליה יומא, ולאורתא חזא. אמר ליה שבור מלכא, לשמואל: אמריתו דחכמיתו טובא, אימא לי מאי חזינא בחלמאי. אמר ליה: חזית דאתו רומאי ושבו לך, וטחני בך קשייתא ברחייא דדהבא. הרהר כוליה יומא, ולאורתא חזא.
On a similar note, the Talmud relates that the Roman emperor said to R' Yehoshua, son of R' Ḥananya: You Jews say that you are extremely wise. If that is so, tell me what I will see in my dream. R' Yehoshua said to him: You will see the Persians capture you, and enslave you, and force you to herd unclean animals with a golden staff. He thought the entire day about the images described to him by R' Yehoshua and that night he saw it in his dream. King Shapur of Persia said to Shmuel: You Jews say that you are extremely wise. If that is so, tell me what I will see in my dream. Shmuel said to him: You will see the Romans come and take you into captivity and force you to grind date pits in mills of gold. He thought the entire day about the images described to him by Shmuel, and that night he saw it in his dream.
The Talmud relates: Bar Haddaya was an interpreter of dreams. For one who gave him a fee, he would interpret the dream favorably, and for one who did not give him a fee, he would interpret the dream unfavorably. The Talmud relates: There was an incident in which both Abaye and Rava saw an identical dream and they asked bar Haddaya to interpret it. Abaye gave him money and paid his fee, while Rava did not give him money. They said to him: The verse: “Your ox should be slain before your eyes and you should not eat thereof” (Deuteronomy 28:31) was read to us in our dream. He interpreted their dream and to Rava he said: Your business will be lost and you will derive no pleasure from eating because of the extreme sadness of your heart. To Abaye he said: Your business will profit and you will be unable to eat due to the joy in your heart.