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The compelling need to know what the future has in store for a specific individual or an entire group of people appears to be as old as mankind itself. This emotional imperative led to the creation of institutions invested with a credibility that was proportionate to the intensity of this need. There arose, in abundance, soothsayers, oracles, sorcerers, and astrologers, who arrived at their idiosyncratic interpretations, which, psychologically speaking, had to be based on the projection of their own wishes and fears. The presence of these practitioners is amply demonstrated not only in the secular literature of antiquity but also in the sacred, for example, the Bible, the Talmud, and related literature. To the sacred literature was added the institution of prophecy, which brought a whole new dimension to the endeavor of prediction. The sanctity and weight of the Divine, backed by and presumably verified by Scripture, helped transform and elevate an institution from the level of worldly magic to the higher level of spirituality and holiness.
In Jewish history, dream interpretation, as exemplified in the experiences of the Biblical Joseph, coexisted with, and ultimately was followed by, the institution of prophecy as exemplified in the prophet Daniel. What better object of study could there have been than the seemingly inexplicable phenomenon of dreams? Their bizarre nature only enhanced the feeling that there must be some Divine connection that motivated and created the dream. If only we knew the true meaning of the dream, then we could catch a glimpse of God's plan for the individual as well as for the group.
The Hebrew prophets have traditionally been viewed as having had the God-given power to predict the future. When one carefully examines the literature of the Prophets, another aspect which does