Guided by a Dream: Escaping Danger Just in Time

In recent days, an extraordinary question reached Rabbi Yitzhak Zilberstein, causing quite a stir within the Jewish community.

This question, shared in a halachic publication called 'Vei Ha'amudim V'chashokeihem', came with a story Rabbi Zilberstein heard first-hand from a man who lives near the Gaza border and had returned to religious life.

After his religious awakening, for years he agonized over whether to stay in the town or move elsewhere. His rabbi (whose name remains private by request) advised him to stay. This same rabbi, who passed away years ago, appeared to him in a dream on Simchat Torah night, urging him to leave the place immediately where he lived with his wife and children.

Knowing the saying that 'dreams speak lies,' he awoke yet chose to dismiss it and return to sleep peacefully.

Yet, astonishingly, the dream repeated itself, even more intensely. The beloved rabbi appeared, this time in a terrifying manner, shouting at his student and choking him. The student described feeling the rabbi's grip on his throat in the dream, insisting he leave because 'it is a place of danger.' 'I woke up in a sweat, truly feeling the rabbi's hand choking me,' recounted the man.

This time, he understood the urgency and didn’t hesitate. He gathered his family and left that Shabbat. When the massive attack commenced on the nearby towns, he realized the dream's truth.

However, the question troubling him, which led him to Rabbi Zilberstein, was about the propriety of breaking Shabbat due to a dream. Rabbi Zilberstein affirmed that he acted correctly by moving to safety based solely on the dream.