ABSTRACT
Book of the Seeker (Sefer ha-Mevakesh), written by Rabbi Shem Tov ibn Falaquera in the mid thirteenth century, describes the dream of a rich man who saw the purpose of his existence in satisfying his material needs, blatantly ignoring the spiritual goal of human existence. This is what the rich man dreamt:
and the man began to dream; he saw himself walking in a desolate wilderness, naked and barefoot, hungry and thirsty. And he was stricken with terror and fear; he moaned like a lyre. Darker than the night was his visage, his body defiled with filth and upon his shoulder lay a heavy, fatiguing burden. Then two Blacks (cushim), hideous to see, ran after him brandishing spears to run him through. Running desperately away from them, he reached a mountain whose crooked course was covered with snakes. Along the mountain ran a path so narrow that there was no room to turn either to right or to left (Nu. 22, 26). Exerting himself mightily, he ran, without stopping to rest, until he reached the peak of the mountain. Thence he fell into a death pit, seared by scorching blasts from an endless fire which was never extinguished. Thereupon the man trembled violently and fell from his bed to the ground, wailing loudly. At the sound of his cries, all his comrades and old friends rushed to his side, and beholding the contortion of his face and body, they asked him to tell which evil has befallen him, and how it had taken place. They trembled exceedingly as he related his dream, and when they arose in the morning, they assembled various interpreters of dreams, seeking some explanation. But, behold, none could interpret the dream satisfactorily.1
