Such dreams are little more than footnotes in the biographies of modern times. Yet, in the Book of Genesis, which is traditionally studied and read aloud in synagogues this time of year, dreams play a central role. In the lives of Abraham, Joseph, Pharaoh and others, dreams are the stuff that often drive events. This assignment of dreams to the main text of history seems quaint to us today, lacking the sophistication of Freudian analysis on the one hand, and the familiar political and economic quantifications on the other. But it would be a mistake to think that the systematic probing of the underlying workings of the human personality began with Sigmund Freud and his disciples.
Jewish tradition is replete with psychological insight.
Before you can love another, you must first know how to love yourself. The Sages understood that one who carries about within him a negative self-image will not be able to properly analyze his own faults and work to correct them. He is defeated before he begins. The subconscious motivation, however, was the unfettered pursuit of pleasure. Undoubtedly, it has something to do with the influence of Freud, who reduced dreams to a manifestation of unconscious sexual desires.