1. The Dream of the Sea
extracted from ISRAEL SABA
CONVERSATIONS OF ISRAEL DOV ODESSER
A lso, the dream I had after the passing of Rabbi Israel (Karduner, Saba Israel's teacher), the dream of the
waves..... I was in the sea, and there were huge waves, like mountains. I saw that a mountain of water was
coming toward me, a real mountain, and it came straight toward me with a fury. I said, “Oy vey, in a few
moments it will reach me, what will be of me, I'll die, there's no hope. I'll die!” That's how it was. It came
raging at me with great speed, coming to kill me. It fell on me and I was in total despair. But then I saw that I
was rising, until I reached the surface and stuck my head out and could breathe. I was still alive.
Alright, the wave passed and I was still alive, but
then I saw a new mountain coming, a new wave. What
will be now, one cannot expect miracles to happen on a
regular basis, so what will become of me now?
Well, the way it came at me, it did not ask me, it came at
me and fell upon me – a new mountain. Again there was
a miracle, and I rose up through the water, until I poked
my head from the water and remained alive.
Suddenly, I saw a great building in the sea, not far from me. A large, beautiful building, such
beauty... So I climbed. There were many steps. I reached the entrance, opened the door, and entered into a
corridor. On one side was a wall with doors. I reached the last door and opened it. There sat a very old man
with a beard. He extended his hand to me and greeted me, grasping my hand firmly with great love.