186. 5141. Something amazing happened to me today, in order to prove this to those who were around me from among the Jews who died of old; for they are the same after life as during life in the world, when left to themselves. I dreamt, and indeed, in a way that it appeared as if in wakefulness, as usual, and they were then so convinced that I was awake that they answered me as if I were awake. Then, suddenly awakening, I realized I had been dreaming, and that they had spoken with me while I was asleep, and, in fact, believing me to be awake, which then embarrassed them exceedingly. One became indignant, another astonished, a third one loved it, because I then said that it shows from this how they live in a sleep, and their life was a sleep, and they believe that they see, hear, even live, when yet they are deceiving themselves, as they do not live from themselves, and yet likewise believe they do. Then I wrote down the words in this verse [Exod. 29:42], and was thus allowed to demonstrate to them that they were still living their life in sleep; so they were able to say nothing. However, sometimes it happened that they knew a person was asleep, but in this case it was to prove to them in a different way in what shadow, and in what an illusion they are living - both those from among the Jews [of old], and those who are still living. See the continuation below at 55. [Jews; Dream, Sleep] [See also WE 5142-43, concluding the explanation of verse 42.]