Dybbuk: Difference between revisions
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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}} | {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}} | ||
[[Image:Dybbuk.jpg|thumb|300px|{{lang|yi-Latn|Dybbuk}}, by [[Ephraim Moses Lilien|Ephraim Moshe Lilien]] (1874–1925).]] | [[Image:Dybbuk.jpg|thumb|300px|{{lang|yi-Latn|Dybbuk}}, by [[Ephraim Moses Lilien|Ephraim Moshe Lilien]] (1874–1925).]] | ||
In [[Jewish mythology]], a '''{{lang|yi-Latn|dybbuk}}''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|d|ɪ|b|ə|k}}; {{langx|yi|[[wikt:דיבוק|דיבוק]]}}, from the [[Hebrew]] verb {{Script/Hebrew|[[wikt:דבק|דָּבַק]]}} {{lang|he-Latn|dāḇaq}}, meaning 'adhere' or 'cling') is a malicious [[spiritual possession|possessing]] spirit believed to be the dislocated [[soul]] of a dead person.<ref>{{cite book|last=Trachtenberg|first=Joshua|author-link=Joshua Trachtenberg|orig-date=Originally published 1939|chapter=Glossary of Hebrew Terms|chapter-url=https://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/jms/jms43.htm|title=Jewish Magic and Superstition|publication-place=Philadelphia|publisher=[[University of Pennsylvania Press]]|publication-date=2004|page=333|isbn=978-0812218626|access-date=Jan 10, 2023|quote=''Dibbuk'' – spirit of deceased person which has entered body of living person.}}</ref> It supposedly leaves the host body once it has accomplished its goal, sometimes after being [[exorcism#Judaism|exorcised]].<ref name="Falk">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z10-Xz9Kno4C&pg=PA538 |title=A Psychoanalytic History of the Jews |author=Avner Falk |page=538 |publisher=Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press |date=1996 |isbn=978-0838636602 }}</ref><ref>{{Citation |contribution=Dybbuk |contribution-url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/174964/dybbuk |title=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |access-date=2009-06-10 }}</ref><ref name="EJ">{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0005_0_05197.html |title=Dibbuk |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopaedia Judaica]] |author=Gershom Scholem |author-link=Gershom Scholem }}</ref> | In [[Jewish mythology]], a '''{{lang|yi-Latn|dybbuk}}''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|d|ɪ|b|ə|k}}; {{langx|yi|[[wikt:דיבוק|דיבוק]]}}, from the [[Hebrew]] verb {{Script/Hebrew|[[wikt:דבק|דָּבַק]]}} {{lang|he-Latn|dāḇaq}}, meaning 'adhere' or 'cling') is a malicious [[spiritual possession|possessing]] spirit believed to be the dislocated [[soul]] of a dead person.<ref>{{cite book|last=Trachtenberg|first=Joshua|author-link=Joshua Trachtenberg|orig-date=Originally published 1939|chapter=Glossary of Hebrew Terms|chapter-url=https://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/jms/jms43.htm|title=Jewish Magic and Superstition|publication-place=Philadelphia|publisher=[[University of Pennsylvania Press]]|publication-date=2004|page=333|isbn=978-0812218626|access-date=Jan 10, 2023|quote=''Dibbuk'' – spirit of deceased person which has entered body of living person.}}</ref> It supposedly leaves the host body once it has accomplished its goal, sometimes after being [[exorcism#Judaism|exorcised]].<ref name="Falk">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z10-Xz9Kno4C&pg=PA538 |title=A Psychoanalytic History of the Jews |author=Avner Falk |page=538 |publisher=Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press |date=1996 |isbn=978-0838636602 }}</ref><ref>{{Citation |contribution=Dybbuk |contribution-url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/174964/dybbuk |title=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |access-date=2009-06-10 }}</ref><ref name="EJ">{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0005_0_05197.html |title=Dibbuk |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopaedia Judaica]] |author=Gershom Scholem |author-link=Gershom Scholem }}</ref> | ||
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== Expulsion == | == Expulsion == | ||
In traditional Jewish communities, the concept of the dybbuk served as a socially acceptable way of expressing unacceptable urges, including sexual ones.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Falk |first=Avner |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z10-Xz9Kno4C&pg=PA538 |title=A Psychoanalytic History of the Jews |date=1996 |publisher=Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press |isbn=978-0-8386-3660-2 |language=en}}</ref> Within Jewish mysticism and folklore, particularly in Kabbalistic traditions, protective practices were also used to ward off these malevolent spirits. One such practice involves affixing a [[mezuzah]]—a piece of [[parchment]] inscribed with specific Torah verses—to the doorposts of a home. While the mezuzah primarily serves as a reminder of faith and adherence to God's commandments, it is also viewed as a protective amulet against harmful spirits, including dybbuks. The ''[[Zohar]]'', a foundational Kabbalistic text, suggests that a properly affixed mezuzah can prevent such entities from entering a home.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Protective Power of Mezuzah |url=https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/310889/jewish/The-Protective-Power-of-Mezuzah.htm |website=Chabad.org |access-date=2024-11-09}}</ref> Additionally, Jewish folklore includes accounts where neglected or improperly maintained mezuzot were believed to make homes susceptible to dybbuk possession.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dybbuk Shmibbuk |url=https://templeofmiriam.com/blog/dybbuk-shmibbuk |website=Temple of Miriam |access-date=2024-11-09}}</ref> These perspectives emphasize the mezuzah's dual role in Jewish life: as both a symbol of faith and a spiritual safeguard. | In traditional Jewish communities, the concept of the dybbuk served as a socially acceptable way of expressing unacceptable urges, including sexual ones.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Falk |first=Avner |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z10-Xz9Kno4C&pg=PA538 |title=A Psychoanalytic History of the Jews |date=1996 |publisher=Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press |isbn=978-0-8386-3660-2 |language=en}}</ref> Within Jewish mysticism and folklore, particularly in Kabbalistic traditions, protective practices were also used to ward off these malevolent spirits. One such practice involves affixing a [[mezuzah]]—a piece of [[parchment]] inscribed with specific Torah verses—to the doorposts of a home. While the mezuzah primarily serves as a reminder of faith and adherence to God's commandments, it is also viewed as a protective amulet against harmful spirits, including dybbuks. The ''[[Zohar]]'', a foundational Kabbalistic text, suggests that a properly affixed mezuzah can prevent such entities from entering a home.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Protective Power of Mezuzah |url=https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/310889/jewish/The-Protective-Power-of-Mezuzah.htm |website=Chabad.org |access-date=2024-11-09}}</ref> Additionally, Jewish folklore includes accounts where neglected or improperly maintained mezuzot were believed to make homes susceptible to dybbuk possession.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dybbuk Shmibbuk |url=https://templeofmiriam.com/blog/dybbuk-shmibbuk |website=Temple of Miriam |access-date=2024-11-09}}</ref> These perspectives emphasize the mezuzah's dual role in Jewish life: as both a symbol of faith and a spiritual safeguard. | ||
== Dybbuk in popular culture == | |||
* The novel ''[[Satan in Goray]]'' by [[Isaac Bashevis Singer]], which portrays the appearance of a dybbuk in the fictional Jewish town of Goray, serves as an early literary version of the well-known motif in Jewish mythology. | |||
* The film ''[[A Serious Man]]'' (2009), directed by [[Joel and Ethan Coen]], starts with a preamble about a dybbuk who visits a poor family living in a stetl. The dybbuk in the film may or may not be a rabbi who is either alive or dead. After being stabbed by the wife of the man who encountered the rabbi and invited him for a meal, the dybbuk walks out of their house and disappears into the snowy night. Whether he was or was not a dybbuk remains unanswered. | |||
* The film ''[[The Possession]]'' (2012), directed by [[Ole Bornedal]], is a supernatural horror film centered around the concept of a dybbuk. The story follows a young girl who becomes increasingly possessed by an evil spirit after discovering an antique [[dybbuk box]] at a yard sale. | |||
* The [[Polish language|Polish]] film ''[[Demon (2015 film)|Demon]]'' is typically interpreted as a story about dybbuk possession. | |||
* The young adult novel ''[[The City Beautiful (novel)|The City Beautiful]]'' (2021) by Aden Polydoros features a gay teenager possessed by a dybbuk in 19th century Chicago. | |||
* The novella ''To Clutch a Razor'' (2025) by [[Veronica Roth]] features a chapter in which a young woman found wandering in the woods is possessed by a dybbuk. | |||
== See also == | == See also == | ||
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* [http://www.ghostvillage.com/legends/2003/legends32_11292003.shtml "Dybbuk – Spiritual Possession and Jewish Folklore"] by Jeff Belanger, Ghostvillage.com | * [http://www.ghostvillage.com/legends/2003/legends32_11292003.shtml "Dybbuk – Spiritual Possession and Jewish Folklore"] by Jeff Belanger, Ghostvillage.com | ||
* [http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/174964/dybbuk "Dybbuk"], ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]'' | * [http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/174964/dybbuk "Dybbuk"], ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]'' | ||
{{Authority control}} | {{Authority control}} | ||
Latest revision as of 01:37, 29 October 2025
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In Jewish mythology, a Script error: No such module "Lang". (Template:IPAc-en; Template:Langx, from the Hebrew verb <templatestyles src="Script/styles_hebrew.css" />דָּבַק Script error: No such module "Lang"., meaning 'adhere' or 'cling') is a malicious possessing spirit believed to be the dislocated soul of a dead person.[1] It supposedly leaves the host body once it has accomplished its goal, sometimes after being exorcised.[2][3][4]
Etymology
Script error: No such module "Lang". comes from the Hebrew word <templatestyles src="Script/styles_hebrew.css" />דִּיבּוּק Script error: No such module "Lang"., meaning 'a case of attachment', which is a nominal form derived from the verb <templatestyles src="Script/styles_hebrew.css" />דָּבַק Script error: No such module "Lang". 'to adhere' or 'cling'.[5]
History
The term first appears in a number of 16th-century writings.[2][6] However, it was ignored by mainstream scholarship until S. An-sky's 1920 play The Dybbuk popularised the concept in literary circles.[6] Earlier accounts of possession, such as that given by Josephus, were of demonic possession rather than that of ghosts.[7] These accounts advocated orthodoxy among the populace as a preventative measure.[2] Script error: No such module "Lang".'s 1937 film The Dybbuk, based on the Yiddish play by S. An-sky, is considered one of the classics of Yiddish filmmaking.[8]
Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum, the Satmar rebbe (1887–1979), is reported to have supposedly advised an individual said to be possessed to consult a psychiatrist.[7]
Traditionally, dybbuks tended to be male spirits. According to Hayyim ben Joseph Vital, women could not become dybbuks because their souls did not participate in gilgul.[9] Sometimes these spirits were said to possess women on the eve of their weddings, typically in a sexual fashion by entering the women through their vaginas, which is seen in An-sky's play.[10] However, men and boys could be possessed as well.[9]
In psychological literature, the Script error: No such module "Lang". has been described as a hysterical syndrome.[11]
Expulsion
In traditional Jewish communities, the concept of the dybbuk served as a socially acceptable way of expressing unacceptable urges, including sexual ones.[12] Within Jewish mysticism and folklore, particularly in Kabbalistic traditions, protective practices were also used to ward off these malevolent spirits. One such practice involves affixing a mezuzah—a piece of parchment inscribed with specific Torah verses—to the doorposts of a home. While the mezuzah primarily serves as a reminder of faith and adherence to God's commandments, it is also viewed as a protective amulet against harmful spirits, including dybbuks. The Zohar, a foundational Kabbalistic text, suggests that a properly affixed mezuzah can prevent such entities from entering a home.[13] Additionally, Jewish folklore includes accounts where neglected or improperly maintained mezuzot were believed to make homes susceptible to dybbuk possession.[14] These perspectives emphasize the mezuzah's dual role in Jewish life: as both a symbol of faith and a spiritual safeguard.
Dybbuk in popular culture
- The novel Satan in Goray by Isaac Bashevis Singer, which portrays the appearance of a dybbuk in the fictional Jewish town of Goray, serves as an early literary version of the well-known motif in Jewish mythology.
- The film A Serious Man (2009), directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, starts with a preamble about a dybbuk who visits a poor family living in a stetl. The dybbuk in the film may or may not be a rabbi who is either alive or dead. After being stabbed by the wife of the man who encountered the rabbi and invited him for a meal, the dybbuk walks out of their house and disappears into the snowy night. Whether he was or was not a dybbuk remains unanswered.
- The film The Possession (2012), directed by Ole Bornedal, is a supernatural horror film centered around the concept of a dybbuk. The story follows a young girl who becomes increasingly possessed by an evil spirit after discovering an antique dybbuk box at a yard sale.
- The Polish film Demon is typically interpreted as a story about dybbuk possession.
- The young adult novel The City Beautiful (2021) by Aden Polydoros features a gay teenager possessed by a dybbuk in 19th century Chicago.
- The novella To Clutch a Razor (2025) by Veronica Roth features a chapter in which a young woman found wandering in the woods is possessed by a dybbuk.
See also
References
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- ↑ See A. Sáenz-Badillos & J. Elwolde, A History of the Hebrew Language, 1996, p. 187 on the qiṭṭūl pattern.
- ↑ a b Spirit Possession in Judaism: Cases and Contexts from the Middle Ages to the Present, by Matt Goldish, p. 41, Wayne State University Press, 2003
- ↑ a b Tree of Souls:The Mythology of Judaism, by Howard Schwartz, pp. 229–230, Oxford University Press, 2004
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Further reading
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External links
- "The Dybbuk" by Ansky Jewish Heritage Online Magazine
- "Dybbuk – Spiritual Possession and Jewish Folklore" by Jeff Belanger, Ghostvillage.com
- "Dybbuk", Encyclopædia Britannica