Jewish mythology Jewish mythology is the body of myths associated with Judaism. Elements of Jewish mythology have had a profound influence on Christian mythology and on Islamic mythology, as well as on world culture in general. Christian mythology directly inhe ...

, a (; yi, דיבוק, from the

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

verb meaning 'adhere' or 'cling') is a malicious possessing spirit believed to be the dislocated

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

of a dead person. It supposedly leaves the host body once it has accomplished its goal, sometimes after being

exorcised Exorcism () is the religious or spiritual practice of evicting demons, jinns, or other malevolent spiritual entities from a person, or an area, that is believed to be possessed. Depending on the spiritual beliefs of the exorcist, this may be ...

Etymology

is an abbreviation of ('a cleavage of an evil spirit'), or ('dibbuk from the outside'), which is found in man. comes from the Hebrew word evil which means 'the act of sticking' and is a nominal form derived from the verb 'to adhere' or 'cling'.

History

The term first appears in a number of 16th-century writings,''Spirit Possession in Judaism: Cases and Contexts from the Middle Ages to the Present, by Matt Goldish'', p.41, Wayne State University Press, 2003
/ref> though it was ignored by mainstream scholarship until

S. Ansky Shloyme Zanvl Rappoport (1863 – November 8, 1920), known by his pseudonym S. Ansky (or An-sky), was a Jewish author, playwright, researcher of Jewish folklore, polemicist, and cultural and political activist. He is best known for his play ' ...

's play ''

The Dybbuk ''The Dybbuk'', or ''Between Two Worlds'' (russian: Меж двух миров �ибук}, trans. ''Mezh dvukh mirov ibuk'; yi, צווישן צוויי וועלטן - דער דִבּוּק, ''Tsvishn Tsvey Veltn – der Dibuk'') is a play by ...

'' popularised the concept in literary circles. Earlier accounts of possession (such as that given by

Josephus Flavius Josephus (; grc-gre, Ἰώσηπος, ; 37 – 100) was a first-century Romano-Jewish historian and military leader, best known for ''The Jewish War'', who was born in Jerusalem—then part of Roman Judea—to a father of priestly d ...

) were of demonic possession rather than that of ghosts.''Tree of Souls:The Mythology of Judaism'', by Howard Schwartz, pp. 229–230, Oxford University Press, 1 Nov 2004
/ref> These accounts advocated orthodoxy among the populace as a preventative measure. For example, it was suggested that a sloppily made

mezuzah A ''mezuzah'' ( he, מְזוּזָה "doorpost"; plural: ''mezuzot'') is a piece of parchment, known as a ''klaf'', contained in a decorative case and inscribed with specific Hebrew verses from the Torah ( and ). These verses consist of the J ...

or entertaining doubt about Moses' crossing of the Red Sea opened one's household to possession. Very precise details of names and locations have been included in accounts of . Rabbi

Yoel Teitelbaum Joel Teitelbaum ( yi, יואל טייטלבוים, translit=Yoyl Teytlboym, ; 13 January 1887 – 19 August 1979) was the founder and first Grand Rebbe of the Satmar dynasty. A major figure in the post-war renaissance of Hasidism, he espoused a ...

, the Satmar rebbe (1887–1979), is reported to have supposedly advised an individual said to be possessed to consult a

psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are physicians and evaluate patients to determine whether their sy ...

. Traditionally, dybbuks tended to be male spirits who possessed women on the eve of their weddings typically in a sexual fashion by entering the women through their vaginas which is seen in Ansky's play. Ansky's play is a significant work of

Yiddish theatre Yiddish theatre consists of plays written and performed primarily by Jews in Yiddish, the language of the Central European Ashkenazi Jewish community. The range of Yiddish theatre is broad: operetta, musical comedy, and satiric or nostalgic revues ...

, and has been adapted a number of times by writers, composers, and other creators including

Jerome Robbins Jerome Robbins (born Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz; October 11, 1918 – July 29, 1998) was an American dancer, choreographer, film director, theatre director and producer who worked in classical ballet, on stage, film, and television. Among his nu ...

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first America ...

and

Tony Kushner Anthony Robert Kushner (born July 16, 1956) is an American author, playwright, and screenwriter. Lauded for his work on stage he's most known for his seminal work ''Angels in America'' which earned a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award. At the turn ...

. In the play, a young bride is possessed by the ghost of the man she was meant to marry, had her father not broken a marriage agreement. There are other forms of soul transmigration in Jewish mythology. In contrast to the , the (meaning "impregnation") is a positive possession, which happens when a righteous soul temporarily possesses a body. This is always done with consent, so that the soul can perform a

mitzvah In its primary meaning, the Hebrew word (; he, מִצְוָה, ''mīṣvā'' , plural ''mīṣvōt'' ; "commandment") refers to a commandment commanded by God to be performed as a religious duty. Jewish law () in large part consists of discus ...

. The ( he, גלגול הנשמות, literally 'rolling') puts forth the idea that a soul must live through many lives before it gains the wisdom to rejoin with God. In the psychological literature, the has been described as a hysterical syndrome.

In popular culture

Film

's 1937 film ''

'', based on the Yiddish play by

, is considered one of the classics of Yiddish filmmaking. The was featured as the main antagonist in the horror films '' The Unborn'' (2009), ''

The Possession ''The Possession'' is a 2012 American supernatural horror film directed by Ole Bornedal and produced by Sam Raimi, Robert Tapert, and J. R. Young, and written by Juliet Snowden and Stiles White. It stars Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Kyra Sedgwick, Nat ...

'' (2012), and ''

Ezra Ezra (; he, עֶזְרָא, '; fl. 480–440 BCE), also called Ezra the Scribe (, ') and Ezra the Priest in the Book of Ezra, was a Jewish scribe (''sofer'') and priest (''kohen''). In Greco-Latin Ezra is called Esdras ( grc-gre, Ἔσδρας ...

'' (2017). ''Ezra'', an Indian

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

-language film by Jay K, revolves around a

dybbuk box The Dybbuk box, or Dibbuk box (), is a wine-cabinet claimed to be haunted by a ''dybbuk'', a concept from Jewish mythology. The box gained notoriety when it was auctioned off on eBay by owner Kevin Mannis, who created a story featuring Jewish Holo ...

, with references to Kabbalist traditions and occultism. It was remade in Hindi as ''Dybbuk'' (2021). ''

A Serious Man ''A Serious Man'' is a 2009 American black comedy-drama film written, produced, edited and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. Set in 1967, the film stars Michael Stuhlbarg as a Minnesota Jewish man whose life crumbles both professionally and pe ...

'' opens with a parable about a couple who suspect that the rabbi they are hosting for dinner is a .

Marcin Wrona Marcin Wrona (25 March 1973 – 19 September 2015) was a Polish film director. His film ''Demon (2015 film), Demon'' was shown at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. He debuted at the TIFF in 2010 Toronto International Film Festiva ...

's ''

Demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, ani ...

'' is the story of a groom possessed by a the night before his wedding. In the film ''

To Dust ''To Dust'' is a 2018 American comedy-drama film directed by Shawn Snyder and starring Géza Röhrig and Matthew Broderick, Leo Heller and Sammy Voit. It was produced by Emily Mortimer, Alessandro Nivola and Ron Perlman. The film premiered at the ...

'' (2018) the protagonist is suspected by his children to be possessed by a . The was the main antagonist in the short film ''Dibbuk'' (2019) directed by Dayan D. Oualid. The film deals with an exorcism within the Parisian Jewish community. The possesses a

recliner A recliner is an armchair or sofa that reclines when the occupant lowers the chair's back and raises its front. It has a backrest that can be tilted back, and often a footrest that may be extended by means of a lever on the side of the chair, ...

in the comedy-horror film ''

Killer Sofa ''Killer Sofa'' is a 2019 low-budget direct-to-DVD New Zealand comedy horror film written, directed and produced by Bernie Rao. Starring Piimio Mei, Nathalie Morris, Harley Neville, Stacey King, Jed Brophy, Jim Baltaxe (who also served as producti ...

'' (2019), which causes it to commit murders.

Music

The background score for the 2017 Indian film ''Ezra'' contains a track titled "Dybbuk", an instrumental piece composed by

Sushin Shyam Sushin Shyam is an Indian music composer who works predominantly in the Malayalam film industry. He is also the keyboardist of the Indian folk metal band The Down Troddence. He started gaining popularity in 2018 with the films ''Varathan'' and ...

.Ezra (Original Background Score)

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...

. In March 2020, the

horror punk Horror punk is a music genre that mixes punk rock and 1950s-influenced doo-wop and rockabilly sounds with morbid and violent imagery and lyrics which are often influenced by horror films and science fiction B-movies. The genre was pioneered by ...

band Voice of Doom released the song ''The Dybbuk'' on the album ''Horror Punks USA Quarantine Compilation 2020, Volume 1''.

Print

Romain Gary Romain Gary (; 2 December 1980), born Roman Kacew (, and also known by the pen name Émile Ajar), was a French novelist, diplomat, film director, and World War II aviator. He is the only author to have won the Prix Goncourt under two names. He i ...

's 1967 novel ''The Dance of Genghis Cohn'', a

concentration camp Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...

warden is haunted by the of one of his victims. In Ellen Galford's 1993 novel ''The Dyke and the '', lesbian taxi-driver Rainbow Rosenbloom is haunted by, and gets the better of, a female haunting her as a result of a curse placed on her ancestor 200 years ago. The appears in the novel, ''The Inquisitor's Apprentice'' (2011) by Chris Moriarty.

Richard Zimler Richard Zimler (born 1 January 1956 in Roslyn Heights, New York) is a best-selling author. His books, which have earned him a 1994 National Endowment of the Arts Fellowship in Fiction and the 1998 Herodotus Award, have been published in many c ...

's 2011 novel '' The Warsaw Anagrams'' is narrated by a desperately trying to understand why he has remained in our world. This is in keeping with kabbalistic belief that fail to pass over to the Other Side because of a

or duty that they have failed to fulfill. According to the review in the

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. de ...

, Zimler's novel, "Deserves a place among the most important works of Holocaust literature." In the

Children of the Lamp ''Children of the Lamp'' is a series of contemporary fantasy novels written by the British author Philip Kerr, P. B. Kerr. It tells the story of twins John and Philippa as they discover how to act in the world of Jinn, djinn (genies). The story h ...

series by P.B. Kerr, there is a highly mischievous character named Dybbuk. Like all djinn, Dybbuk has the ability to possess mundanes, or non-djinn humans.

Television

Sidney Lumet Sidney Arthur Lumet ( ; June 25, 1924 – April 9, 2011) was an American film director. He was nominated five times for the Academy Award: four for Best Director for ''12 Angry Men'' (1957), ''Dog Day Afternoon'' (1975), ''Network'' (1976), ...

directed "

", an episode of ''

The Play of the Week ''The Play of the Week'' is an American anthology series of televised stage plays which aired in NTA Film Network syndication from October 12, 1959 to May 1, 1961. Ambitious undertaking The series presented 67 (35 in the first season, 32 in th ...

'' based on the play by S. Ansky adapted into English by Joseph Liss. It aired on October 3, 1960. The " Box" was shown on the first episode of ''

Deadly Possessions ''Deadly Possessions'' was an American paranormal reality television miniseries that aired from April 2, 2016 to May 7, 2016 on the Travel Channel. It featured paranormal investigator Zak Bagans of ''Ghost Adventures'' as he gathered artifacts f ...

'' (spin-off of ''Ghost Adventures''), in which the son of the relative of a

Holocaust survivor Holocaust survivors are people who survived the Holocaust, defined as the persecution and attempted annihilation of the Jews by Nazi Germany and its allies before and during World War II in Europe and North Africa. There is no universally accep ...

recounts the tale of the ' alleged involvement in the deaths surrounding the box. Two boxes were shown in the fourth and final episode of '' Ghost Adventures: Quarantine'' in which ''

Zak Bagans Zachary Bagans is an American paranormal investigator, actor, television personality, museum operator, and author. He is the principal host of the Travel Channel series ''Ghost Adventures''. Early life Bagans was born in Washington, D.C. and ...

'' opens both boxes resulting in him acting strangely aggressive towards other members of the crew. In the TV show ''

Difficult People ''Difficult People'' is an American dark comedy streaming television series created by Julie Klausner. Klausner stars alongside Billy Eichner as two struggling and jaded comedians living in New York City; the duo seemingly hate everyone but each ...

'', Season 3, Episode 3 " Code Change", Billy helps his sister-in-law Rucchel exorcise what she believes to be a from her basement. In the episode of ''

The Real Ghostbusters ''The Real Ghostbusters'' is an American animated television series, a spin-off/sequel of the 1984 comedy film ''Ghostbusters''. The series ran from September 13, 1986, to October 5, 1991, and was produced by Columbia Pictures Television and DI ...

'' titled "Drool, the Dog-faced Goblin", the Ghostbusters discuss with Peter Venkman the many different forms an antagonistic ghost they are facing can take, with Egon Spengler mentioning a . In a later episode titled "The Devil to Pay", the Ghostbusters deal with a demon named Dib Devlin, who swindles Ray Stanz and Winston Zeddemore into selling their souls to compete in his game show. Dib Devlin is later revealed to be a . In the ''

Legends of Tomorrow ''DC's Legends of Tomorrow'', or simply ''Legends of Tomorrow'', is an American Time travel in fiction, time travel superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, and Phil Klem ...

'' episode "Hell No, Dolly", the team goes after a (voiced by

Paul Reubens Paul Reubens (; born Rubenfeld; August 27, 1952) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and children's entertainer. He is known for his character Pee-wee Herman. Reubens joined the Los Angeles troupe The Groundlings in the 1970s, an ...

) stuck in a creepy doll, using the alias "Mike the Spike". The later inhabits a puppet of

Martin Stein Martin Stein is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is commonly associated with, and sometimes is, the superhero Firestorm. Stein has made several appearances in DC-related media, such as the Arrowve ...

. By the end of the next episode, "Mike the Spike" is subdued by the Legends and detained at the Time Bureau.

Theater

Few topics in Jewish theater history have inspired as many stage treatments as the . A review of the innovative approaches to the subject was presented by EgoPo Classic Theater in English translation from the Yiddish, as penned by

Joachim Neugroschel Joachim Neugroschel (13 January 1938—23 May 2011) was a Multilingualism, multilingual Translation#Literary translation, literary translator of French language, French, German language, German, Italian language, Italian, Russian language, Russi ...

and adapted by

, the production directed by Lane Savadove. Containing detailed background information on the history of the dybbuk, "'Don't ask me what happened. It’s best not to know!': A DYBBUK, or Between two worlds" the article was first published by ''All About Jewish Theatre'' the world's largest English-language Jewish theater website, before its demise in 2014, but recently rescued by ''Drama Around the Globe'' and republished by ''Phindie''.
Phindie
'

References

External links

''Jewish Heritage Online Magazine''
"Dybbuk—Spiritual Possession and Jewish Folklore"
by Jeff Belanger, Ghostvillage.com
"Dybbuk"
''

Encyclopædia Britannica The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various time ...

''
''Dibbuk'' short film teaser
* ডিব্বুক (Dybbuk) - Bengali horror fiction based on Dybbuk myth by Tamoghna Naskar. Publisher - Aranyamon Prokashoni https://www.aranyamon.com/ {{Authority control Ghosts Jewish folklore Jewish legendary creatures Jewish mysticism Supernatural legends Yiddish words and phrases Yiddish-language folklore Spirit possession