Dybbuk

Lore & Background

The dybbuk is a malicious possessing spirit in Jewish mythology, understood as the dislocated soul of a dead person. It supposedly leaves the host body once it has accomplished its goal, sometimes after being exorcised. The term comes from the Hebrew word דִּיבּוּק (dibūq), meaning 'a case of attachment', derived from the verb דָּבַק (dāḇaq) 'to adhere' or 'cling'. The concept first appears in a number of 16th-century writings but was ignored by mainstream scholarship until S. An-sky's 1920 play *The Dybbuk* popularised it in literary circles. Earlier accounts of possession, such as that given by Josephus, were of demonic possession rather than ghosts. Michał Waszyński's 1937 film *The Dybbuk*, based on An-sky's play, is considered a classic of Yiddish filmmaking.

Reader's Guide

The dybbuk represents a distinctive Jewish form of spirit possession, closely tied to kabbalistic doctrines of gilgul (transmigration of souls) and ibbur (positive soul attachment). Unlike demonic possession, the dybbuk is the soul of a dead person, often a sinner, that enters a living body to seek rectification, confess guilt, or complete an unresolved task. Exorcism rituals, involving divine names, adjurations, and communal prayer, existed in a contested boundary between permitted healing and forbidden magic. The phenomenon raises philosophical questions about personal identity, agency, and moral responsibility, as the possessed person may speak in another voice and disclose hidden information. In modern times, some rabbinic authorities, such as Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum, have advised psychiatric evaluation, while others have performed exorcisms, including a widely publicized 1999 case in Dimona, Israel. The dybbuk has become a metaphor for unresolved memory, historical trauma, and forbidden love in literature and theatre.

Did You Know?

• The term 'dybbuk' first appears in 16th-century writings but was ignored by mainstream scholarship until S. An-sky's 1920 play *The Dybbuk*.
• Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum, the Satmar rebbe, reportedly advised an individual said to be possessed to consult a psychiatrist.
• In kabbalistic sources, a dybbuk is distinguished from ibbur, a positive attachment of an additional soul to assist the living.
• A widely publicized 1999 case in Dimona, Israel involved a widow claiming possession by her deceased husband; Rabbi David Batzri performed an exorcism shown on Israeli television.