Fear The Dybbuk: 12 Facts About The Soul-Sucking Demon From Jewish Folklore

[Kazimiera]

Fear The Dybbuk: 12 Facts About The Soul-Sucking Demon From Jewish Folklore

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Dybbuk myths come from Jewish folklore, where they are believed to be spirits of the dead who can take possession of a living human. Some members of the Jewish faith believe a dybbuk was once a living being, but now they are basically a ghost in limbo. In modern times, however, scary stories about dybbuks are usually presented as akin to demonic possession.

The word dybbuk translates to "cling" or "attachment" in Hebrew, so technically, dybbuk can refer to any otherworldly entity that latches onto a human, whether it be of a demonic nature or something that was once alive. In many dybbuk stories, the restless spirit attaches itself to a human host because it has unfinished business here on earth.

Jewish ghost stories and scary Jewish legends warn listeners about what leaves a person susceptible to evil. These beliefs can be traced back to ancient religious texts. Even the Bible makes mention of spirit possession and of Jesus performing exorcisms.

Since a dybbuk was once human, a rabbi may attempt to communicate with it, find out what it wants, and convince it to leave. The dybbuk can choose to remove itself at anytime, or its victim may be able to drive it away with a religious ceremony.

Study these scary Jewish myths and stories of the dybbuk to make sure you don't make yourself vulnerable to these otherworldly spirits.

Dybbuks Can Possess Lapsed Jews And Non-Believers



Getting lazy with religious practices or doubting the tenets of Judaism are apparently ways to leave yourself open to dybbuks. There is a myth that those who are doubtful about Moses crossing the Red Sea are opening themselves to dybbuk possession. And if you have sloppily-made mezuzah, you may as well throw down a dybbuk welcome mat.


Dybbuks Use Humans As Vessels For Their Unfinished Business



In Kabbalistic tradition, a restless soul can become a dybbuk and latch onto a living person to settle its unfinished business. Some myths say dybbuks escaped from Gehenna (roughly equivalent to Jewish purgatory or hell), while others say dybbuks were flat-out rejected from entering Gehenna for committing serious offenses like suicide.


They Can Latch On To Objects As Well As People



Kevin Mannis purchased an old wine cabinet from an estate sale back in 2003 and was plagued with paranormal activity since he brought it home. According to Mannis, it had belonged to a Holocaust survivor named Havela. When Mannis later offered to give the box back to Havela’s family, her granddaughter refused it and said it had been kept sealed up because a dybbuk lived inside it.

Of course, Mannis had already opened it. Inside he found two 1920s pennies, a bound lock of blonde hair, a bound lock of dark hair, a small statue engraved with the word "Shalom," a golden wine goblet, a dried rose bud, and a candle holder.

He suffered vivid nightmares after opening the box and decided to gift the cursed object to his own mother, who suffered a stroke right after receiving it. Mannis put the dybbuk box up for auction on eBay and since then it's made the rounds - and made quite the reputation for itself.


A Truman State Student Bought The Dybbuk Box And Lost His Hair



The infamous dybbuk box has changed hands several times since Mannis listed it on eBay. Everyone who has owned the box has complained of nightmares of an old hag and the smell of cat urine or jasmine flowers mysteriously wafting through the air near the box.

According to previous dybbuk box owner Losif Neitzke, in addition to horrific nightmares and strange smells, all the lights in his home began to burn out constantly and he began suffering hair loss. His hair literally fell out of his head for no known medical reason.


The Dybbuk Box Plagued Jason Haxton With Mysterious Illnesses



Jason Haxton, the Director of the Museum of Osteopathic Medicine in Missouri, was next in line to purchase the dybbuk box. He bought it from Losif Neitzke after Neitzke had had enough of it. Haxton experienced the same things the previous owners did; however, he also developed various health issues that couldn’t be explained. He would break out in hives, mysterious welts would appear all over his body, and he was even coughing up blood.

It was Haxton who finally took the cursed box to paranormal specialists and religious leaders to get it sealed again. Once the entity was sealed up tight, Haxton buried it. He kept its location secret for years, hoping to figure out its “truth” and find the right person to “help” it. It appears he found the right person and recently sold the dybbuk box to paranormal investigator Zak Bagans, who plans on displaying it in his haunted museum.


A Dybbuk Tormented King Saul In The Bible



There are multiple mentions of spirit interference with humans in ancient scriptures. Often these mentions are treated like a casual blip, very nonchalant, like spirit possession was totally mundane.

It’s possible an evil dybbuk latched onto King Saul at a time when he was undergoing a spiritual degeneration. The Old Testament describes the spirit attachment in the Book of Samuel, stating: "And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul..." It was through the soothing music played by David that the spirit was eased out of its attachment to the king.


The Prophet Elijah Was Possessed By A Dybbuk



The Bible's Book of Kings tells of the prophet Elijah dealing with possession by a dark and manipulative spirit. Elijah was invaded by the spirit of a dead man who wanted to trick the king into going to war.


The Dybbuk Can Drive People To Madness



When a person’s spirit and body are not connected and operating in unison, they can fall victim to a dybbuk. Dybbuks prey on the weak or the mentally ill. Humans suffering from depression, psychosis, or who habitually use mind-altering drugs are all believed to be hospitable environments for the dybbuk. Once inside the person, the dybbuk grows exceedingly wicked and worsens any preexisting conditions. It can drive its victim deeper into despair until they succumb to madness.


The Host Takes On Traits Of The Dybbuk



A dybbuk may possesses someone only in pursuit of its own unfinished business, but it invades the body in a way that changes its host, as well. Unlike films where possession is depicted as two streams of consciousness existing in one body, a dybbuk slowly becomes the person it was while alive, and it brings its host along for the ride.

So, for example, if the dybbuk was a heavy drinker or smoker in life, then its host will now become one, too. If the dybbuk died alone, it will isolate the host from his family and friends so the dybbuk can exist in familiar circumstances. The dybbuk will make the host perform the same sins it did during its own lifetime.


Jewish Exorcisms Coax The Dybbuk Out Of Its Victim



Most religions have some form of exorcism ritual to cast out evil, but in the Jewish faith, it’s more of a coaxing. Rabbis who have mastered practical Kabbalah are able to perform the ritual. With them is a group of ten men, known as a minyan. They gather around the afflicted in a circle to pray.

The group recites Psalm 91 three times while the rabbi blows a shofar (a ram's horn) in a specific tone. This is meant to "shatter the body," spiritually speaking, so the entity will be shaken loose.

Since a dybbuk is not considered demonic, the rabbi will attempt to appeal to its humanity. He asks the dybbuk questions about what it wants from its host and why it’s still here. The whole ceremony is meant to communicate with the spirit and appease it so it willingly leaves the person’s body.


“The Possession” Was Based On The Alleged True Story Of The Dybbuk Box



In 2012, Sam Raimi produced The Possession, which was loosely based on the dybbuk box. In it, a young girl named Emily becomes obsessed with an antique wooden box from a yard sale. The box whispers to her. She talks to it, and wears a ring she found inside the box. Eventually, she begins to undergo dark changes, she becomes violent at school and at home, she even stabs her father in the hand with a fork. As it turns out, the box contains an evil dybbuk looking to possess a human host and it has little Emily in its sights.


In “The Unborn,” The Dybbuk Is Seeking Vengeance



In the movie The Unborn, a dybbuk returns in the form of a little boy who died in the womb after being strangled with his twin sister’s umbilical cord. The dybbuk plagues Casey (his would-be sister) with nightmares and hopes to gain access to the physical world by taking over her body and booting her out. Casey later finds this dybbuk is far older than her unborn twin and it’s been attached to her family since her grandmother stopped it once before, back in World War II. Now it clings to the family, hoping for revenge and a body of its own.

[spik]

Only they should fear him.

[Bobby Martnen]

Oy vey!