Image: “Dybbuk,” by Ephraim Moses Lilien (1874–1925), submitted 15 May 2012, in Wikimedia Commons … https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dybbuk.jpg … public domain
Image: “Dybbuk,” by Ephraim Moses Lilien (1874–1925), submitted 15 May 2012, in Wikimedia Commons … https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dybbuk.jpg … public domain
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Dear Ones,
I ran across a new word today: Dybbuk. I looked it up in English Wikipedia …
“In Jewish mythology, a dybbuk … from the Hebrew verb dabaq meaning ‘adhere’ or ‘cling’… is a malicious possessing spirit believed to be the dislocated soul of a dead person. … It supposedly leaves the host body once it has accomplished its goal, sometimes after being exorcised.”
More about that is here: Link: “Dybbuk,” in English Wikipedia … https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dybbuk..
The dybbuk was a concept adhered to in Eastern Europe in the 16th and 17th century. Some classified obsession by a dybbuk as a hysterical condition and advised consultation with a rabbi or with a psychologist.
It looks like only men could become dybbuks after passing on, as women were thought not to reincarnate. In earlier days it was not the ghost of a man but a demon that was said to cause this kind of obsession or possession.
Here is more from the above-cited English Wikipedia link …
“In traditional Jewish communities, the concept of the dybbuk served as a socially acceptable way of expressing unacceptable urges, including sexual ones …
“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 … Additionally, Jewish folklore includes accounts where neglected or improperly maintained mezuzot were believed to make homes susceptible to dybbuk possession …
These perspectives emphasize the mezuzah’s dual role in Jewish life: as both a symbol of faith and a spiritual safeguard.”
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I see an analogy between the Jewish placement of a sacred parchment on the doorpost to my placement of a cross beside the doorways of my home and my placement Christian holy water on the wall of the entryway of my home.
In love, light and joy
This is Alice B. Clagett.
I Am of the Stars … and so are you!
Written and published on 17 May 2025
For more on obsession and possession see my blog category: Exorcism – obsession – possession – entity attachment ..
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0). Attribution: By Alice B. Clagett.
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obsession, possession, ghosts, demons,
