Demonology and the belief in spirits (dibboukim, dybbuks)

The belief in the dybbuk, the wandering soul of a deceased person attaching itself to the body of a living one, flourished in the Jewish world of Eastern Europe in the modern era. It stands at the intersection of Lurianic Kabbalah, which developed the notion of the transmigration of souls (guilgoul), and a rich popular folklore of spirits and demons. Accounts report cases of possession and exorcism rituals conducted by kabbalists or renowned masters. More broadly, Jewish demonology included figures such as the shedim and Lilith, integrated into protective practices and ethical and mystical literature. The play The Dybbuk by S. Ansky, written in the early twentieth century based on ethnographic research, enshrined this belief in literary and theatrical culture and made it a universal symbol.

Sources & resources

• The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe ↗
• Encyclopaedia Judaica — 2e éd., Keter/Macmillan