#dybbuk box

[thejewitches]

The Dybbuk Box is still one of the most asked about topics and the Jewitches Patrons voted that this was the post they wanted to see first!

[will-o-the-witch]

What the Heck is a Dybbuk Box?

In short, it's an entertaining bunch of bullshit. Here's the backstory!

Dybbukim

A Dybbuk (spelled דיבוק in Yiddish) derives from the Hebrew word דָּבַק, to cling. (The suffix -im or makes it plural.) It's a displaced human spirit of a dead person that possesses a living human in order to accomplish a goal, then leaves once finished (unless you exorcise it beforehand.) These possessions are always nonconsensual, typically forcing you to act on negative repressed impulses (often of a sexual nature.) This is in contrast to Ibbur, where a righteous soul possesses a consenting individual in order to perform a mitzvah. Historically, dybbukim served as a warning against improper behavior or unorthodoxy, which would open your household to the risk of dybbukim. It's also been viewed as a folk explanation for "hysteria" in women.

While it's been written about since the 1500s, it wasn't a super popular concept until S. Ansky's play The Dybbuk in the early 1900s (a classic in Yiddish theatre!)

The Box

The dybbuk box was first created on eBay, 2003. A man named Kevin Mannis was selling a refurbished wine cabinet he got from a yard sale, adding the story in the item description to give it a little flair. People bought and re-sold the cabinet, each adding their own paranormal claims to how the dybbuk had given them nightmares and bad luck.

The hoax became an urban legend, then a sensation, even as Mannis publicly admits to having made the whole thing up. He's even said if anybody could find reference to a dybbuk box before his post, "I’ll pay you $100,000.00 and tattoo your name on my forehead." Even still, the legends/paranormal claims surrounding the box continue to this day! (Post Malone even had a run-in in 2018.) Mannis said to Input Magazine in 2021: "I am a creative writer. The Dybbuk Box is a story that I created. And the Dybbuk Box story has done exactly what I intended it to do when I posted it 20 years ago... Which is to become an interactive horror story in real-time." Which, as a writer, I will admit is pretty dang cool.

Other Neat Stuff

The concept of a dybbuk box might be a wash, but there are lots of other similar legends of super-haunted/unlucky dolls, gems, etc. Just think of the hope diamond, or how people write apology letters to Robert the Doll for disrespecting him after a string of misfortune post-visit! Spirit anchors are a fairly common practice for modern-day witches/magic practitioners, so a malevolent spirit taking up residence in a wine cabinet isn't that far-fetched. It's just not going to be a Dybbuk. The dybbuk box inspired the horror movie The Possession (2012.) It... got pretty middling reviews. While I wouldn't call it a particularly good movie overall, the horror film The Unborn (2009) portrays dybbukim in an interesting way much more accurate to the original folklore (plus it's written by a Jewish author!)

[luckys-last-brain-cell]

Dybbuk boxes are hilarious to me because since the story first started circulating Jews have been saying “this absolutely isn’t a thing, this isn’t how Dybbukim operate, this is garbage in fancy wrapping paper,” and goyische ghost hunters and paranormal enthusiasts have completely ignored that and spent ridiculous amounts of money on empty boxes.

Sorry, Zak Bagans. You bought into a hoax.

[witchyfashion]

Cursed Objects: Strange but True Stories of the World's Most Infamous Items

Beware...this book is cursed! These strange but true stories of the world’s most infamous items will appeal to true believers as well as history buffs, horror fans, and anyone who loves a good spine-tingling tale. They’re lurking in museums, graveyards, and private homes. Their often tragic and always bizarre stories have inspired countless horror movies, reality TV shows, novels, and campfire tales. They’re cursed objects, and all they need to unleash a wave of misfortune is . . . you. Many of these unfortunate items have intersected with some of the most notable events and people in history, leaving death and destruction in their wake. But never before have the true stories of these eerie oddities been compiled into a fascinating and chilling volume. Inside, readers will learn about:   • Annabelle the Doll, a Raggedy Ann doll that featured in the horror franchise The Conjuring   • The Unlucky Mummy, which is rumored to have sunk the Titanic and kick-started World War I     • The Dybbuk box, which was sold on eBay and spawned the horror film The Possession   • The Conjured Chest, which has been blamed for fifteen deaths within a single family   • The Ring of Silvianus, a Roman artifact believed to have inspired J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit     • And many more!

https://amzn.to/3kZx6Qf

[dailyunsolvedmysteries]

Dybbuk Box

The Dybbuk Box came into light in 2001 when Kevin Mannis purchased a wine cabinet and started having terrible nightmares. He then decided to gift the cabinet to his mother who suffered a stroke the very day she received it. Not just this, every person who ever owned that wine cabinet has reported experiencing horrible events. The last owner of the cabinet Jason Haxton found out that the box possesses the spirit of a malicious Jewish creature called Dybbuk, who has the ability to haunt and possess the living.  

[thepaganone]

Hey witches,

I want to talk about Dybbuk and Dybbuk Boxes today. I am not Jewish, or have Jewish heritage, but in light of some recent trends going around I did some quick research to spread information. Let's go!

1. In Judaism, or Jewish mythology, a Dybbuk/Dibbuk or plural, Dybbukim, is a disembodied human spirit that, because of former sins, wanders restlessly until it finds a haven in the body of a living person. 

2. People believed to have been possessed by a Dybbuk, usually one with a nervous or mental disorder, were taken to a Rabbi (ba'al shem). Rabbi's were the ONLY ones believed to be able to expel the Dybbuk from the person via an exorcism.

3. A Dybbuk box was traditionally a wine box/cabinet that was haunted by a Dybbuk, not used to trap one. The english term "Dybbuk box" was only coined recently from the eBay auction this trend started from.

So, please, STOP asking non-Jewish witches to "trap" or expel a Dybbuk with a wine cabinet. If you believe you are in contact with a Dybbuk, PLEASE respectfully ask to speak with your local Rabbi. Do your research, and do not appropriate Jewish culture or use their mythology for entertainment.

[lucentparanormal]

A mist like apparition is captured at 4:53am by security cameras at Zak Bagans Haunted Museum.

This mist appears to emerge for just a moment, triggers the camera and surrounds the Dybbuk box held at the museum.

A Dybbuk box is s a wine box which is said to be haunted by a dybbuk. A dybbuk (from Jewish mythology) is a restless, usually malicious, spirit believed to be able to haunt and even possess the living. 

In one frame, it is believed the mist forms the eyes of the Dybbuk that is held within this box. This frame resembles a fiend from hell depicted in 19th century literature.

This footage is featured in Ghost Adventures Quarantine, Season one episode four.

[phoenixisdabestwriter]

Writing Prompt 364

      You tapped the small little black box in the pocket of your yellow hoodie repeatedly, just to make sure it was there. You weren’t sure how you managed to steal such a valuable thing, but you did. The dark door opened silently, the tall figure standing there. Their lip twitched slightly as they looked at you, a faint smirk on their face.

       “Evening to you, love. What brings you ‘ere to my funeral parlor?” They asked, taking a few steps back and beckoning you in. “Come, come. I’ll get the biscuits ready.”

       You flashed a nervous smile and walked inside, standing near a simple coffin. They closed the door and walked over to the table at the back, sitting behind it. You quickly ran over to it, fishing the velvet black box out of your pocket and setting it down on the dusty table. It looked even darker in the dim light of the candles in the room. They looked at it curiously, grinning at the insignia.

       “What is it? How’d you manage to steal it? I thought you could only collect information, Sunshine.”

        “Take a look inside.” You said, smiling. “It’s quite valuable and has some of the best information. I brought it here since I want you to authenticate it. My skills are great, but I just wanted to make sure.”

        “And if I were to steal it for myself?” They asked, looking up at you with their hands under their chin. 

         “You wouldn’t be able to keep it since you’re not...” You waved your arm around, trying to find a word to best describe them without giving away that you knew what they were. “Normal.” 

          “And neither are you, Sunshine.” They said, their smirk turning into a frown. “Is it haunted?”

          “No. It’s not a dybbuk box either, don’t worry”