#dybbukim

[thejewitches]

What are Dybbukim? How can we interpret our tradition surrounding them during this fraught moment, as Jewish communities cling to and cleave from tradition, spirituality, and ḥesed (loving-kindness)?

What are our dybbukim?

How does the tradition of Dybbukim engage with our values of Hereness?

As we seek international solidarity while remaining rooted in Jewishness; transformational and yet, demanding of us to be present and connected to the past, never without our roots & the conditions that we re-imagine this ancestral wisdom in.

The stunning images were created by @mygolem_is_here and photographers Aaron Farley and Magda Chudzik.

As a reminder, this is one interpretation and experience of Jewish folkore and folklife. This post focuses on the experience of Ashkenazim in Poland. Jewishness is diverse & vast: this post serves as representation of one facet of it.

Julie Wetz resides in Poland.

[shtetlcore]

Yentl/Anshl (Yentl 1983) vs. Dybbukim (Folklore)

Yentl/Anshl

Dybbukim

Voting ended onFeb 28, 2023

It’s Yentl’s dream to study the holy texts. Dressed as a man named Anshl, she goes to yeshiva to do just that. But is his secret safe?

A cemetery is a dangerous place. If you’re not careful, a dybbuk may possess you. This restless soul refuses to move on to the next world, and now your body is under its control.

[thejewitches]

Read the article here.

[thejewitches]

The Deal with the Dybbuk

In 2003, a listing appeared on eBay for a box haunted by a dybbuk. With the Hebrew word Shema inscribed on the back, the lister, Kevin Mannis, wove an intricate story of a Jewish Holocaust survivor and a demon trapped in a wine box. The Internet flew into a rage, fascinated and sickened by the idea of a box so terrible

Have you heard of Dybbukim?

[thejewitches]

Hey there! I just read your article on the Dybbuk box. Loved the article and was hoping you wouldn't mind a question about it. In the beginning and at the end of the piece it says that the word "Shema" is carved into the box, but once in the middle of the article it says the word "shalom" is carved in it. Is there more than one word engraved on the box? I am a little sleep deprived today so I wasn't sure if I was reading it wrong lol I really appreciate your blog! Thanks for taking the time to read this!

Hi there,

The box itself was engraved with Shema on the back, however, "Within the box were the following items: ... a small statue engraved with the Hebrew word "shalom"... (1)"

Within the box was a statue engraved with shalom while the actual mini-bar box had the prayer carved into the back of it. See the image below.

"After opening the cabinet, he found a series of strange objects inside: two U.S. wheat pennies dating to 1925 and 1928, two locks of hair, a dried rosebud, a four-legged candlestick, a golden wine cup, and a granite sculpture inscribed with the Hebrew word shalom. The Shema, a prayer considered to be one of the most important in Judaism, was carved on the back of the cabinet." Another citation, not affiliated with us.

The Jewitches article is here.

[shtetlcore]

There will be a dybbuk, or dybbukim, in the competition. However, should this be:

1. The titular dybbuk of Der Dibek; that is, the character Chonen (styled as "The Dybbuk (The Dybbuk)")

3. Dybbukim in general (styled as "Dybbukim")

So, nu

The Dybbuk (The Dybbuk)

Dybbukim

Voting ended onFeb 23, 2023

[juanepstein]

Ok so in the last kabbalist of Lisbon, Berekiah's neighbor informs him that someone in the household is possessed by an ibbur...but the description is clearly of a dybbuk and I'm confused because ibburim are supposed to be really nice and help you fulfil good deeds and do mitzvot and require your permission before entering you??? Am I missing something???