Dybbuk myths are rooted in Jewish folklore. Dybbuk directly translates to mean ‘cling’ or ‘attachment’ in Hebrew, so technically it can be in reference to any otherworldly entity that latches onto a human. This means it could be demonic or a human spirit.
In the Jewish faith, the word dybbuk refers to a malicious spirit who can possess living humans. While this sounds demonic and is often equated to demonic possession, it’s also believed they can be dislocated human spirits. Whether human or demon, the term refers to a negative, low-vibrational spirits. Why does this distinction matter? Well, that determines the approaches you can take to get rid of it.
Since the dybbuk was once a human, a Rabbi may attempt to communicate with it, find out what it wants, and convince it to leave. The dybbuk can choose to stay or remove itself at anytime, to truly rid oneself of one would mean driving it away with religious ceremony. It can be exorcised, bound or sealed away. This list contains a combination of dybbuk stories and the scary Jewish myths that were built around them.
Jewish legends about what leaves a person susceptible to evil, can be traced back to ancient religious text. Even the Bible makes mention of spirit possession and Jesus performing exorcisms.
Dybbuks Tend To Possess Lapsed Jews, Non-Believers, & Or Those Spiritually / Religiously Lazy
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. Oh, and if you have sloppily-made mezuzah, you may as well throw down a dybbuk welcome mat.
The Dybbuk Box May Have Cursed Post Malone
Over the summer of 2018, rapper Post Malone suffered a string of seriously bad luck. His private jet almost crashed in August, and in September, another driver t-boned his Rolls Royce and he was the target of an unsuccessful armed robbery. Ghost Adventures star Zak Bagans thinks he knows why the rapper feels so cursed, and it involves the Dybbuk box. It was in June 2018, when Post Malone visited Bagans at his Haunted Museum in Las Vegas. The rapper had an eerie encounter with the Dybbuk Box, allegedly the world’s most haunted object. After having a couple beers, Bagans showed Post Malone the box without the protective case. Bagans touched the box and then Post Malone grabbed Bagans’s shoulder and let out a scream. Bagans suspects this is how the dybbuk attached itself to him.
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.
Dybbuks Can Be Bound To Objects, Like The Famous Dybbuk Box
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.
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 Truman State University Student Bought The Dybbuk Box And Lost His Hair
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.
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 Plagued 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 possesses someone in pursuit of its own unfinished business. But it invades the body in a way that changes the host. Unlike films that depict possession as two streams of consciousness existing in one body, a dybbuk slowly becomes the person it was while alive. It simply brings its host along for the ride.
For example, if the dybbuk was a heavy drinker or smoker in life, its host will now become one, too. If the dybbuk died alone, it will isolate the host so it can exist in familiar circumstances. The dybbuk will make the host perform the same sins it did during its own lifetime.
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