Dybbuk comes from the Hebrew wordדִּיבּוּקdibūq, meaning 'a case of attachment', which is a nominal form derived from the verbדָּבַקdāḇaq 'to adhere' or 'cling'.[5]
The term first appears in a number of 16th-century writings.[2][6] However, it was ignored by mainstream scholarship untilS. An-sky's 1920 playThe Dybbuk popularised the concept in literary circles.[6] Earlier accounts of possession, such as that given byJosephus, were of demonic possession rather than that of ghosts.[7] These accounts advocatedorthodoxy among the populace as a preventative measure.[2]Michał Waszyński's 1937 filmThe Dybbuk, based on the Yiddish play by S. An-sky, is considered one of the classics ofYiddish filmmaking.[8]
Traditionally, dybbuks tended to be male spirits. According toHayyim ben Joseph Vital, women could not become dybbuks because their souls did not participate ingilgul.[9] Sometimes these spirits were said to possess women on the eve of their weddings, typically in a sexual fashion by entering the women through their vaginas, which is seen in An-sky's play.[10] However, men and boys could be possessed as well.[9]
In psychological literature, thedybbuk has been described as ahysterical syndrome.[11]
In traditional Jewish communities, the concept of the dybbuk served as a socially acceptable way of expressing unacceptable urges, including sexual ones.[12] 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 amezuzah—a piece ofparchment 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. TheZohar, a foundational Kabbalistic text, suggests that a properly affixed mezuzah can prevent such entities from entering a home.[13] Additionally, Jewish folklore includes accounts where neglected or improperly maintained mezuzot were believed to make homes susceptible to dybbuk possession.[14] These perspectives emphasize the mezuzah's dual role in Jewish life: as both a symbol of faith and a spiritual safeguard.
The novelSatan in Goray byIsaac Bashevis Singer, which portrays the appearance of a dybbuk in the fictional Jewish town of Goray, serves as an early literary version of the well-known motif in Jewish mythology.
The filmA Serious Man (2009), directed byJoel and Ethan Coen, starts with a preamble about a dybbuk who visits a poor family living in a stetl. The dybbuk in the film may or may not be a rabbi who is either alive or dead. After being stabbed by the wife of the man who encountered the rabbi and invited him for a meal, the dybbuk walks out of their house and disappears into the snowy night. Whether he was or was not a dybbuk remains unanswered.
The filmThe Possession (2012), directed byOle Bornedal, is a supernatural horror film centered around the concept of a dybbuk. The story follows a young girl who becomes increasingly possessed by an evil spirit after discovering an antiquedybbuk box at a yard sale.
ThePolish filmDemon is typically interpreted as a story about dybbuk possession.
The young adult novelThe City Beautiful (2021) by Aden Polydoros features a gay teenager possessed by a dybbuk in 19th century Chicago.
The novellaTo Clutch a Razor (2025) byVeronica Roth features a chapter in which a young woman found wandering in the woods is possessed by a dybbuk.
^Billu, Y; Beit-Hallahmi, B (1989). "Dybbuk-Possession as a hysterical symptom: Psychodynamic and socio-cultural factors".Israel Journal of Psychiatry and Related Science.26 (3):138–149.PMID2606645.
