Hi Stokeyuk
had a bit of a chat with a few mate in isreal about is (Dybbuk) this is what i have managed to big up so far
In Kabbalah and European Jewish folklore, a
dybbuk is a
malicious possessing spirit, believed to be the dislocated soul of a
dead person that must wander restlessly, burdened by former sins, until
it inhabits the body of a living person
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Nature OriginThere are various origins attributed to these spirits. The earliest
description usually hinted that they may be nonhuman demons. Later it
was assumed they were the spirits of persons who have died and escaped
from Gehenna, a Hebrew term very loosely translated as "hell." The
dybbuk may be the soul of a sinner, who wishes to escape the just
punishment meted to it by the angels of the grave who seek to beat
them, or to avoid another form of soul punishment, which is wandering
the earth. Last but not least, it is also considered as a soul that has
not been able to fulfill its function in its lifetime is given another
opportunity to do so in the form of a dybbuk.
EtymologyThe word "dybbuk" is the Hebrew word for "cleaving" or "clinging
BehaviorA dybbuk may seek revenge for some evil that was done to it while it
lived. Alternatively, it may be lost, and will enter a body simply to
seek a rabbi who would be able to help it and send it on its way. The
living person may or may not know that a dybbuk is occupying his or her
body, or it may be tormented by it. This depends on the intent of the
possessing soul.the dybbuk attaches itself to the body of a living
person and inhabits it. It will leave once it has accomplished its
goal, sometimes after being helped.
PowersBelief in such spirits was common in eastern Europe in the 16th–17th
century. Individuals thought to be possessed by a dybbuk were taken to
a ba'al shem, who would carry out a rite of exorcism. The mystic Isaac
ben Solomon Luria helped promote belief in dybbukim with his doctrine
of the transmigration of souls. The folklorist S. Ansky depicted such a
spirit in his classic Yiddish drama The Dybbuk (c. 1916). The Jewish exorcism ritual is performed by a rabbi who has
mastered practical Kabbalah. The ceremony involves a quorum of 10
people who gather in a circle around the possessed person. The group
recites Psalm 91 three times, and the rabbi blows the shofar -- a ram's
horn. The point of the exorcism is to heal the person being possessed
and the spirit doing the possessing.
History/BeliefsThe Talmud refers to the spirits of the dead and to exorcism, but
the concept of transmigration is not part of mainstream Judaism. In the
Old Testament of the Bible, in the Book of Samuel (18:10), a bad spirit
is briefly described as attaching itself to King Saul, the first king
elected chieftain of the ancient tribes of Israel: "And it came to pass
on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul..." Later
in the Bible, in the Book of Kings, the prophet Elijah is possessed by
the spirit of a dead man who is trying to get the prophet to trick the
King into going to war when he wasn't supposed to. The earliest
versions are traced to various non-Jewish sources, including Greek,
Indian, Gnostic, Christian, and the Islamic Mutazila sect. The concept entered Judaism in earnest only during the 8th
century and by the 12th century it became an established part of the
Kabbalah. The 16th century schools of mysticism embraced it, including
the Safed circle headed by Isaac Luria. When Hasidism developed, the
belief took final hold. There is a vast body of Jewish literature that
dwells on the transmigration of souls, and it spans the centuries
mentioned above.
FamilyIn this entire body of myth and legend, which includes books,
folktales, and plays, the souls described can be roughly divided into
three forms, depending on each soul's origin and intent.
- The first form is the Gilgul, which is the Hebrew word for
"rolling," but means, in this context, the transmigration of the soul.
Generally, it is represented as a natural sequence in the life of the
soul, who must occupy various bodies to learn the many lessons it needs
before it can be free to reunite with God. The soul simply enters the
body at birth (not at conception), just as the infant is about to leave
the mother's body, and prepares to live whatever normal life span has
been allotted to it.
- The second form of transmigration is the Dybbuk, a disembodied spirit possessing a living body that belongs to another soul.
- The third form is the Ibbur ('sod ha'ibbur'). The literal
translation of the word from Hebrew means "impregnation." Ibbur is the
most positive form of possession, and the most complicated. It happens
when a righteous soul decides to occupy a living person's body for a
time, and joins, or spiritually "impregnates" the existing soul. Ibbur
is always temporary, and the living person may or may not know that it
has taken place. Often the living person has graciously given consent
for the Ibbur. The reason for Ibbur is always benevolent -- the
departed soul wishes to complete an important task, to fulfil a
promise, or to perform a Mitzva (a religious duty) that can only be
accomplished in the flesh.
I hope this is of help and there are links so you can find out more if you want?
Sat Jan 04, 2014 1:48 pm by Ian
