A Short Guide to Jewish Demonology

Thanks in large part to S. Ansky’s famous play The Dybbuk, demons known as dibbukim—from the word meaning to cleave or stick to something—have become the best-known supernatural beings in Jewish lore. According to Morris Faierstein, the first case of supposed possession by a dybbuk occurred in the Galilean city of Safed, then the epicenter of Jewish mysticism, in 1571, and involved the renowned kabbalist Isaac Luria (a/k/a the Arizal). Faierstein, in conversation with Nachi Weinstein, delves into the history of the idea of dybbuk possession, its connection to beliefs about reincarnation, its possible ancient origins, and an instance of interfaith exorcism involving a dybbuk and a jinn. (Audio, 82 minutes.)