Dybbuk

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In Kabbalah and European Jewish folklore, a dybbuk is a malicious possessing spirit, believed to be the dislocated soul of a dead person.[1] Dybbuks are said to have escaped from Gehenna, a Hebrew term very loosely translated as "hell," or to have been turned away from Gehenna for transgressions too serious for the soul to be allowed there, such as suicide. The word "dybbuk" is derived from the Hebrew דיבוק, meaning "attachment"; the dybbuk attaches itself to the body of a living person and inhabits it. According to belief, 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. It will leave once it has accomplished its goal, sometimes after being helped.[2]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Dubbuk at concise.britannica.com
  2. ^ Dybbuk at the Encyclopedia Mythica {Accessed February 8, 2007}

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