Jewish Supernatural III - Possessions: Dybbuk, Ibbur, Maggid

Josephus, War of the Jews, Book 7, chapter 6 par. 3

Now within this place [Herodium, or Herod's Palace] there grew a sort of rue that deserves our wonder on account of its largeness, for it was no way inferior to any fig tree whatsoever, either in height or in thickness; and the report is, that it had lasted ever since the times of Herod, and would probably have lasted much longer, had it not been cut down by those Jews who took possession of the place afterward. But still in that valley which encompasses the city on the north side there is a certain place called Baaras, which produces a root of the same name with itself its color is like to that of flame, and towards the evenings it sends out a certain ray like lightning. It is not easily taken by such as would do it, but recedes from their hands, nor will yield itself to be taken quietly, until either the urine of a woman, or her menstrual blood, be poured upon it; nay, even then it is certain death to those that touch it, unless any one take and hang the root itself down from his hand, and so carry it away. It may also be taken another way, without danger, which is this: they dig a trench quite round about it, till the hidden part of the root be very small, they then tie a dog to it, and when the dog tries hard to follow him that tied him, this root is easily plucked up, but the dog dies immediately, as if it were instead of the man that would take the plant away; nor after this need any one be afraid of taking it into their hands. Yet, after all this pains in getting, it is only valuable on account of one virtue it has, that if it be only brought to sick persons, it quickly drives away those called demons, which are no other than the spirits of the wicked, that enter into men that are alive and kill them, unless they can obtain some help against them. Here are also fountains of hot water, that flow out of this place, which have a very different taste one from the other; for some of them are bitter, and others of them are plainly sweet. Here are also many eruptions of cold waters, and this not only in the places that lie lower, and have their fountains near one another, but, what is still more wonderful ...

[full text available at:

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2850/2850-h/2850-h.htm]

Three different cases of possessions in Judaism:

1. Maggid - [preacher/teller; root: נ.ג.ד.] this is an angelic presence that comes at the request of the possessed, and teaches the sage. Yosef Karo (Toledo, 1488- Tzfat, 1575) had such a presence with him, and wrote extensively about it in his mystical dairy Maggid Mesharim, published in 1646. Scholar and Rabbi Louis Jacobs concluded that "Followers of the Haskalah, embarrassed that one of their heroes, with his keen logical mind should have kept a mystical diary, denied that Caro was the author of the Maggid Mesharim. But its authenticity has been demonstrated beyond doubt". Karo's Maggid would occasionally teach the Karo's kabbalistic group, of whom Shlomo Alkabetz [the composer of Lecha Dodi], Moshe Cordovero [famous kabbalist] and Chayim Vital [who wrote the Arizal's/Luria teachings] were part of. Chayim Vital also had a maggid, but less numinous than Karo's. Maggidim are extremely rare and always thought to be positive.

2. Ibbur - [pregnancy /impregnation/incubation; עיבור] this is a form of possession, initially not desired by the host, however, it is positive. The Ibbur is always temporary, and sometimes needs to be convinced to leave through an exorcism. The reason for Ibbur is always benevolent — the departed soul wishes to complete an important task, to fulfill a promise or perform a mitzvah (a religious duty) that can only be accomplished in the flesh. In Lurianic Kabbalah, ibbur occurs when an incomplete soul which cannot achieve tikkun is completed by the addition of the soul of a tzaddik, or spiritual master. This can happen upon a request at the grave of the tzaddik, or while the tzaddik is alive. Ibburim are usually silent, but can warn and chastise communities and leaders as we will see later. When they are silent, they can only be discerned by clairvoyants.

3. Dybbuk - [Yiddish: דיבוק, from the Hebrew root ד.ב.ק., to glue or cling] is a malicious possessing spirit. The host is unwilling to receive the spirit, and in all cases is unaware of the presence of the possessor. Other people, however, are made aware of its presence due to changes in behavior and voice quality. A dybbuk is believed to be the dislocated soul of a dead person, back due to revenge or despair. It supposedly leaves the host body once it has accomplished its goal, frequently after being exorcised. The term became famous due to Shalom Ansky's play, Der Dybbuk, oder Tsvishn Tsvey Veltn (premiered 1920) which is still being produced. Originally written in Russian, has had translations to first to Yiddish by Ansky himself, and then to Hebrew, English, Portuguese and German.

Here is a translation of the play:

https://www.sjsu.edu/people/victoria.harrison/courses/JWSS111/s1/Dybbuk.pdf

Some Jewish stories of possession

1. Joseph Della Reina

I will now adduce an obvious proof, for we have seen with our own eyes, and also heard from reliable witnesses – according to two witnesses – that once in the West there was a healthy gentile maidservant. Suddenly, she fell to the ground with the falling sickness, and would say wondrous things. Finally they sought out a Jew from those who know how to adjure demons, spirits, devils and destructive beings. He adjured the spirit who entered that Gentile to say who he was and to depart. The spirit that was in the body of the Gentile responded that he should be left in peace in the body of the Gentile, since he had just only arrived, weary and exhausted from his journey, and entered the body of the Gentile.

And he adjured him to say who he was, and he responded and said that he was the soul of Joseph Della Reina, who had been punished and driven away by the supernal court for having conjoined his soul with demons. For while in this world, he had used holy names for his benefit and the good of his body and not for the sake of the holiness of heaven. Furthermore he had desacrated the name when, with the king of the Christians, he adjured Amon Maaya and the form of a snake descended, took the pen in its mouth and wrote “I am your servant Joseph della Reina”. For this, I was punished by the judgment of Gehinom and expelled to wander, conjoined with demons. These are their [the witnesses’] words.

(Yehuda Hallewa, Zafnat Pa’aneah, transl. Chajes, in: Between Worlds, Penn, 2003, p. 141)

• R. Yehuda Hallewa was the “elder” of the Arizal / aka Isaac ben Solomon Luria Ashkenazi. Hallewa was orginally from Fez, Marocco, and arrived in Tzfat on the early part of the 1500’s. This manuscript survives at Dublin Trinity College.

2. I further testify that in that year, the year 5305 from creation (1545CE) here in the Upper Galilee, a spirit entered a small boy, who, while fallen, would say grand things. Finally, they sent for and assembled many great sages, along with men of deeds, myself among them. The sage Yosef Karo may peace be upon him, came and spoke with that very spirit. [The spirit] did not respond to him until he decreed the punishment for niddui upon him unless he spoke. He then spoke and responded.

The sage said to him: ‘what is your name?’ He said, ‘I do not know my name.’ ‘Who are you?’ ‘I am a dog.’ ‘And before that what were you?’ ‘A Black Gentile.’ ‘And before that what were you? ‘An Edomite Gentile.’ ‘And before that what were you?’ ‘From those people who know the holy tongue.’

He said to him: ‘What were your first deeds?’ He said, ‘I do not remember.’ ‘Did you know Torah or Talmud?’ ‘I used to read the Torah but I knew no Talmud.’ ‘Did you pray?’ ‘I did not pray except on Shabbat and Festivals.’ ‘Did you don phylacteries?’ ‘Never did I don phylacteries.’ He said to him ‘There is no fixing you.’ He said ‘they already decreed on me…’ – that he cannot be fixed.

He said that it had not been two years since he departed from the body of a dog, and that since the father of the boy killed the dog, he said to the boy’s father: “Just as you distressed me when you killed the dog that I was within, so I will kill your one and only son.”

At that moment the sage Rabbi Yosef Karo recited over him “It is incumbent upon us to praise…” seven times, forward and backward, and he decreed upon him a niddui to depart from anywhere in the Galilee. And so it was that the boy was healed. This is what I saw with my own eyes at that Holy Convocation. (Yehuda Hallewa, Zafnat Pa’aneah, transl. Chajes, in: Between Worlds, Penn, 2003, pp. 141-142)

1. Hacham Piso in the daughter of R. Raphael Anav… Vital’s account in Sefer hahezionot

The year 5369. Something great happened in Damascus that I will write only that that involves me. Now, on the eve of Shabbat, the 29^th of Tammuz, traumas and faintings came upon the saughter of Raphael Anav. They took her to the sorcerers, but it did not help at all. That night, which was the Shabbat night of Rosh Hodesh of Av, after lightening the shabbat lamp, she was stretched out like a corpse without any feeling. And Raphael heard a voice emerging from her mouth and saying, ‘Raphael, come here.’ And he asked, ‘Who are you?’ and he said, ‘I am Haham Piso. Why did you light only two lamps, as is custom you ought to have lit lamps in honor of the angels and the souls of the righteous who came with me to accompany me and protect me. Therefore, prepare chairs for them, for there are six souls.’ And they prepared the chairs for them, and he said

“now, I am not like the rest of the spirits, for I am a sage and a righteous man. I have come only because of a minor sin that remains for me to rectify and also to be a messenger to you, to bring you to repentance given the preponderance of sins among you.

Now, it has been 21 days since I departed from Gan Eden by way of the rivers of Gan Eden, and I travelled underground through the rivers of Damascus. There, I entered a fish and I was caught by a fisherman. He took me to be sold on the Jewish street, on the eve of Shabbat after the aftwrnoon prayer. And a great evil doer came there, Al Tawil, the son in law of Sheikh Al-Yahud, and he wanted to purchase me. And Hashem, may he be blessed, sent Raphael Anav there and he purchased me. They cut me into a number of ieces and gave one piece to R. Jacob Ashkenazi on the Shabbat night they ate me, I was in the head of the fish, and his daughter ate me and I entered her. But I did not harm her at all, for I am unlike the rest of the spirits.

They did not gave permission to reveal myself and speak until now, and I am very upset that I did not merit to ascend on this holy day to my place in Gan Eden. And Joshua Elbom will be in herem for not having assisted me by means of the techniques in the book in his possession so as to bring about my ascent on the eve of Shabbat perhaps I’d have merit to ascend. Now, I will be delayed only this one day for on it alone they have given me permission to speak, and immediately on Sunday morning I will return to Gan Eden, to my place. Now, all the angels and the aforementioned souls wait for R. Hayyim [Vital] the kabbalist, to do his bidding by means of him. So call him, and he will come.”

And Raphael did not want to come then, for it was night.

And he [the spirit] said to him [Raphael], “do not worry about what has happened in your house, for I am a holy spirit; eat and say kiddush”. And he said kiddush. And he said to him, “why were you not careful to place water in the kiddush cup?”

And R. Jacob [Ashkenazi] went to his [Raphael’s] house, and he [the spirit] said to him [Raphael], “beware of my herem, do not say a word.”

When he [Ashkenazi] returned after eating, he [the spirit] said, “do not allow this excommunicate in here, for he transgressed my herem.” Raphael also said to him [Ashkenazi], “do not come in; perhaps you ate saffron, which is bad for these things.” He [Ashkenazi] said “I did not eat saffron.” The spirit said to him, “You are also a liar – for indeed you ate fish! Also, your wife is better than you are, for when she asked you why you were delayed, you said, ‘because of the evil spirit that went into so-and-so.’ And your wife was more correct than you were, and said to you, ‘If you say he is a sage, how do you refer to him as an evil spirit?’ And afterward he said to him, “I knew you were a simpleton and a fool, so come in.” And he came in.

He [the spirit] began telling all of the members of the household a few of their sins. He also told the sins of those who died in that plague. Throughout the first half of the night, it seemed to them that there were flames of fire in the house. R. Jacob dozed and felt as if he were being strangled. He awoke.

In the middle of the night he [the spirit] said “I have already fasted for three days over the pain I went through this gilgul and it is inappropriate to fast on Shabbat as well. Give me water to drink and an apple to eat. They gave him. He said to them “Now, sleep a little.”

They slept until daybreak. He awakened them and said, “the morning is approaching, call for R. Hayim.” They did not want to, until he decreed herem upon them, and said to them “If he does not believe you, give him a sign, for this morning at the morning watch he dreamt a great dream and he does not know its meaning and is upset. Now, you will find him dressed with his head upoon the ground, thinking about that dream. Let him come to me and I will talk to him.”

Now, what I myself had dreamt was that I saw six righteous men coming from the world to come to my house; and they brought me a scholar to heal. And I forgot who they were. And Raphael and R. Jacob came and told me all that was mentioned, and I went with them. When I entered the doorway, he [the spirit] say to me: “Blessed is he who comes!”

I came near the girl; there was a veil upon her face, and she was like a dead corpse. I said to him: “From where do you know me?” He said, “Are you not R. Hayim the kabbalist?” I said to him, “And who are you?” He said, “I am Hacham Piso.” I compelled him to tell me his name, until he told me in a whisper: “I am Jacob Piso, and in Jerusalem, I was married to the daughter of the sage R. Isaac Ashkenazi. My wife’s sister is Esther. I passed away 35 years ago and ascended to my place in Gan Eden, and there I remained until now. There remains to me to fix one small matter, and I have now come to fix it. Threfore, woe to him who is not careful in this world about even the slightest sin, so that he not come to this ordeal that I am now undergoing.”

And it appears to me, Hayim, that his sin was that he made the masses sin by blocking them from the paths of repentance, and he has now come to fix the matter of repentance.

(Hayim Vital, Sefer HaHezyonot, transl. Chajes, in: Between Worlds, Penn, 2003, pp. 164-166 ff.)