Between Worlds: Dybbuks, Exorcists, and Early Modern Judaism

Contents

Contents Introduction 1 The Emergence of Dybbuk Possession 11 The Dead and the Possessed 32 The Task of the Exorcist 57 Dybbuk Possession and Women's Religiosity 97 Skeptics and Storytellers 119 Arrival 139 Appendix: Spirit Possession Narratives from Early Modern Jewish Sources 141 Notes 181 Bibliography 245 Index 267 Acknowledgments 277 1 2 3 4 5 This page intentionally left blank Reb Nachman laughed and said, "If scholars let one dead man step foot into their studies, all their work would be null and void!" —Sihot ha-Ran, §226 This page intentionally left blank ...