Between Worlds: Dybbuks, Exorcists, and Early Modern Judaism (Jewish Culture and Contexts)

In my opinion: The first half of the book seems to blur given terms into a this or that, seeming to refer to some differing terms that would be the same after distinctions were made previously but seem to blur together later on. Perhaps it may seem that way because the material offered may be at hand as the book is written. Sort of like a research study for academics. I like the book though. The time frame/period is very interesting. Like all of a sudden people wanted to write about paranormal stuff around the 15th to 17th centuries. I think much may have to do with Spain forcing Jews out to favoring a more Christian cultural view. When returning to Sefed, it must have been overwhelming & emotional to behold such a historical place. There seemed to be a fascination with getting prophetic knowledge from the deceased in embracing times of cultural uncertainty & possible feelings of rejection. This book opened my eyes to the power of intention & what prayer really is. It allows for the spectrum of righteousness to be understood in contrasting cultural artistry. I was looking for insights as to the inverted psychophysiological emoto projection phenomena that allows supernatural power to flow. This book interesting enough seems more cultural in my opinion. There's more to possession than an a "actual entity" whether you believe it or not, it still exists, giving assent is not needed.

Between Worlds is dense with knowledge on the history of exorcisms and demon possession especially as it pertains to Judaism and kabbalah. It is one of the only books I am aware of that attempts to put in historical perspective the phenomenon. The vast array of source texts he has consulted is impressive and it is admirable the way he compares differing theory of thought and draws parallels to the Christian phenomenon of demonic possession. There is much knowledge and insight here.That being said, Chajes does not write for the average reader. His sentence structure and word choice is convoluted with a heavy leaning to the academic that does not serve well disseminating this information. I encourage anyone who plans to tackle this book to do so with a dictionary in one hand and keep Google prepped and ready to search on concepts/people/ideas with which you may not be familiar. One reviewer here has admitted throwing in the towel because of the writing style of the author.There may be some major decoding that you have to do to get to the meat of this book, but the knowledge you will gain is worth it if you truly want the lowdown on the what and whys of dybbukim.Four stars for the vast information. Minus one for writing style.

This book was very boring and hard to get into. This is a topic I'm interested in, but this had absolutely no draw.

Early in J.H. Chajes' "Between Worlds," he cites scholar Joshua Trachtenberg. Dr. Trachtenberg, who wrote "The Devil and the Jews," is a brilliant writer, a scholar whose depth of knowledge never keeps him from achieving great clarity in his writing. J.H. Chajes is a capable scholar, and his subject is a worthy one, but he struggles to find a tone and to successfully communicate the history and ideas at his command."Between Worlds," treats demonology, exorcism, and other beliefs in supernatural and esoteric phenomena as they were shaped and practiced upon contact with both Christian and Muslim cultures in the Levant and Europe in the Middle Ages (mostly). All of the chapters were fascinating. Only one or two were truly coherent.The best part of the book was the appendix in which case histories/records of exorcisms were documented by rabbinical authorities trying to dislodge Dybbuks (malicious spirits) from the bodies of the possessed. These cases are as detailed as court records, and some of them are quite humorous. The tales of cows pleading to be eaten by those who keep kosher so that they might be reincarnated as Jews was an especially favorite anecdote. But, suffice it to say that if the best part of your book is the appendix, something went wrong somewhere.

A wonderfully suggestive work. Clothed in sometimes rigorous scholarly prose, this book is a fit remedy to the spiritual pabulum of our day. Not everyone who dies is escorted by loving family members to the spirit Harvard in the sky.There are "homeless" spirits, who can't even find their way to hell and others so purposeful, they refuse to wait for their next incarnation to have their say. They both might choose to occupy the bodies of people--or dogs.If they're the homeless type and Jewish, you might consider bringing a Muslim or Christian exorcist. The spells and spirits they bring will crowd out and disgust the Jew into leaving. If they're the other kind, and they misquote a classic Jewish text, but you don't quite catch their drift, they could decide you're too dull for dwelling in.An entertaining and edifying historical anthropology of a key phenomenon, spirit possession, at the dawn of modern Jewish mysticism.

An amazingly informative read, Between Worlds offers a rare glance into the writings of Early Modern Jews dealing with spirit possession, excorcism, and prevailing attitudes of the times, both Jewish and non-Jewish. It was fascinating to read about Luria and his contemporaries dealings with dyybuks, possessed women, and to have the comparision with Christian and Islamic practises and writings of the period. The possession accounts are captivating, and Chajes is excellent at breaking the information down to guide the reader through all the twists and turns that an excorcist would follow. I especially enjoyed the chapters on women and their use of possession to call for change, and heavily influence powerful men at times. While academic in style, it is none the less a great read for anyone remotely interested in Jewish spirit possession, exorcism, women's religiosity, and Medieval/Early Modern Kabbalistic attitudes of these issues.

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