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The Dibbuk Box



Estimated reading time — 11 minutes

All of the events that I am about to set forth in this listing are accurate and may be verified by the winning bidder with the copies of hospital records and sworn affidavits that I am including as part of the sale of the cabinet.

During September of 2001, I attended an estate sale in Portland Oregon. The items liquidated at this sale were from the estate of a woman who had passed away at the age of 103. A grand-daughter of the woman told me that her grandmother had been born in Poland where she grew up, married, raised a family, and lived until she was sent to a Nazi concentration camp during World War II. She was the only member of her family who survived the camp. Her parents, brothers, a sister, husband, and two sons and a daughter were all killed. She survived the camp by escaping with some other prisoners and somehow making her way to Spain where she lived until the end of the war. I was told that she acquired the small wine cabinet listed here in Spain and it was one of only three items that she brought with her when she immigrated to the United States. The other two items were a steamer trunk, and a sewing box.

I purchased the wine cabinet, along with the sewing box and some other furniture at the estate sale. After the sale, I was approached by the woman’s granddaughter who said, I see you got the dibbuk box. She was referring to the wine cabinet. I asked her what a dibbuk box was, and she told me that when she was growing up, her grandmother always kept the wine cabinet in her sewing room. It was always shut, and set in a place that was out of reach. The grandmother always called it the dibbuk box. When the girl asked her grandmother what was inside, her grandmother spit three times through her fingers said, a dibbuk, and keselim. The grandmother went on to tell the girl that the wine cabinet was never, ever, to be opened.

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The granddaughter told me that her grandmother had asked that the box be buried with her. However, as such a request was contrary to the rules of an orthodox Jewish burial, the grandmothers request had not been honored. I asked the granddaughter what a dibbuk, and keselim were, but she did not know. I asked if she would like to open it with me. She did not want to open it, as her grandmother had been very emphatic and serious when she instructed her not to do so, and, regardless of the reason, she wanted to honor her grandmother’s request.

I finally ended up offering to let her keep what seemed to me to be a sentimental keepsake. At that point, she was very insistent and said, No, no you bought it!

I explained that I didn’t want my money back, and that it would make me feel better to do what I thought was an act of kindness. She then became somewhat upset. Looking back now, the way she became upset was just plain odd. She raised her voice to me and said, you bought it! You made a deal!

When I tried to speak, she yelled, we don’t want it! She began to cry, asked me to leave, and quickly walked away. I wrote the whole episode off to the stress and grief she must have been experiencing. I took my purchases and politely left.

At the time when I bought the cabinet, I owned a small furniture refinishing business. I took the cabinet to my store, and put it in my basement workshop where I intended to refinish it and give it as a gift to my Mother. I didn’t think anything more about it. I opened my shop for the day and went to run some errands leaving the young woman who did sales for me in charge.

After about a half-hour, I got a call on my cell phone. The call was from my salesperson. She was absolutely hysterical and screaming that someone was in my workshop breaking glass and swearing. Furthermore, the intruder had locked the iron security gates and the emergency exit and she couldn’t get out. As I told her to call the police, my cell phone battery went dead. I hit speeds of 100 mph getting back to the shop. When I arrived, I found the gates locked. I went inside and found my employee on the floor in a corner of my office sobbing hysterically. I ran to the basement and went downstairs. At the bottom of the stairs, I was hit by an overpowering unmistakable odor of cat urine (there had never been any animals kept or found in my shop). The lights didn’t work. As I investigated, I found that the reason the lights didn’t work also explained the sounds of glass breaking. All of the light bulbs in the basement were broken. All nine incandescent bulbs had been broken in their sockets, and 10 four-foot fluorescent tubes were lying shattered on the floor. I did not find an intruder, however. I should also add that there was only one entrance to the basement. It would have been impossible for anyone to leave without meeting me head-on. I went back up to speak with my salesperson, but she had left.

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She never returned to work (after having been with me for two years). She refuses to discuss the incident to this day. I never thought of relating the events of that day to anything having to do with the cabinet.

Then, things got worse.

As I already indicated, I had decided to give the cabinet to my Mother as a birthday gift. About two weeks after I made the purchase, I decided to get started refinishing it. I was surprised to find that the cabinet has a unique little mechanism. When you open one of the doors, the mechanism causes the opposite door, and the little drawer below, to open at the same time. It is very well made. Inside the cabinet, I found the following items: 1 1928 U.S. Wheat Penny; 1 1925 US Wheat Penny; One small lock of blonde hair (bound with string); One small lock of black/brown hair (bound with string); One small granite statue engraved and gilded with Hebrew letters (I have been told that the letters spell out the word SHALOM); One dried rosebud; One golden wine cup; One very strange black cast iron candlestick holder with octopus legs.

I saved all of the items in a box intending to return them to the estate. The family has refused the items, so they will be included in this sale of the cabinet.

After opening the cabinet, I decided not to refinish it. I cleaned it, and rubbed in some lemon oil. It was at this time that I noticed that there was an inscription in Hebrew carved into the back of the cabinet. I have no idea what it says or if it is significant. I have included a picture of that inscription below. On my mother’s birthday, October 28, 2001, my mother called to tell me that she was going out of town with my sister for three days, and we postponed celebrating her birthday together until she returned. On October 31, 2001, my mother came to my shop. We were going to have lunch together, but before we were going to leave, I gave her the wine cabinet. She seemed to like it. While she examined it, I went to make a phone call. I hadn’t been out of sight more than 5 minutes when one of my employees came running into my office saying that something was wrong with my mom.

When I went back to see what the matter was, I found my mom sitting in a chair beside the cabinet. Her face had no expression, but tears were streaming down her cheeks. No matter how I tried to get her to respond, she would not. She could not. It turns out that my mother had suffered a stroke. She was taken to the hospital by ambulance. She ended up suffering partial paralysis, and losing her ability to speak and form words (she has since regained the ability to speak). She could understand things being said to her, and could respond by pointing to letters of the alphabet to spell out words she wanted to say. When I asked her the following day how she was doing, she teared up and spelled out the words: N-O G-I- F-T. I assured her that I had given her a gift for her birthday, thinking that she didn’t remember, but she became even more upset and spelled out the words: H-A-T-E G-I-F-T. I laughed and told her not to worry. I told her I was sorry she didn’t like the cabinet, and that I would get her anything she wanted if she would promise to get well soon.

Still, I didn’t associate anything that had happened with the cabinet itself or anything paranormal. Frankly, I don’t think I ever even used the term paranormal until this last month.

I’ll try to make this short now. I gave the cabinet to my sister. She kept it for a week, then gave it back. She complained that she couldn’t get the doors to stay closed and that they kept coming open. There are no springs in the door mechanism and I have never found that the doors come open. I gave it to my brother and his wife who kept it for three days and then gave it back. My brother said it smelled like Jasmine flowers, while his wife insisted that it put out an odor of cat urine. I gave it to my girlfriend who asked me to sell it for her after only two days. I sold it the same day to a nice middle aged couple. Three days later, when I came to open the shop for the day, I found the cabinet sitting at the front doors with a note that read, This has a bad darkness. I had no idea what that meant. Anyway, I ended up taking it home.

Then, things got even worse.

Since the day I brought it home, I began having a strange recurring nightmare. Every time I have the horrible dream it goes something like this: I find myself walking with a friend, usually someone I know well and trust at some point in the dream, I find myself looking into the eyes of the person that I am with. It is then that I realize that there is something different, something evil looking back at me. At that point in my dream, the person I am with changes into what can only be described as the most gruesome, demonic looking Hag that I have ever seen. This Hag proceeds then, to beat the living tar out of me. I have awakened numerous times to find bruises and marks on myself where I had been hit by the old woman during the previous night. Still, I never related the nightmares to the cabinet, nor do I think that I ever would have.

About a month ago, however, my sister, and my brother and his wife came over to my house and spent the night. The following morning, during breakfast, my sister complained that she had had a horrible nightmare. She said that she recalled having had it a couple of times before, and went on to describe my nightmare exactly to the last detail. My brother and his wife froze as they listened, and then chimed in that they had both had had the exact same dreams during the night as well. The hair was standing up on the back of my neck and still is. As we talked, it became clear that the common denominator was that each of us had had the nightmare during the times that the cabinet was in our respective homes. I called my girlfriend and asked if she could recall having any nightmares recently. She described the same nightmare, same Hag, everything. When I asked her if she remembered the date when she had the nightmare, she said she did not. Then I asked if it happened to be the night before she gave me the cabinet back to sell for her. She said, Yeah!  Hey, how did you know that?!!!

Now then, since my family discussion, it seems like all hell is breaking loose. For a week afterward I started seeing what I can only describe as shadow things in my peripheral vision. In fact, numerous visitors to my house have claimed that they have seen these shadow things. I put the cabinet in an outside storage unit and was awakened when the smoke alarm in the unit went off in the middle of the night. When I went to see what was burning, I opened the door and didn’t see any smoke. However, I did get hit with the smell of cat urine. When I went back inside, the smell was there in my house. I DO NOT OWN A CAT AND I NEVER HAVE. I went back outside and grabbed the cabinet. I brought it back inside and tried to research it on the Internet. While I was surfing the net, I fell asleep and once again had the same freakin nightmare. I woke up at around 4:30am (when it felt and smelled like someone was breathing on my neck) to find that my house now smelled like Jasmine flowers, and just in time to see a HUGE shadow thing go loping down the hall away from me.

I would destroy this thing in a second, except I really don’t have any understanding of what I may or may not be dealing with. I am afraid (and I do mean afraid) that if I destroy the cabinet, whatever it is that seems to have come with the cabinet may just stay here with me. I have been told that there are people who shop on EBAY that understand these kinds of things and specifically look for these kinds of items. If you are one of these people, please, please buy this cabinet and do whatever you do with a thing like this.

Help me.

You can see that I have no reserve price or minimum bid. If I can make things any easier let me know and I will do everything within my abilities.

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One more note. On the same day my Mom had her stroke, the lease to my store was summarily terminated without cause.

The measurements are 12.5″ x 7.5″ x 16.25″

ALL OF THE ITEMS THAT I ORIGINALLY FOUND INSIDE THE CABINET ARE INCLUDED IN THE SALE AND WILL BE DELIVERED WITH THE CABINET.

On Jun-12-03 at 02:15:30 PDT, seller added the following information:

There is no way that I can respond to all of the e-mails I’ve received since I put this thing on-line. I’ll try now to update and answer the most common questions I’ve been receiving.

1. No, I am not religious.

2. No, I do not wish to have or participate in any sort of exorcism, or case study, or photo sessions at my home.

3. No, I will not sell any of the individual pieces which were originally found separate from the other pieces and the cabinet.

4. No, I do not speak Hebrew nor do I know what the word “keselim” means. I don’t know that the word is even or or a Hebrew word.

5. At the end of the auction, I have decided to take an opportunity to speak with the winning bidder for two reasons: a.)To make sure that the winning bidder is a serious adult who has employed some valid reasoning skills in making the decision to accept whatever this is. I will not be judgmental. Do whatever you want or need after the sale. b.)To offer full details of the events that have transpired. After I have carried out those responsibilities, and upon payment, I will have the cabinet and its contents delivered by U.S.MAIL, FED-EX, or UPS to the winning bidder. At that point, I will have no further involvement with the matter in any way, shape, or form. Period.

6.) To all of you who have offered to pray, I may not be religious, but I am certainly open to the possibilities –no matter what your religion might be. THANK YOU!

On Jun-14-03 at 05:216 PDT, seller added the following information:

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Here is another update for everyone following this listing.

NO! No, I will not circumvent, or make any deals outside of EBAY – EVEN FOR MORE MONEY THAN THE FINAL AUCTION PRICE!!! If you want to win the auction and have the kind of money some of you are offering, there shouldn’t be any reason why you cannot simply place your bid in an open honest fashion. I’m sure you can understand why I might be suspicious.

ALSO….

For those of you wanting to know if I am still experiencing anything out of the ordinary, I thought everything was going OK until I got home on Friday – the 13th of June – and found that the fish in my fresh water aquarium – all 10 – were dead.

I’m still hoping that all of this is coincidental crap.

 

The Dibbuk Box

The Dibbuk Box Contents

Another Shot of the Dibbuk Box

Publisher’s Note: I seem to recall that more follow-up information was initially available on this website, but it seems to have been removed – most likely, to encourage interested parties to just bite the bullet and buy their book about the whole thing instead. For now, I’m just linking the book, but if anyone else stumbles onto pages that go a bit more into detail with the follow-up investigations and other details about this particular story, I’d appreciate if you would drop me a link in the comments. I’ll edit it any new links into this post as they come, so that eventually we can have a nice little “main menu” page here about the dibbuk box for both discussion and discovery.

Mirror of the original eBay auction
Paranormal Review Podcast Episode: The Dibbuk Box with Jason Haxton
Mysterious Universe Episodes 209 and 524 both deal with the dibbuk box
The Dibbuk Box on Amazon – full disclosure: our referral link is included.
Syfy’s Paranormal Witness episode on the topicfull disclosure: our referral link is included.
The “official website” of The Dibbuk Box
The wikipedia entry

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133 thoughts on “The Dibbuk Box”

  1. I saw this on SyFy recently. I am sure there are plenty of people who are doubters about it. My husband is one. I am not sure what to believe. All I know is what the people who had the box said. Bad things happened. And the most current owner has encased the thing entirely in gold to prevent the “Dibbuk” from escaping and causing more pain and suffering. personally I would have filled it with rocks and dropped it off the side of a bridge rather than encasing it in gold, but to each their own I guess. Regardless if you believe the story or not, it is still very interesting and isn’t that the point of this site?

  2. If anyone still reads this one, in 11 days, it will be friday june 13th… the same day as that last update, and the second one since that update was made…. now i have chills

  3. Well, to say first, Shalom means “Peace” in Hebrew. Usually it keeps the trapped demon inside at peace. And “dibbuk” actually means “demon” in Hebrew. I couldn’t really see the words on the back of the box, with the inscription, but it looked like it said “Shma Yisrael Adonai Eloihenu, Adonai Echad.” Baruch shechem von shechem von malchutu, l’aolam va’ed.” This is actually a VERY important prayer in the Jewish religion, and it basically says that the “people of Israel shall live on forever, that Adonai our God always will be our God.” This prayer is usually chanted at people’s deaths, and can be used in a box of that sort to almost put a “protective” prayer against the demon inside, which is almost like a fallen angel. This guy seriously should not have opened the box, he released the demon inside and it would have possessed him, causing him to be consumed by the dibbuk, and the dibbuk would have taken over his body. He should have never gotten that box. Never.

  4. 2 things. First , you spelt dybbuk wrong. Second, there is an episode about this on the tb show Paranormal witness if you are imterested.

    1. “Dybbuk” is an abbreviation of dibbuk me-ru’aḥ ra’ah (“a cleavage of an evil spirit”), or dibbuk min ha-hiẓonim (“dibbuk from the outside”), which is found in man.

      Both are correct.

      Also, yes, this is what that episode was based on. The guy who wrote the book even checks this comment section every so often. Check the footnote for more information.

  5. Oh… So the grandmother had the nightmares, didn’t want to give them to anyone else, and asked that the box be buried with her?

  6. Hello, I lives in Asia.
    In my country, the sudden smell of Jasmine flower during night (especially midnight) is often related to a paranormal entities. Often female. We call it Pontianak or Langsuir (both is a different being but share the Jasmine smell trait). I couldn’t find an english name for them. Both is described as a female, wearing white cloth, have a very long black hair that reaches the floor, & a very high pitched female voice. They also said to never touches the ground.
    Often seen on large trees.

  7. Perhaps I can shed some light to the term ‘keselim’.
    There is a word in hebrew that resembles keselim, that word is kesel- kesalim it means kelayot-kidneys.
    Keselim maybe a mispronounciation of the word kesalim that means kelayot-kidneys, which are the seat of strong human desires and lusts.
    The month of Kislev is derived from that word.

    “The name Kislev comes from a root in the word ‘kesel- kesalim’ and the kelayot-kidneys are called kesalim. Strong desire is rooted in the kidneys; Ibn Ezra comments that they are called kelayot because they are the seat of lust and desire and “How I my soul pine and indeed my soul was consumed in yearning for Thy Courtyards, HaShem“ or “If I put kisli in gold” that Rashi sees as “all my hope and thoughts”, that is the desires and the lusts. This is the trait of Benyamin as they taught that he was concerned and thoughtful of HaShem all day; Rashi explains this like a person who is troubled that he hasn’t satisfied his desires”

    ref. 1 http://www.betemunah.org/body.html#_Toc368806058
    ref. 2 http://www.torah.org/advanced/shem-meshmuel/5764/kislev.html

  8. Actually, its entirely true, although spelled “Dybbuk” I had read this pasta a few months ago, thinking nothing of it, sure it creeped me out but I forgot about it within a day. Then just today I was watching “Paranormal Witness” on Syfy. This story was being shown on it! They interviewed the man who had owned it and he told the story of it again. His mother who had had a stroke from it was also featured on the show. The story is true, well depending on if you believe in the paranormal or not ;)

  9. Logan matkowski

    Get rid of that box immediately it is pure evil!!! In it lives an evil spirit that is going to go to hell!! I’m warning you now get rid of it! It’s a great story but that box needs to go its bad news!

  10. Um there is a hole in your story.. how is there a granddaughter if all her family including kids died ??

  11. What you have is, correctly, a Dybbyk Box [Deb-ech] What a Dybbyk is in a nutshell, is a Jewish Demon or entity that is sealed to a type of object such as a box [Well, duh] according to your story, not only is the demon bound to the box, but also to the people owning it and the items within, it will haunt and mess with you while the box is in your possession, if I were you, I would destroy the box, away from your friends and family, take it to the woods or a national park, burn the box and all the items in it, destroy everything completely, then put your index and middle finger around your mouth and spit 3 times and recite “The box shall naught be opened” then proceed to return to where you first opened the box, then proceed to burn sage throughout your house, including the basement in your case, and you will be rid of it forever, and have a priest bless your house for safe measure, and the nightmare will stop, and never speak of the box again, you’ll be fine afterward, hope this helps.

    1. I thought that a Dybbyk possessed a person, not an object, in which case the demon would only be possessing the owner, and the box itself is technically fine.

  12. Dude, after reading this I turned on the tv and the show that was on was paranormal witness and the episode was about the dibbuk box

  13. I watched this on an episode of Paranormal Witness. Its very very creepy, and this pasta follows the episode I watched to the T. RIght down the the saleswoman being locked downstairs. I highly suggest everyone to watch the episode.

  14. this is awesome i pretty sure i saw this on paranormal witness today it sounds almost identical and the box is the same

  15. i still think this is,infact a lie.There no such a thing as a devil or any shadowy figure.However this was really intresting.

  16. When I saw this immediately had to read. I recognized it instantly from the show Paranormal Witness. Liked the way the story went so I had to actually read it.

    1. Hello Anonymous – You asked – could this box be radioactive?

      That is not such an odd query – as the 1880’s granite homes of Aberdeen,Scotland tend to be very radioactive.

      However, I do not have a Geiger counter to check this. The 24kt gold lined ark would contain the radioactivity – and there have been no problems since the Dibbuk Box was placed in the gold lined ark. Jason

  17. Dybbuk- the wandering soul of a dead person that enters the body of a living person and controls his or her behavior

    Keselim- Turkish slag for a priest

    1. Hi Lon,
      As the word was heard phoenetically – not written… it could have been “Kessem” or the plural “Kessamim” – I believe this because inside the box are indeed tokens- charms.

      Link: http://www.usajewish.com/jewish-civilization/CAN_JEWS_BELIEVE_IN_MAGIC.asp

      Connected and yet different is the word ‘ Kessem’ which is more a description of objects used in magic than a system. So when the elders of Moab come towards Balaam they bring ‘ Kessamim’ ‘ Charms in their hands’ and someone who uses charms is called a Kossem. The word Kessem also means sticks possibly the art was in casting down sticks or wooden dice and reading them.

      Best – Jason

  18. This story gave me chills. My husband is Jewish and has studied, to a small extent, the history of the dibbok. His summary to me of that study was in the back of my mind the whole time I read this.

    For anyone looking for a good scare, study the dibbok yourselves, along with folklore from other cultures. Some of the stories are absolutely fascinating.

    Great pasta. True or not, it makes the reader think. ;) Nom nom.

    1. Hello PhantomPunk
      I have worked with directly with three rabbis, and other rabbis — less directly. If your husband were to read the book that I wrote “The Dibbuk Box” on Amazon (for Missy in the previous post – the book profits goes to a public university) he would find the story of the Holocaust has a bizarre American twist.

      Hitler had a mentor in the USA – in the town where the Dibbuk Box landed and that man was “Harry Hamilton Laughlin” – he died here.
      Hitler’s Nuremburg Laws of the 1930’s that persecuted Jews – were American Laws drafted by this man in the 1920’s first. Hitler and Laughlin had a long friendship and Laughlin even received an honorary Heidelberg degree from Hitler in 1936.

      I think the information and the Dibbuk Box exposing that truth – might amaze your husband. Let me know -he can write to me at: [email protected]
      Best – Jason

  19. first off i must say the tatic to keep the box and not sell it definitly will make you more money! although i know that all this is a load of crap im glad you have coralled an intrested bunch of guliable fans.

  20. The dybbuk box, or dibbuk box (Hebrew: קופסאת דיבוק, Kufsat Dibbuk), is a wine cabinet which is said to be haunted by a dybbuk. In Jewish folklore, a dybbuk is a restless, usually malicious, spirit believed to be able to haunt and even possess the living. The box achieved recognition when it was auctioned on eBay with an accompanying horror story and is the original inspiration for the 2012 film The Possession.

  21. I was going to leave some snarky comment about how much I think this guy is full of it until I looked and saw that 666 people rated the story. That effing freaked me the f*** out. I was going to say that the story was not very well written i.m.o. and he is just trying to get rid of some old junk which sounds pretty rude of me, but honestly the whole thing smells like bad salemanship. IDK, I was all for not liking it, or believing it until I looked up and saw that 666 people had rated it, and it felt like a sign that evil was waving hello for my benefit. THAT scared me more than the story did.

  22. anyone think I should break the bit of the wall to the fire place down? also the house is on a slight slant. also you know the smell and fealling when you get dirt in your nose? every so often I get that fealing. the last house I lived in might have bean haunted, my bro saw a ghost or a shadow of one or something.

  23. This story is not do scary to me as it is interesting thank you Mr.Haxton for your always welcome and I was wondering if you would consider buying anymore paranormal artifacts even investigating any more places or event of that nature and consider writing a book or making a film (I might have the wrong Idea sorry I’am stupid).

    1. First off Yoimitsu – you are not stupid – curious and certainly friendly… but not stupid.

      I have no desire to have any other object like this – if you read the book (proceeds go a public university – Truman State) – you will find I ended up with this item accidently – someone else wanted it – I helped to get it – and by default eneded up with it and its curse.

      I am working on another book – but it is about the Amish that have come to live near my home 9-years ago. They helped me create the Ark that the Dibbuk Box is sealed inside of.

      Best regards,
      Jason

  24. Thinking about da box gives me the creeps ive seen crazy unexplain things but the energy being realese from the box is pure evil like if a legion was resting trying to get out…….

  25. Hello kingbw,
    The house falling into to itself – creepy!!

    As to your inquiry – only once was a pulled across my bed. I couldn’t move – a force had me and was pulling me toward the end of the bed and then against a wall, head tucked down I was literally pulled into a headstand before I blacked out. In the morning I had forgotten the whole thing – but was busy at work – when someone said wow – you’re not taking a break – it is as if you are possessed to get done. When I heard the word possessed (which is what I thought of at the time I was being pulled ) the whole incident came back to me in absolute detail. Fortunately, nothing like that has ever happened again.

  26. jason did you ever think about burning or seperating the contents of the box. also now that I think of it the japanese used to beleive that things over a certian age come to life deppending on there condition, the object becomes either good or evil.

  27. also I don’t know why but ever once in a while I am hearing a sound similar to that of a bb hitting the ground repeatedly.

    also did you ever have (–oh god just saw something white in top of my sight) the feeling you were sliding toward the walls of your bedroom while you slept while you owned the box?

  28. Mr. haxon the house is especially creepy for 2 reasons 1 the past owners made dolls.
    2 the house is falling apart apparently in my closet theres this fire place (and no one knows where the chimney goes) thats behind a sealed wall… a brick in the chimney fell and broke the wall open… I dare not go near that hole becuase I swear something stares at me through it…
    also the son of the guy whom the town was named after built the house…. some people have deid in it I think, but I am sure someone died on the grounds it’s built on. to summurize what happened: a train derailed and crashed on the grounds.

    1. I also think my bedroom lies on some sort of electro magnetic feiled…. and the house is sinking into the house…
      and there used to be fireplace dedicated to the elderly doll makers child who died…. I found a book felt compeled not to touch it becuase there was something creepy about it….

  29. Hello Kingbw,
    I might have added that the Dibbuk Box was brought to a Victorian home that had over the years had the death of a baby, a 19-year old male, and two elderly people. The home shares property with a cemetery that was begun when the town was formed in the 1850’s – thousands of graves.
    Some in the paranormal field – say that spiritual energy can activate these spirit boxes – like a battery of sorts – through the granite statue inside of it. Regardless the Dibbuk Box has been buried to draw out its energy.
    Jason

    1. Actually, “Keselim” is a Turkish word similar to the word “priest” which would, kind of sort of, explain the two different types of hair since Dybbuk is supposedly an evil spirit trapped on earth can’t escape to Heaven nor Hell.

    1. actually Keselim is a Turkish word similar to the word “priest” and Dybbuk is supposedly said to be an evil spirit.

  30. I’ll admit, it’s completely possible that this is all fake. But stuff like this does happen in real life. People need to know how to protect themselves from stuff like this, I’m being completely serious. It’s hard for people to get help when stuff like this does happen, because everyone views them as crazy. However, there is more to this world than meets the eye.

    Stay safe everyone, and be careful what you buy at auctions. ;)

  31. I might get seriously downvoted for this, but what I think happened is: someone thought he could make some money on e-bay by selling some creepy items with a creepy story written around it. It worked, and then it escalated into this whole urban-legend thing for paranormal fans.

    Sorry, I am a born skeptic. :P WIth that said, I am off to crappypasta now.

  32. I’m just curious as to how, if she was the only surviving member of her family and her children all died, her grand daughter existed..?

    1. She remarried? Her children died leaving behind her granddaughter? She adopted her granddaughter? There are many possibilities in my opinion.

  33. Loved this! I had never heard of it before. But, when eBay was in its infancy, I do recall hearing about a vial of black smoke- or liquid- that was being auctioned. It had a similar, scary story around it. Not sure if anyone has heard of that. Thanks!

  34. Ok, I’ve read the story and the comments etc, nice story, not really looked in to it, but there’s something in the first paragraph that’s been bugging me all the while.

    In the first paragraph we hear of the original owner, the Jewish woman who was sent to a concentration camp with the rest of her family and was the only one to survive. Then we hear about her granddaughter. That’s the part that doesn’t stick with me.

    If she was the only survivor, then her children (and any grand children) died back in the concentration camp. There’s no mention of her remarrying, which with the complications that come with a Jewish widow wanting to remarry there should be, so how can the Furniture shop owner be talking to her granddaughter?

    1. I see you point.

      But… Portland, Oregon has a huge Jewish community – synagoues, cemeteries (in proportion to other cities in the USA).

      I am guessing many Jewish survivors lost spouses and remarried to someone that may have already had children. Not necessarily someone Jewish too?

      The family is very private about this.

      Best,
      Jason

      1. A lot of holocaust survivors re-married to other holocaust survivors once they had relocated. Depending on their age, they may or may not have had children together.

  35. that was really cool/ good, even IF it might be fake.

    what ive heard works it that you put all contents back in exactly how they were, close it up with salt sprinkled around it, put it perfectly up and down, and completely SHASH it.

  36. alright no offence but I watched a television show of this and it is copied word for word, basically this isn’t your story and you stole it. seriously am i the only one who saw this? it was a woman who was a holocaust surviver who sold the box to a shop the man gave it to his mother and she had a stroke then he sold the box to a teenage kid who started to get very sick and then it was sold to a proffesor at a university, please make your own story next time

  37. The possesion is based of this and there is such thing as a dibbick box. So when you think the possesion is just another scary movie…your wrong.

      1. I’m agree with you Anonymous. I’d also like to see a another story representing a name Kenny related to Dibbuk Box.

    1. My fear – is that if you destroy the box — then the spirit/demon is completely free. While the box that trapped it still exists you have a chance for some control over whatever this is. That is how I see it.
      Jason

      1. Hello, I couldn’t help but notice you said the meaning of the word keselim was unknown to you. I thought I could be of some help here, because I have a doctorate in Arabic. Keselim is a word from an obscure Syrian dialect of Arabic which means “soul lost in darkness” and is often used in situations involving cursed or possessed items. The folklore of the Arabs in the area suggests that the only way to free an item from a keselim’s possession is to leave it with it’s original owner for eternity. Hope I could be of some help.

      2. Jason did the correct thing , It needs to stay just where it is; Never to be opened again .You should NEVER try to destroy such a box because in doing so you unleash the evil within . Thank You Jason for buying this and putting it where it can’t hurt anyone else .
        I cannot believe these such boxes are on sale even now in ebay why on earth would anyone buy one of these then sale it on ebay ? And for those that don’t believe Jason you have no idea the evil that exist ; Jason is being completely honest

      3. well said unlike others that said why not try to destroy it or throw it in the woods or leave it somewhere in the open with other people because this box is something that should be not taking lightly because the box itself is just a vessel that keeps the demon spirit inside so the best way to handle it respectfully is to keep it sealed and somewhere it can not be found and do not open it fully.

  38. Huh,it’s weird how the word “keselim” seems so familiar to me.Too familiar.I am not joking,I’m really curious to know why it’s so familiar to me.Maybe I’m just imagining it and I’ve heard the word in a movie or read it somewhere,but it’s almost like I’ve alawys known that word.As soon as I read it,I related it to a winged creature,I don’t know why.It seems like the people I ask have never heard of that creature,and when I pronounce it,it sounds like an unfamiliar word to me,which is pretty odd.I’m very sure I’ve heard it before,and if anyone else feels they’ve heard it before as well,please tell me.

      1. Hi All:
        Here is what I was able to find on the word Keselim – remember – Kevin Mannis the first buyer heard the word from a distressed grand-daughter of the old lady that had the Dibbuk Box. Keselim could have been confused with the word “Kessamim” Kevin wrote it down as he heard it phonetically – It seems to make sense the Dibbuk Box had items in it – charms hair, cups, rare stones, dried flower, pennies. Here is the
        Link:http://www.usajewish.com/jewish-civilization/CAN_JEWS_BELIEVE_IN_MAGIC.asp

        ‘Kessem’ which is more a description of objects used in magic than a system. So when the elders of Moab come towards Balaam they bring ‘Kessamim’ ‘ Charms in their hands’ and someone who uses charms is called a Kossem. The word Kessem also means sticks possibly the art was in casting down sticks or wooden dice and reading them.

        So what do you think? Jason

    1. Hmm, you might actually be referring the word with someting called “Nephelim”. Nephelim are the off-spring of Demons who have materialized and come down to earth, and have had sexual intercourse with women. This happened on the time before Noah, and with the flood, they were all wiped away from the face of the earth. The jews might have changed the word, and made it into keselim instead, idk.

  39. dibbuk means demon in hebrew. it is an old tradition to capture demons in boxes, the boxes are never meant to be opened which is probably why the girls grandma wanted to be burried with it. once opened they can not be let back in with out some sort of hebrew exorcism.

  40. Mr. Haxton,
    Wow… This story is very in-depth, but yes, I could tell the movie was indeed based off of this. I also remember seeing this on SyFy, and I must say I was awestruck.
    I plan on buying the book soon, so… yeah. But I really hope that you and your family are better, and whatever the heck that box was possesed with (it almost sounded like a demon. No promises, but the fact that you saw blurrs and shadows could be a demon.)may leave soon and if it’s gone, never return.

    1. Thanks Alice for your good wishes. Sealing the Dibbuk Box in an acacia ark lined in gold (I know sounds pretty extreme) did have a calming effect on the box.

      Now buried over half a year ago – seems to have finished the task. No promises that if someone were to dig it up wouldn’t start the problems all over- who knows. I have no intereset in disturbing the Dibbuk Box’s slumber.
      Best,
      Jason

      1. Mr Haxton,

        I have not read your book yet. I WILL be getting it soon. I was wondering , what exactly is an “Acacia Arc” ?

  41. although the majority of this is somewhat true to the original true story and the links are authentic I had to down rate this pasta as it is not original and not your work. also the facts you have can be acquired by anyone who buys the book on it from the website that has those pictures.

  42. “Dibbuk” is German for the English word “Dybbuk”, and here’s the definition of this word:
    dybbuk |ˈdibək|
    noun ( pl. dybbuks or dybbukim |ˌdiboŏˈkēm|)
    (in Jewish folklore) a malevolent wandering spirit that enters and possesses the body of a living person until exorcized.

  43. Thanks for your concern Lollipop. Strange story of buying something seemingly innocent and figuring out it was not as it appeared. Be careful with your purchases or what you inherit too!
    Best,
    Jason

  44. lollipop_gestapo

    Half way through, I realized the movie had to be based on this..was very excited to read the real facts. I found the movie upsetting, and intriguing, this tale even more so.
    I had once, about 6 years ago, in my late teens, purchased a porcelain box, painted like a jester head. It was obtained from a flea market for about a quarter. Immediately, began suffering nightmares, waking up at the same time every night, etc. The line between being awake and sleeping was very blurred; I couldn’t tell if I was seeing shapes swim across my floor, or still asleep. I was absolutely distraught, and sleep deprived. When I moved, a few weeks later, I re-donated the box, and was fine.
    I’m not GLAD someone’s experienced a disturbance over an inanimate object, but relieved I wasn’t entirely insane.
    I’m really sorry you had such a change in your life because of this, and experienced fear, sleepless nights, and general anxiety.

  45. Hi Winsley –

    The events in the eBay listing was about Kevin Mannis’ mother Ida.

    She is shown in the SyFy show about the Dybbuk Box. It has been downhill ever since for her – paralysis, speech problems – every form of illness but she continues to breath. Sad.
    Jason

  46. Hi Nighty,
    I am not really a paranormal type – I guess I am a little more aware since this artifact came into my life. To be honest, I only found this website because on occasion I will do a Google searches to see what is happening with the studio Lionsgate and others who have interest in the artifact. Sometimes I chime in if it looks interesting enough. As a matter, Lionsgate of fact the DVD will be out on Tuesday with a featurette of the real history – it has the first owner, me and my son Ross in it.
    For the best documentary of the Dibbuk Box – I recommend SyFy’s Paranormal Witness Season 2 Dybbuk Box.

    Thanks for your good wishes. Since the Dibbuk Box was put an Acacia Ark it has been calm. Burying it in the ark seems to have finished the task.
    Best – Jason

  47. Hi Derpnote,

    I am the author of the book “Dibbuk Box” and also caretaker of the “Dibbuk Box” which has been buried since before the film/movie “The Possession” came out. You are correct that there was a bit more on the next two owners – the college student and me. But, the book publisher (the public university – Truman State Univ. – that gets the majority of the funds on the book) asked that I pull back on some of the information on the website so people could get the full story from the book – if they wanted to know the whole story. I agreed as the funding goes to a good cause.

    But here is a bit more for your dedicated readers:

    “For the next sale or auction, the college student merely re-posted the original description from when he bid and won the Dibbuk Box — but, he added at the bottom his own testimonial and warning.

    Here is that addition:

    1. “I don’t really want to talk about anything [that happened] between September and January, so I’ll just say that I’m selling the box now for a couple reasons:

    2. “Around October 6th, I started feeling bad, with trouble sleeping. This problem has persisted through today. “I live alone now, and as of late I have noticed replacing a lot of burnt-out light bulbs and getting many unusual car repairs . . . .

    3. “I’ve started seeing things, sort of like large vertical dark blurs in my peripheral vision.

    4. “I smell something like juniper bushes or stingy ammonia in my garage often, and I have no idea what from.

    5. “Most disturbingly, last Tuesday (Jan. 27, 2004), my hair began to fall out. Today (Friday) it’s about half gone. I’m in my early twenties and I just got a clean blood test back from the doctor’s. Maybe it’s stress related, I don’t know.

    6. “Anyhow, for personal reasons I very strongly do not want this box anymore. I hope there’s someone on eBay that will take this thing off of my hands. [I would just throw it away in the woods or something, but I know there has been some interest in it in the past.]”

    Link to article about why i wrote the book: http://blogs.truman.edu/tsup/2012/08/17/the-dibbuk-box-jason-haxton-on-writing-his-story/

    Best – Jason a.k.a. agetron

    1. Glad to know I wasn’t hallucinating there being more on the website in the past!

      Thanks for dropping by and giving us the extra details. I bought the ebook a few months ago, but I’m the type to read multiple books at once so I’m only about 75% through it. I’m looking forward to seeing what conclusions (if any) you ended up drawing about the origin of the box.

      1. Hi derpbutt –

        As I mentioned if you read the link I provided above – I do not see myself as a writer. But, to protect myself – I joined the Author’s Guild”. Having a movie made from your book tends to “fast track” you to instant membership – which only as a member of “The Authors Guild” can you purchase writer’s insurance for libel or invasion of privacy.

        The book I wrote is indeed insured forever as long as I do not change any of it or add to it. After the book came out, I recieved additional information from those involved – but, I am unable to update the kindle or book next printing unless I pay for insurance as if the book with the additons is a new book – which is very expensive. However, if you send me an email – I will give you a few pages to add at the very end – but yopu can not publish it or share it – SORRY!

        Best – Jason

        1. hello, I have delved into this story for some time now and to actually come across the keeper and author is amazing luck. I want to buy the dybbuk box off of you and run some tests on it. Everything and everyone associated with this investigation will be filmed and give their own accounts on anything that may or may not happen. Is there a chance that you could name a price and we could come to some sort of an agreement?
          excellent book and best wishes

        2. Hi Xander,
          I appreciate your interest and enthusiasm. to answer your request, the Dibbuk Box went through a battery of tests measuring energy and reviewing its components by a NASA Metallurgist – Mr. Vagle and one of the best and most documented mediums of Orange County, California – Laurie Campbell. Their work and reports will be coming out in History Channel’s H2 series Haunted History in a month or two.

          Since that last documentary, the Dibbuk Box has been sealed in its ark for almost 5-years and was buried about 6-months ago. Having felt I gave it a fair review by many professionals over the years – the BOX is put to rest …or out least out of harm’s way. Thanks for your interest – but it is not for sale (kind of an ethical issue for me) and it will not be disturbed – by me.
          Best,
          Jason

    2. This is creepy as creepy comes! Thank you for taking the time to visit and add some more information Mr. Haxton, I had seen the movie trailers but I never knew what it was about or where the movie was inspired from… It’s mind boggling that something like this exists in this world, will try to get my hands on that book. I hope you now enjoy good health and don’t suffer from any nuances caused by the box.

    1. Im just gonna say that i have had a recent dream simular to the one in the story was the thing in thee dream green

  48. Dave Mustardstaine

    It was, for the worst part, well-written. I’d strongly recommend you used commas for the dialogue in the future, though. Also, one question. Did you by chance base this on The Possession? That’s all I could think of throughout this story.
    Anyway, overall, I’d say 7/10.

      1. Half the people who comment on these stories don’t read the whole thing first, it’s pretty funny when they give themselves away like this.

        1. I heard this story on paranormal whiteness on syfy channel it is on Wednesdays at 8:00 in da morning

      1. It is. It’s the same box and everything from the extras on the DVD. Once I read the contents of the box, I knew this was fake

    1. This is real this box is a real thing with a trapped (formerly trapped) spirit inside that can’t go to heaven or he’ll and IT IS PURE EVIL

        1. not necessarily ever see the movie the possession they are demons who have escaped hell to our plane

    2. I know what this box is. It was once common practice for practiced witches, or hags, to attempt to circumvent their mortality by creating an echo. the cabinet would have been used as a focal point. there are entities that exist between dimensions who’s soul purposes are to prevent the success of such an act. the hag figure will continue to do harm until it can break someone mentally and take them as a host. this has nothing to do with religion. its simple preservation of energy. I can help. if people are being harmed, I offer my knowledge and. services freely. I hope that the owner contacts me before someone tries to make things worse. there are people out there who will recognise the item and seek to use it in a malicious way.

    3. Actually he based it off of an episode of paranormal wittness. I mean, he basically copied the freaking episode. Everything is the same.

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