Jerusalem – Rav Moshe Sternbuch, the ravad of the Eida Chareidis of Jerusalem, has publicly stated the case of the dybbuk supposedly possessing the body of a Brazilian avreich in Jerusalem is merely a psychiatric problem requiring medical attention.
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According to a recent report on VIN News, Rabbi Sternbuch rejected the story outright, despite Wednesday night’s dramatic attempt to exorcise the dybbuk before a large crowd of onlookers.
In an interview posted on the HaKol Bakol telephone information line, Rav Sternbuch reiterated his denial of the story.
HaKol BaKol: According to various rumors regarding the Ravad’s opinion on the “dybbuk” that has appeared at Yeshivat Shalom in Jerusalem. Some say the Ravad believes it, while others claim the opposite.
Rav Sternbuch: I don’t hold by it. In my opinion this is a sick person who needs to see a doctor.
HaKol BaKol: A sick person?
Rav Sternbuch: Yes. He has a serious illness. It’s not known what it is or who it is.
HaKol BaKol: It’s not a case of a dybbuk?
Rav Sternbuch: I don’t think so.
HaKol BaKol: It’s been reported that the Ravad’s son was at Yeshivat Shalom when the rite was held.
Rav Sternbuch: He just went to watch. He came to enjoy it. What can I do about it? He wanted to go. There was a lot of interest and a big gathering. So he enjoyed it.
HaKol BaKol: It’s not a dybbuk?
Rav Sternbuch: No, he is presumed to be a sick person.
To listen to the interview, from outside of Eretz Yisroel dial 972-52-999-6600.
What’s the problem? Let the avreich go to a doctor and we’ll know if it’s a dibbuk or not. Aren’t there any doctors in Brazil? If the doctor can’t diagnose him with a known illness then it should affirm that it is a dibbuk.
We need to call a spade a spade here. Someone is mentally ill needs psychiatric help! We need to let it out in the open and allow people to get the help they need so more catastrophes do not occur. Why do we keep trying to hide it in the closet and not let people get the help they need?
How can he make judgments without meeting and speaking to the young man?
(He has seen doctors in Brazil and they are bafffled.)
To my opinion I think Rav Shternbuch is right it sounds like this guy from Brazil needs serious medical treatment nothing else
i remember when 11 years ago there was another person acting as if he has a dibbuk. Rav Batzri was also then hired to take it out & was “successful,” and it later turned that it was a hoax.
if the whole thing is just mental illness, then what exactly was he doing sitting in that shofar blowing ritual? was that not him in the youtube video sitting in front of some skype type of live stream program while all these folks were blowing the shofar behind him?
additional questions are on my mind…assuming that it was a real dybuk – which we know it wasnt – would an on-line ritual like the shofar blowing have worked? arent we not allowed to fulfill the mitzvah with hearing the shofar thru a microphone??? but we are aloud to use skype to get rid of a dybuk? what???????
does that mean i can just skype me being at minyan? of course not. i need to be there…but why would he or someone even think that blowing shofar in front of a video cam would do the trick w a supernatural entity like a dybuk….
any thoughts on how crazy this whole thing is?
This is a fine-tuning of my post #6 above – it does not appear to by Rav Sternbuch in the video but some other sephardic rabbi…
everything else i said above remains the same…
assumming that it was real, which is wasnt, does not one of those people in the room see how ridiculous this idea was to remove a dybuk via live video stream?
i am not sure if i have totally lost my mind…or if klal yisroel is hitting rock bottom in so many ways….
dybuks, ponzio schemes, tax scams by rebbes, ZERO $$$ in charedi society, charedim rioting on streets on shabbos that is shown to millions on cnn news, majority of lakewood on WIC/Medicaid and other benefit programs, sex scandals, etc..etc…
my friends…we are in major major trouble…i am scared for my children…not scared from nazis…not scared from iran or other maniac jihadis…i am scared for them from ourselves and what we have become… ANA HASHEM HOSHEA NA!!!!
look at the evidense. Almost all psychiatric medications only work as well or very slightly better than placebo. This is what the rabbis are trying to do for him. Why ruin it Rabi Sternbuch
Lets’ call someone from Kangaroo Land, Down Under, to issue a Cherem against the avrech (since he violated halacha and was screaming in shull in middle of davening:-).
A Cherem against anyone who is mentally ill will certainly solve all problems very quickly 🙂
i friend of mine knows the guy, the rabbis in brazil tought he was crazy, one rabbi understood was a dibbuk, and when the kalever rebbe of america was in brasil the dibbuk spoke with him, the rebbe couldt take it off but calmed down the dibbuk(it’s recorded), they whent after to israel and as you know blablabla, it seems a worker of him sended him a maldition or some kind of avoda zara “macumba” really common in brazil after he fired her.
i understood hte guys has a shed and a dibuk and the dibuk came after the shed also the guy is sefaradi and hilloni
still my rosh yeshiva says the guy is crazy what can i say 😉
But did Rabbi Sternbuch see the man? Did he hear the voices? Did he talk to those involved? Is he claiming that Rabbi Batzri is an idiot?
He probably belongs in a schiciatric hospital…….
This is a case of Oilem Goilem, the fish story in New squere is the same story.
Imagine if there would be “Google” 100 years ago, I wonder how many chadele badele stories would be disouncted………..
This has nothing to do with Belief in hashem, it has to do with old babas being bored and telling night stories for the kids when they go to sleep about what they fantasised during the day……..
According to all the halochos of Hilchos Shabbos (when you can be mechalel Shabbos for a Choleh) where it needs to be determined who is a Choleh and who isn’t and likewise regrading who can eat on Yom Kippur if he is a Choelh Sheyesh Boy Sakana or not and similar situations:
A Rav can’t “Play Doctor”.
According to Halacha the determination of who is a Choleh and who isn’t can only be determined by doctor and not by any rav now matter how big he is.
The Brazilians had taken him to the biggest Brazilian doctors who told them this was not a medical condition.
Has Rabbi Sternbuch spoke to the avreich? Unless he has ruach hakodesh he can’t make such a statement without meeting him.
In history there were stories of a dibbuk and previous gedolim confirmed it and were involved, so its very possible that this is real too. Unless he claims there is no such a thing as a dibbuk he shouldn’t be jumping to judgement.
By continuing to recycle this story Sternbuch is only perpetuating the fantasy of a non-existant “dibbuk”, “evil spirit” or whatever term you wnat to call it. If you want to worship the spirits or engage in this kind of avodah zorah, there are many religions that will be glad to have you join them. There are no dibbuks or other such naresh in toras moshe. Those who engage in exorcism might as well join that bunch of chabadniks in Australia who decided Moishiach has come (the rebbe, surprise!!) and we now can celebrate asaarah b’teves as a chag.
I don’t know what to beleive because the chofetz Chaim ztl did say there won’t be a dibbuk again but on the other hand what are the voices coming from him and why would rav batzri say it’s true he is definetley one of the gedolim in our gen
Everyone knows that dybbuks don’t Skype, they use iPhones! 🙂
its a dybuck
everyone is saying that in israel
rav batzri is fasting its shovavim
and doesn’t want to take out dibuk only private with Talmedei chacamim
in order no people that are Tomay or Siners shouldn’t be there
Reply#16 harav sterbuch sad from the first minute that this men needs a doctor asap
אויב קיקט מען דעם קליפ ווי דע ספרדים פרובירן צי פארטרייבן דעם אזוי געריפענעם דיבוק דארך א וועב קעם, פארשטייט מען גלייך אז א דיבוק וואס דרייט זיך ארים שוין צוויי טויזענט יאר אין די תנאים, אמוראים וכו’ דער בעל שם אין אראפ האבן קיינער זיך נישט געקענט קיין עצה געבן מיט אים ביז אפאר ספרדישע מגולחים מיט פארדרייטע שופרות זיי האבן געכאפט דעם טאטער, עס איז שוין געקומען די צייט צי פארשטיין אז דאס איז די ספרדישע ווערסיע פין “גאטשי בערי” אין “כינעזער האניג” וכדומה, אין תשובה טאן דארף מען אן דעם אויך
I hope people will not attack Rav Shternbuch because of what he said, just like everyone on VIN can have an opinion so can the Rav, if you don’t like it too bad, but he has a right to state an opinion, he may be right or wrong. God bless.
Which will ruin a shidduch faster, having someone in he family who is mentally ill or suffering from demonic possession ?
Where is Agent Emes when we need him?
I think the vast concensus of chazal and achronim in particular is that there are no such things as dibbuks or evil spriits in daas torah and even if the CH’ Ztl might have speculated about such a concept, he is clearly in a minority and there is no basis for extrapolating from his limited and confusing writings that such a concept is relevant today.
“Enjoy”??? how do you “enjoy” someone elses suffering???????
I sincerely hope that either 1). Rav Sternbuch made all the necesary enquiries, in which case he may say what he thinks, and he is forgiven if he is wrong (but i’d expect him him not to be), or, 2). He says fron ruach Hakodesh, or simiar, in which case it is not forgiven if he is wrong, or, 3). He says it from da’as tora, in which case OY VA VOY! if he’s wrong! He might need to be fired. Or, 4). he is not correctly represented by the media.
I hope it’s either 1, or 4.
Now all the kanoim are going to try to lynch R. Sternbuch like they tried to do to R. Steinman when he didn’t agree with them. After all, their svoroh will go, if he doesn’t believe in the dybbuk, he’s not a maymin, right?
There have been rare cases.
And, I don’t mind if Rav Sternbuch is correct, but if he is not, then it would be a disgrace, becaue so many people laugh at these things, and no one can feel the suffering of the victim, and all should be done to help and make him better. And a great da’as tora must not make such a mistake, ever, because we must obey da’as tora, above everyone elses knowledge and intelligence, threfore he HAS to be 1000% sure Or shehashem yishmor!
I don’t know exactly which doctor the rav has in mind, as it is obvious as well as being known that the avreich went to doctors.
Part of הלכות עבודה זרה וחקות הגוים ברמב”ם פרק י”א הל’ [כ] (טז) : ודברים אלו כולן דברי שקר וכזב הן, והן שהטעו בהן עובדי עבודה זרה הקדמונים לגויי הארצות כדי שינהו אחריהן. ואין ראוי לישראל שהם חכמים מחוכמים להמשך בהבלים האלו, ולא להעלות על הלב שיש בהן תעלה, שנאמר כי לא נחש ביעקב ולא קסם בישראל (במדבר כג כג). ונאמר כי הגוים האלה אשר אתה יורש אותם אל מעוננים ואל קוסמים ישמעו ואתה לא כן נתן לך ה’ אלהיך (דברים יח יד
.(