Spirits, Ghosts, & Dybbuks: Afterlife Journeys in Yiddish Lore by Simcha Paull Raphael

A richly researched and deeply spiritual work, Spirits, Ghosts, and Dybbuks: Afterlife Journeys in Yiddish Lore delves into the arcane realms of Jewish afterlife beliefs as vibrantly expressed through the imaginative worlds of Yiddish literature. In deftly demonstrating how the writings of I.L. Peretz, Isaac Bashevis Singer, and others synthesized classical Jewish eschatology with the emerging sociopolitical thought of early modernity, Simcha Paull Raphael explores the enduring legacy of Jewish speculation on death and the afterlife.

Drawing on decades of experience as a death educator, grief counselor, and rabbinic chaplain, Raphael weaves scholarly insight with spiritual depth to expertly guide readers on a literary journey into the yenne velt, the ever-present 'other world' beyond the veil. Regardless of one's background or belief, this fascinating work invites readers to reflect on enduring spiritual questions about death, the soul, and the possibility of life beyond the grave.

Originally published as a chapter in the groundbreaking Jewish Views of the Afterlife, this expanded and revised volume offers newly updated material, highlighting the rich intersection of Yiddish literature and Jewish afterlife tradition.