When the Angels Left the Old Country

Jewish mythology plays an important role in When the Angels Left the Old Country, as many of the characters are mythical beings themselves. Uriel is an angel—a being created to praise God—and Little Ash is a demon. Demons in Jewish mythology differ from popular modern depictions, possessing a more neutral and human-friendly nature. In fact, such demons are depicted as being “prepared to help and do favors to men” because they “accept the Torah and are considered ‘Jewish demons’” (“Jewish Concepts: Demons & Demonology.” Jewish Virtual Library: A Project of Aice). These demons who do favors for humans are ruled by Ashmedai (Asmodeus), and Lamb’s novel reflects this mythology, for the narrative states that Ashmedai is Little Ash’s father. True to form, Little Ash spends a great deal of time helping different humans, and his nature changes significantly due to the influence of his angelic friend.

Another mythical being prominently featured in the novel is the dybbuk. In Jewish mythology, a dybbuk is a human spirit without a body that seeks a living person’s body to reside in. These dybbuks are discontented ghosts who search for vengeance and human hosts. Within the context of the novel, there are two dybbuks. The first develops from the ghost of the rebbe from Belz, while the second arises from the ghost of Mrs. Shulman. As the story unfolds, both dybbuks follow people who have bad luck and even go so far as to possess them, as when the rebbe possesses his son-in-law, Isaak. Historically, the belief in dybbuk possession was used to explain the behavior of people who had mental health conditions. Such individuals were exorcised of the dybbuk by a rabbi. In the novel, Little Ash threatens the rebbe with an exorcism, but the rebbe does not take him seriously. Instead, Little Ash offers his own body for the dybbuk to possess. Once the rebbe finds his revenge, he leaves.