kelippah
In Jewish Demonology, a type of Demon or Demonic force not distinguished by individual names. Kelippah means “shell,” “husk,” or “skin.” The kelippot (plural) are forces and the root of all evil, the clinging Demons of sin found in early Jewish mysticism and kabbalistic lore. They were created as shards or residues of the light cast down from the spiritual lights that formed the sephirot of the Tree of Life (see Kabbalah). They became gross matter, the shadow side of the Tree of Life. The kelippot are intermediaries between the upper and lower worlds.

The Encyclopedia of Demons and Demonology – Written by Rosemary Ellen Guiley – Copyright © 2009 by Visionary Living, Inc.