Shalom aleichem

Shalom aleichem (/ʃəˌlɒm əˈleɪxəm, ˌʃoʊləm-/;[1][2] Hebrew: שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם‎, shālôm ʻalêḵem; Hebrew pronunciation: [ʃaˈloːm ʕaleːˈxem]) is a spoken greeting in Hebrew, meaning "peace be upon you." The appropriate response is aleichem shalom ("unto you peace") (Hebrew: עֲלֵיכֶם שָׁלוֹם‎).[3][4] The plural form "עֲלֵיכֶם‎" is used even when addressing one person; a religious explanation for this is that one greets both the body and the soul, but Hebrew does occasionally use the plural as a sign of respect.

This article is about the greeting. For the Yiddish writer, see Sholem Aleichem. For the Jewish liturgical poem, see Shalom Aleichem (liturgy).

This form of greeting is traditional among Jews throughout the world. It occurs six times in the Jerusalem Talmud. The greeting is more common amongst Ashkenazi Jews.

Other religions

Many religions share cognates to this greeting.

The related Arabic variation as-salāmuʿalaikum ("peace be upon you", السلام عليكم in Arabic), is used by Muslims of many language and ethnic backgrounds. The appropriate response is Wa alaikumus-salaam ("and unto you peace", وَعَلَيْكُمُ ٱلسَّلَامُ). As-salāmu alaykum and its variants are also used by Arabs of different religions as a greeting. Aramaic and Classical Syriac use Shlama 'allāwkhon (ܫܠܡܐ ܥܠܘܟ̣ܘܢ), which means "peace for you."

Within the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, Peace be with you (in Greek: "Εἰρήνη πᾶσι", in Latin: "Pax vobiscum") is the initial liturgical greeting by a bishop or priest during divine services. In Mass, Catholic priests who are not bishops say "The Lord be with you." The response is "And with your spirit." A somewhat similar greeting used within the Mass by bishops and priests is "The peace of the Lord be with you always." In Orthodox Church, the greeting is always the same: Peace be with you.

Similarly, "Peace be with you" is used within Anglican liturgies of the Episcopal Church and other Anglican churches, with the response being "And also with you." The same is true of some Presbyterian and Reformed churches, such as the Presbyterian Church and the Church of the Brethren.

References
  1. "shalom aleichem". Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
  2. "shalom aleichem". Collins Dictionary. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
  3. "shalom aleichem". Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  4. Dovid Zaklikowski. "The Jewish Hello". Chabad.org. Retrieved July 28, 2016.

See also
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