Shalom aleichem

Shalom aleikhem (/ʃəˌlɒm əˈleɪxəm, ˌʃoʊləm-/;[1][2] Hebrew: שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם‬ shālôm ʻalêḵem) is a spoken greeting in Hebrew, meaning "peace be upon you." The appropriate response is aleikhem shalom ("unto you peace").[3][4]

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. Only 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 (e.g. a name of God is Elohim אלוהים‬, literally gods).

Other religions

Many religions share cognates to this greeting.

The related Arabic variation as-salāmuʿalaikum, ("peace be upon you") is used by Arabs of different religions as a greeting and by Muslims of many language and ethnic backgrounds. The appropriate response is Wa alaikum salaam ("unto you peace"). (In Arabic السلام عليكم) As-salāmu alaykum and its variants are used by Muslims outside of the Arab world in Turkey, Indonesia, Central Asia, Iran, Sahel Africa, East Africa, and many other places. Aramaic and classical Syriac use Shlomo 'ahlaykhu 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 at 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.

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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