Sholom Aleichem

Sholom Aleichem: see Aleichem, Sholem.

orig. Sholem Yakov Rabinowitz

(born Feb. 18, 1859, Pereyaslav, Russia—died May 13, 1916, New York, N.Y., U.S.) Russian writer. Drawn to writing as a youth, he became a private tutor at age 17 and later served as a government rabbi. Beginning in 1883 he published more than 40 widely translated volumes of novels, stories, and plays in Yiddish. English translations from his 14-volume collected works include Jewish Children and The Old Country. His best-known character, Tevye the dairyman, was the subject of a volume of short stories that later was the basis for the musical Fiddler on the Roof (1964).

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Shalom aleichem (or sholom aleichem) (Hebrew שלום עליכם shālôm ʻalêḵem; Yiddish שלום־עליכם şolem aleyxem) is a greeting version in Hebrew, literally meaning "Peace be upon you." The appropriate response is "Aleichem shalom," or "Upon you be peace."

This form of greeting was traditional among the Ashkenazi Jewish communities of Eastern Europe. However, it is very similar to the Arabic-language greeting used by many Muslims throughout the world, assalamu alaikum. The Christian Maltese phrase, sliem għalikhom is cognate with both Arabic and Hebrew equivalents. The greeting is used in plural - so as to greet multiple people - even when greeting a lone individual. One religious explanation for this is that one greets both a body and a soul.

Shalom could be also interpreted as "The Peace": a peace personally felt, a deeply calmness and mental balance, which is said to come to those who appreciate God.

Friday night Shabbat welcoming song

Shalom Aleichem is also a traditional song sung Friday night at the beginning of Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath. In this case the words are used to welcome in the angels who accompany a person home on the eve of the Sabbath. It can be sung with many different melodies, but it is always sung with great happiness and joy.

The song in Hebrew transliteration is as follows:

Shalom aleichem malachei ha-shareit malachei elyon, mi-melech malchei ha-melachim Ha-Kadosh Baruch Hu.

Bo'achem le-shalom malachei ha-shalom malachei elyon, mi-melech malchei ha-melachim Ha-Kadosh Baruch Hu.

Barchuni le-shalom malachei ha-shalom malachei elyon, mi-melech malchei ha-melachim Ha-Kadosh Baruch Hu.

Tzeit'chem le-shalom malachei ha-shalom malachei elyon, mi-melech malchei ha-melachim Ha-Kadosh Baruch Hu.

The words to the song translate:

Peace upon you, ministering angels, messengers of the Most High, of the Supreme King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He.

Come in peace, messengers of peace, messengers of the Most High, of the Supreme King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He.

Bless me with peace, messengers of peace, messengers of the Most High, of the Supreme King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He.

May your departure be in peace, messengers of peace, messengers of the Most High, of the Supreme King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He.

Meaning of the song

According to the Talmud, tractate Shabbat (119a), two angels accompany everyone on their way back home from Synagogue on Friday night: one good angel and one evil angel. When they arrive at the house, they look to see if there is a beautiful Shabbat feast prepared. If this is true, the good angel blesses that the next Shabbat will be the same and the evil angel responds amen. If there is no Shabbat feast, the evil angel wishes that the next Shabbat will be the same and the good angel responds amen.

Although the angels disagree with each other (one is good and one is evil), they respond amen to the other's blessing and in this way they make peace. As such, they are known as the messengers of Peace.

In the first verse of Shalom Aleichem, we welcome in the ministering angels. These are the holiest of the angels, but they do not come because we are not worthy.

In the following three verses, the angels of peace are asked to come in and bless us (Boachem Leshalom), bless the house (Barchuni Leshalom) and finally to leave in peace (Tzeitchem Leshalom). The reason the angels are asked to leave is because according to Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak, it is distasteful to eat as others watch, so we must ask the angels to leave before finishing the song and going onto the meal.

Melodies

A well-known melody for the song was composed by the American Rabbi Israel Goldfarb in 1918. Goldfarb's work is often presumed to be a traditional Hasidic melody. He wrote in 1963, "The popularity of the melody traveled not only throughout this country but throughout the world, so that many people came to believe that the song was handed down from Mt. Sinai by Moses."

See also

• Assalamu alaikum

External links

• Shalom Aleichem - Shabbat with Aish