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Shalom

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For the greeting, seeshalom aleichem.For other uses, seeShalom (disambiguation).
Shalomin Hebrew
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Shalom(Hebrew:שָׁלוֹםšālōm) is aHebrewword meaningpeaceand can be used idiomatically to meanhello.[1][2]

As it does inEnglish,it can refer to eitherpeacebetween two entities (especially between a person and God or between two countries), or to the well-being, welfare or safety of an individual or a group of individuals. The word shalom is also found in many other expressions and names. Its equivalentcognateinArabicissalaam,slieminMaltese,ShlamainSyriac-AssyrianandsälaminEthiopian Semitic languagesfrom the Proto-SemiticrootŠ-L-M.

Etymology

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In Hebrew, words are built on "roots", generally of three consonants. When the root consonants appear with various vowels and additional letters, a variety of words, often with some relation in meaning, can be formed from a single root. Thus from the rootsh-l-mcome the wordsshalom( "peace, well-being" ),hishtalem( "it was worth it" ),shulam( "was paid for" ),meshulam( "paid for in advance" ),mushlam( "perfect" ), andshalem( "whole" ).

Biblically,shalomis seen in reference to the well-being of others (Genesis 43:27, Exodus 4:18), to treaties (I Kings 5:12), and in prayer for the wellbeing of cities or nations (Psalm 122:6, Jeremiah 29:7).

The meaning of completeness, central to the termshalom,can also be confirmed in related terms found in other Semitic languages. The Assyrian termsalamumeans to be complete, unharmed, paid/atoned.Sulmu,another Assyrian term, means welfare. A closer relation to the idea ofshalomas a concept and action is seen in the Arabic rootsalaam,meaning, among other things, to be safe, secure and forgiven.

In expressions

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The word "shalom" can be used for all parts of speech; as a noun, adjective, verb, adverb, and interjection. It categorizes all shaloms. The wordshalomis used in a variety of expressions and contexts in Hebrew speech and writing:

  • Shalomby itself is a very common abbreviation and it is used in Modern Israeli Hebrew as agreetingand farewell. In this way, it is similar to the Hawaiianaloha,the Englishgood eveningand the Indiannamaste.
  • Shalom aleichem(שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם‎; "well-being be upon you" or "may you be well" ), this expression is used to greet others and is a Hebrew equivalent of "hello". The appropriate response to such a greeting is "upon you be well-being" ( עֲלֵיכֶם שָׁלוֹם,aleichem shalom). This is acognateof the Arabicassalamu alaikum.On the eve ofShabbat,Jews have a custom of singing a song which is calledShalom Alecheim,before theKiddushover wine of theShabbat dinneris recited.
  • Shabbat shalom(שַׁבָּת שָׁלוֹם‎; "peaceful Sabbath" ) is a common greeting used on Shabbat. This is most prominent in areas withMizrahi,Sephardi,or modernIsraeliinfluence. ManyAshkenazicommunities in the Jewish diaspora useYiddishGut shabbesin preference or interchangeably.
  • Ma sh'lom'cha(מַה שְׁלוֹמְךָ‎; "What is your well-being/peace?" ) is a Hebrew equivalent of the English "how are you?".
  • Alav hashalom(עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם‎; "upon him is peace" ) is a phrase used in some Jewish communities, especially Ashkenazi ones, after mentioning the name of a deceased respected individual.
  • Oseh shalom(עוֹשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם; "Peace-Maker" ) is the part of a passage commonly found as a concluding sentence in muchJewish liturgy(including thebirkat hamazon,kaddishand personalamidahprayers).

Jewish religious principle

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InJudaism,shalomis one of the underlying principles of theTorah:"Her ways are pleasant ways and all her paths are shalom".[3]The Talmud explains, "The entire Torah is for the sake of the ways of shalom".[4]Maimonidescomments in hisMishneh Torah:"Great is peace, as the whole Torah was given in order to promote peace in the world, as it is stated, 'Her ways are pleasant ways and all her paths are peace'".[5]

In the bookNot the Way It's Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin,Christian authorCornelius Plantingadescribed the biblical concept of shalom:

The webbing together of God, humans, and all creation in justice, fulfillment, and delight is what the Hebrew prophets call shalom. We call it peace but it means far more than mere peace of mind or a cease-fire between enemies. In the Bible, shalom means universal flourishing, wholeness and delight – a rich state of affairs in which natural needs are satisfied and natural gifts fruitfully employed, a state of affairs that inspires joyful wonder as its Creator and Savior opens doors and welcomes the creatures in whom he delights. Shalom, in other words, is the way things ought to be.[6]

Use as name

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Name for God

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TheTalmudsays, "the name of God is 'Peace'",therefore, one is not permitted to greet another with the word 'shalom' in places such as a bathroom.[7]

Biblical references lead some Christians to teach that "Shalom" is one of the sacred names of God.[8][9][10][11]

Name for people

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Shalomis also aHebrew name,found commonly inIsraelas both agivenandfamily name.While traditionally masculine, it is occasionally androgynous, such as in the case of modelShalom Harlow.

Name of organizations

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Shalomcan be part of anorganization's name, including the titles of the following establishmentspromoting Israeli-Arab peace:

Name of synagogues or structures

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Shalomis used inJewish religiouscontexts, such as the names ofsynagoguesand parks, including:

Name of events

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  • The1982 Lebanon Waris known in Hebrew asMilchemet Shlom Hagalil(Hebrew:מלחמת שלום הגליל‎), which means in English, "The War for the Shalom (or Well-Being) of the Galilee".

Other

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See also

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References

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  1. ^Hoffman, Joel (2007).Glamour of the Grammarin theJerusalem Post
  2. ^"Blue Letter Bible".Archived fromthe originalon 2012-07-11.
  3. ^Proverbs 3:17
  4. ^Talmud, Gittin 59b
  5. ^Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, The Laws of Chanukah 4:14
  6. ^"Shalom: The Real Utopia".
  7. ^Shabbat10b fromJudges6:24
  8. ^Stone, Nathan J. Names of God, pg. 6, Moody Publishers, 1987
  9. ^"The Names of God: Jehovah Shalom".blogs.blueletterbible.org.
  10. ^Fanning, Don. "Theology Proper," pg. 25(2009).
  11. ^F.E. Marsh dealing with the comprehensiveness of the word shalom is the personification of Peace...and a name of God, Lockyer, Herbert. All the Divine Names and Titles in the Bible. pg. 41, 47, Zondervan, 1988

Sources

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  • Eirene, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature (Chicago, IL:University of Chicago Press,2000).
  • Eirene, shalóm, and shalám, Nueva Concordancia Strong Exhaustiva (Miami, FL: Editorial Caribe, 2002).
  • Eirene, shalom, and shalam, The New Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990).
  • Paz, Diccionario de la Lengua Española (Madrid, Spain: Real Academia Española, 2001).
  • Paz, Nuevo Diccionario Bíblico (Downers Grove, IL: Ediciones Certeza, 1991).
  • Shalom, The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2003)
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