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Shalom in Hebrew

Shalom (Hebrew: ‫ ָשׁלוֹם‬shalom; also spelled as sholom, sholem, sholoim,

shulem) is a Hebrew word meaning peace, harmony, wholeness, completeness,
prosperity, welfare and tranquility and can be used idiomatically to mean both
hello and goodbye.[1][2][3]

As it does in English, it can refer to either peace between two entities

(especially between man 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 equivalent
cognate in Arabic is salaam, sliem in Maltese, Shlama in Syriac-Assyrian and
sälam in Ethiopian Semitic languages from the Proto-Semitic root Š-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 root sh-l-m come the words shalom ("peace, well-being"),
hishtalem ("it was worth it"), shulam ("was paid for"), meshulam ("paid for in
advance"), mushlam ("perfect"), and shalem ("whole").

In translations of the Bible, shalom may be translated as peace (English), paz

(Spanish and Portuguese), paix (French), pace (Italian), or pax (Latin). The
concept of peace is important in Christianity.

Biblically, shalom is 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 term shalom, can also be
confirmed in related terms found in other Semitic languages. The Assyrian
term salamu means to be complete, unharmed, paid/atoned. Sulmu, another
Assyrian term, means welfare. A closer relation to the idea of shalom as
concept and action is seen in the Arabic root salaam, meaning to be safe,
secure and forgiven, among other things.

In expressions

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

Shalom by itself is a very common abbreviation and it is used in Modern

Israeli Hebrew as a greeting, to which the common reply is, Shalom, Shalom. It
is also used as a farewell. In this way it is similar to the Hawaiian aloha, the
English good evening and the Indian namaste. Also in Israel, "bye" (English)
and "yallah bye" (a mixture of Arabic and English) is popular.

Shalom alechem (‫יכם‬

ֶ ‫" ; ָשׁלוֹם ֲע ֵל‬well-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" (
‫יכם ָשׁלוֹם‬
ֶ ‫ע ֵל‬,ֲ aleichem shalom). This is a cognate of the Arabic Assalamu
alaikum. On the eve of Shabbat, Jews have a custom of singing a song which
is called Shalom Alechem, before the Kiddush over wine of the Shabbat dinner
is recited.

In the Gospels, Jesus often uses the greeting "Peace be unto you" (e.g., Matt
10:12), a translation of shalom aleichem. See Pax (liturgy).

Shabbat shalom (‫ ) ַשׁ ָבּת ָשׁלוֹם‬is a common greeting used on Shabbat. This is

most prominent in areas with Mizrahi, Sephardi, or modern Israeli influence.
Many Ashkenazi communities in the Jewish diaspora use Yiddish Gut
shabbes in preference or interchangeably.

Ma sh'lom'cha ( ‫לוֹמ‬
ְ ‫" ; ַמה ְשׁ‬what is your well-being/peace?") is a Hebrew
equivalent of the English "how are you?". This is the form addressed to an
individual male. The form for addressing an individual female is Ma
sh'lomech? For addressing several females, Ma sh'lomchen? For a group of
males or a mixed-gender group, Ma sh'lomchem?
 Alav hashalom (‫" ; ָע ָליו ַה ָשּׁלוֹם‬upon 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 is the part of a passage commonly found as a concluding

sentence in much Jewish liturgy (including the birkat hamazon, kaddish and
personal amidah prayers). The full sentence is ‫ הוּא‬,‫רוֹמיו‬
ָ ‫עוֹשׂה ָשׁלוֹם ִבּ ְמ‬
ֶ
‫אָמן‬
ֵ ‫יִשׂ ָר ֵאל וְ ִא ְמרוּ‬
ְ ‫ וְ ַעל ָכּל‬,‫( יַ ֲע ֶשׂה ָשׁלוֹם ַע ֵלינוּ‬Oseh shalom bimromav, hu
ya'aseh shalom aleynu, ve'al kol Yisrael ve'imru amen), which translates to
English as "He who makes peace in His heights may He make peace upon us
and upon all Israel; and say, Amen." It originates from Job 25:2.[4]

Jewish religious principle

In Judaism, Shalom (peace), is one of the underlying principles of the Torah:

"Her ways are pleasant ways and all her paths are shalom (peace)".[5]" The
Talmud explains, "The entire Torah is for the sake of the ways of shalom".[6]
Maimonides comments in his Mishneh 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'".[7]

In the book Not the Way It's Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin, author Cornelius
Plantinga described the Old Testament 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.[8]

Use as name

Name for God

The Talmud says, "the name of God is 'Peace'", therefore, one is not permitted
to greet another with the word shalom in places such as a bathroom.[9]

Biblical references make many Christians teach that "Shalom" is one of the
sacred names of God.[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]

Name for people

Shalom is also common in modern Hebrew in Israel, as a given name or a

surname. It is usually used by men as a given name but there are women
named Shalom as well such as the model Shalom Harlow.

The name Shlomo, (from Solomon, ‫)שלמה‬.

Related male names include Shlomi.

Related female names include Shulamit, Shulamith, Shlomtzion or Shlomzion

and Salome and Shlomith.

Sholem Aleichem was the pseudonym of Shalom Rabinowitz, whose work

Tevye and his Daughters formed the basis for Fiddler on the Roof.

Name of organizations

Shalom can be part of an organization's name.

For example, the names of the following organizations and places refer to
"peace" between Israel and its Arab neighbors:

Brit Tzedek v'Shalom

Brit Shalom

Gush Shalom

Hevel Shalom

Neve Shalom

Shalom Achshav

Shalom Sesame

Name of synagogues or structures

Shalom is used as part of other names, such as for synagogues, as in:

Beth Shalom (in various places, whose names begin with "Beth Shalom")

Neve Shalom Synagogue in İstanbul, Turkey

Shalom Park in Charlotte, North Carolina and Denver, Colorado

Shalom Meir Tower in Tel Aviv, Israel

Valley Beth Shalom in Encino, California

Name of events

The 1982 Lebanon War is known in Hebrew as Milchemet Shlom Hagalil

(Hebrew: ‫)מלחמת שלום הגליל‬, which means in English, "The War for the
Shalom (or Well-Being) of the Galilee".

Other

SS Shalom, an ocean liner operated by Zim Lines, Israel 1964–1967.

Şalom is a Jewish weekly newspaper published in İstanbul, Turkey in Turkish and one page in
Ladino (Judaeo-Spanish). (The Turkish letter ş is pronounced /ʃ/, like English sh or Hebrew ‫ש‬.)

"Shalom" is a song by Voltaire, on the CD The Devil's Bris.

"Shalom" is a song by THePETEBOX.

See also
 Aloha has a similar meaning

Ciao

Greeting

Inner peace

Mahalo has a similar meaning

Namaste has a similar meaning

Peace has a similar meaning

S-L-M (Salaam)

Salaam/Od Yavo Shalom Aleinu, song of Mosh Ben

Ari

Salama in the Makua language has a similar meaning

Salute

Shlama

References

1. Hoffman, Joel (2007). Glamour of the Grammar in the Jerusalem Post

2. "Blue Letter Bible" . Archived from the original on 2012-07-11.

3. "Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon" . Bible Study Tools.

4. Rabbis Drs. Andrew Goldstein & Charles H Middleburgh, ed. (2003). Machzor
Ruach Chadashah (in English and Hebrew). Liberal Judaism.

5. Proverbs 3:17

6. Talmud, Gittin 59b

7. Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, The Laws of Chanukah 4:14

8. "Shalom: The Real Utopia" .

9. Shabbat 10b from Judges 6:24

10. Stone, Nathan J. Names of God, pg. 6, Moody Publishers, 1987

11. "The Names of God: Jehovah Shalom" . blogs.blueletterbible.org.

12. Fanning, Don. "Theology Proper," pg. 25(2009).

13. 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

14. Hemphill, Ken. "How Excellent are Thy Names," Christianity Today 45.13
(2001): 95-97

15. Diamond, James Arthur. Converts, Heretics, and Lepers: Maimonides and the
Outsider. University of Notre Dame Press, 2007

16. Trepp, Leo. "Jeremiah and We." European Judaism: A Journal for the New
Europe, Vol. 27, No.1, Bergham Books (1994): 29-36

17. Spangler, Ann, ed. GW, Names of God Bible. Pg. 81, Baker Books, 2011

18. Williams, Cathy Q. "Black Online, Doctoral Psychology Graduates' Academic

Achievement: A Phenomenological Self-Directed Learning Perspective."
(2015)

19. Spangler, Ann. Praying the names of God: a daily guide. Pg. 9, Zondervan,
2004

Sources

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)