שלום עליכם
sholem aleykhem
In Yiddish, the greeting for "hi" is שלום עליכם (sholem aleykhem).
שלום עליכם is a common, traditional greeting meaning "peace be upon you." While it is a friendly greeting, it is often used in religious or communal contexts.
Meaning: friendly, informal greeting (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally means "peace be upon you."
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase שלום עליכם, the second word aleykhem is the plural or formal second-person pronoun. This makes the greeting appropriate for addressing a group of people or for showing respect to an individual.
How do you pronounce it?
sholem aleykhem
When do people say it?
When someone greets you with שלום עליכם, the standard response is עליכם שלום (aleykhem sholem), which means "upon you be peace".
Did you know?
- The greeting שלום עליכם is the namesake of Sholem Aleichem, the famous Yiddish author whose stories about Tevye the Dairyman inspired the musical 'Fiddler on the Roof'.
- In some traditional Jewish communities, שלום עליכם is not just a greeting but the title of a liturgical hymn sung to welcome the angels of the Sabbath on Friday night.
- The word שלום comes from the Hebrew root meaning 'whole' or 'complete', suggesting that 'peace' is the state of being unbroken.
Examples in context
- שלום עליכם, וואס מאכט איר?sholem alekhem, vos makht ir?Hello, how are you doing?
- שלום עליכם, אלעס איז גוט.sholem alekhem, ales iz gut.Hello, everything is good.
- ער האט געזאגט שלום עליכם.er hot gezogt sholem alekhem.He said hello.
Example conversation
Two friends meet on a street corner.
- חנה Chanaשלום עליכם, בערל!Sholem aleykhem, Berl!Hi, Berl!
- בערל Berelעליכם שלום, חנה!Aleykhem sholem, Khone!Hello, Khone!
- חנה Chanaוואו גייסטו?Vu geystu?Where are you going?
- בערל Berelאיך גיי צו דעם קראם.Ikh gey tsu dem krom.I am going to the store.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries שלום, שלום עליכם, CC BY-SA 4.0.
