View source for Shalom

{{Italic title}}
{{short description|Hebrew word and greeting}}
{{About||the greeting|shalom aleichem|other uses|}}
{{Original research|date=June 2009}}
[[File:Shalom.svg|thumb|right|250px|''Shalom'' in Hebrew]]
{{wiktionary|shalom|שלום}}
'''''Shalom''''' ({{langx|he| שָׁלוֹם}} ''šālōm'') is a [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] word meaning ''peace'' and can be used idiomatically to mean ''hello'' and ''goodbye''.<ref>Hoffman, Joel (2007). [https://www.jpost.com/Jewish-World/Jewish-Features/Glamour-of-Grammar-Shalom-aleichem Glamour of the Grammar] in the [http://www.jpost.com Jerusalem Post]</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://cf.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H07965&Version=kjv|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120711031235/http://cf.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H07965&Version=kjv|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-07-11|title=Blue Letter Bible}}</ref>

As it does in [[English language |English]],{{Citation needed|date=October 2024|reason=This also needs to list the dialect(s) or region(s), e.g. [[Israeli English]] or [[American English]].}} it can refer to either [[peace]] between 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 equivalent [[cognate]] in [[Arabic language|Arabic]] is ''[[As-salamu alaykum|salaam]]'', ''[[sliem]]'' in [[Maltese language|Maltese]], [[Shlama]] in [[Neo-Aramaic]] dialects, and ''sälam'' in [[Ethiopian Semitic languages]] from the Proto-Semitic [[Root (linguistics)|root]] [[Š-L-M]].

== Etymology ==
{{unreferenced section|date=December 2016}}
In Hebrew, words are built on "roots", generally of three [[Consonants |consonants]]. When the root consonants appear with various [[Vowel |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").

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 a concept and action is seen in the Arabic root ''salaam'', meaning, among other things, to be safe, secure and forgiven.

== 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:

* ''[[Jewish greetings#Greetings and farewells|Shalom]]'' by itself is a very common abbreviation and it is used in Modern Israeli Hebrew as a [[Jewish greetings|greeting]] and farewell. In this way, it is similar to the [[Hawaiian language|Hawaiian]] ''[[aloha]]'', the [[Korean language|Korean]] [[wikt:안녕|{{lang|ko-Latn|annyeong|nocat=yes}}]], the [[Persian language|Persian]] [[wikt:درود|{{lang|fa-Latn|dorud|nocat=yes}}]] ([[wikt:بدرود|{{lang|fa-Latn|bedrud|nocat=yes}}]]), the [[Hindi|Indian]] ''[[namaste]]'', the [[Italian language|Italian]] ''[[ciao]]'' and the [[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]] [[wikt:chào|{{lang|vi|chào|nocat=yes}}]] (a [[false cognate]] of ''[[ciao]]''; the two words are not linguistically related despite sounding similar to each other).
* ''[[Shalom aleichem]]'' ({{Script/Hebrew|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 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 (liturgy)|Shalom Alecheim]], 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., [[Matthew 10:12]]), a translation of ''shalom aleichem''. See [[Pax (liturgy)]].
* ''[[Jewish greetings#Shabbat|Shabbat shalom]]'' ({{Script/Hebrew|שַׁבָּת שָׁלוֹם}}; "peaceful Sabbath") is a common greeting used on Shabbat. This is most prominent in areas with [[Mizrahi Jews|Mizrahi]], [[Sephardi Jews|Sephardi]], or modern [[Israel]]i influence. Many [[Ashkenazi Jews|Ashkenazi]] communities in the Jewish diaspora use [[Yiddish language|Yiddish]] ''Gut shabbes'' in preference or interchangeably.
* ''Ma sh'lom'cha'' ({{Script/Hebrew|מַה שְׁלוֹמְךָ}}; "What is your well-being/peace?") is a Hebrew equivalent of the English "how are you?". 
* ''[[Honorifics for the dead in Judaism|Alav hashalom]]'' ({{Script/Hebrew|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 much [[Jewish prayer|Jewish liturgy]] (including the ''[[Birkat Hamazon|birkat hamazon]]'', ''[[kaddish]]'' and personal ''[[amidah]]'' prayers).

== Jewish religious principle ==
In [[Judaism]], ''shalom'' is one of the underlying principles of the [[Torah]]: "Her ways are pleasant ways and all her paths are shalom".<ref>Proverbs 3:17</ref> The [[Talmud]] explains, "The entire Torah is for the sake of the ways of shalom".<ref>Talmud, Gittin 59b</ref> [[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{{'"}}.<ref>Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, The Laws of Chanukah 4:14</ref>

In the book ''Not the Way It's Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin'', Christian author [[Cornelius Plantinga]] described the biblical concept of shalom:

<blockquote>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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.faithandprosperity.com/shalom-the-real-utopia/ |title=Shalom: The Real Utopia}}</ref></blockquote>

== 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.<ref>[[Shabbat (Talmud)|Shabbat]] 10b from [[Book of Judges|Judges]] 6:24</ref>

Biblical references lead some Christians to teach that "Shalom" is one of the sacred names of God.<ref>Stone, Nathan J. Names of God, pg. 6, Moody Publishers, 1987</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.blueletterbible.org/blb/2012/09/04/the-names-of-god-jehovah-shalom/|title=The Names of God: Jehovah Shalom|website=blogs.blueletterbible.org}}</ref><ref>Fanning, Don. "Theology Proper," pg. 25(2009).</ref><ref>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</ref>

=== Name for people ===
''Shalom'' is also a [[Hebrew name]], found commonly in [[Israel]] as both a [[given name|given]] and [[surname|family name]]. While traditionally masculine, it is occasionally androgynous, such as in the case of model [[Shalom Harlow]].

* Related male names include [[Shlomo]] (common variation: [[Solomon]]) and [[Shlomi (Hebrew name)|Shlomi]].
* Related female names include [[Shulamit (disambiguation)|Shulamit]], [[Shulamith (disambiguation)|Shulamith]], [[Shlomtzion (disambiguation)|Shlomtzion]] or [[Shlomtzion (disambiguation)|Shlomzion]] and [[Salome (given name)|Salome]] and Shlomith.
* [[Sholem Aleichem]] was the pseudonym of Shalom Rabinowitz, whose work ''[[Tevye|Tevye and his Daughters]]'' formed the basis for ''[[Fiddler on the Roof]]''.

=== Name of organizations ===
''Shalom'' can be part of an [[organization]]'s name, including the titles of the following establishments [[Arab-Israeli peace projects|promoting Israeli-Arab peace]]:

* [[Brit Tzedek v'Shalom]]
* [[Brit Shalom (political organization)|Brit Shalom]]
* [[Gush Shalom]]
* [[Hevel Shalom]]
* [[Neve Shalom]]
* [[Shalom Achshav]]
* [[Shalom Sesame]]

=== Name of synagogues or structures ===
''Shalom'' is used in [[Judaism|Jewish religious]] contexts, such as the names of [[synagogues]] and parks, including:

* [[Beth Shalom (disambiguation)|Beth Shalom]]
* [[Neve Shalom Synagogue]] in [[Istanbul]], [[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]]: {{Script/Hebrew|מלחמת שלום הגליל}}), which means in English, "The War for the Shalom (or Well-Being) of the Galilee".

=== Other ===
* [[SS Shalom|SS ''Shalom'']], an ocean liner operated by [[Zim Lines]], [[Israel]] 1964–1967.
* [[Shalom (newspaper)]], a [[Jewish]] newspaper established in [[Tehran]], Iran in 1915
* [[Şalom]] is a [[Jewish]] [[weekly newspaper]] published in [[Istanbul]], [[Turkey]] in [[Turkish language|Turkish]], with one page in [[Judaeo-Spanish|Ladino]] ([[Judaeo-Spanish]]). ([[Turkish alphabet#Sounds|The Turkish letter ''ş'']] is pronounced /ʃ/, like English ''sh'' or Hebrew ''ש''.)
* "Shalom" is a song by [[Voltaire (musician)|Voltaire]], on the CD ''The Devil's Bris''.
* "Shalom" is a song by [[Thepetebox|THePETEBOX]].

== See also ==<!-- New links in alphabetical order please -->
{{col-begin|width=70%}}
{{col-break}}
* [[Aloha]]
* [[Ciao]]
* [[Greeting]]
* [[Inner peace]]
* [[Mahalo (word)|Mahalo]]
* [[Namaste]] 
{{col-break}}
* [[Peace]] has a similar meaning
* [[Š-L-M]]
* [[Salaam (song)|Salaam]]/Od Yavo Shalom Aleinu, song of [[Mosh Ben Ari]]
* [[Salute]]
* [[Shlama]]
{{col-end}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== 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)

[[Category:Greeting words and phrases]]
[[Category:Hebrew words and phrases]]
[[Category:Judaism and peace]]
[[Category:Parting phrases]]
[[Category:Names of God in Judaism]]
[[Category:Hebrew-language names]]
[[Category:Jewish given names]]