shalom aleichem

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Pronunciations

shalom aleichem (SHUH-luhm uh-LAY-khim) listen
shalom aleichem (shah-LOHM ah-LEY-khem) listen

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Definitions

  • interj. A greeting meaning 'peace be upon you' that is said upon parting as well as meeting, and responded with 'aleichem sholom'.

  • interj. Finally, at long last.

  • n. Sholom (Solomon) Rabinowitz (1859–1916), a Jewish Yiddish author and playwright.

  • n. A song by kabbalists that is sung on Shabbat to welcome the angels who accompany people to and from the synagogue.

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Example Sentences

  • in the sense of 'at long last': “Okay, I owe you ten dollars.” “Sholem aleichem!” (NJY)

  • "[W]hile doing Kiddush Levanah, we say "Shalom Aleichem" to 3 other people, and they respond back with "Aleichem Shalom"." (source)

  • "Rabbi Lefkowitz, sholem aleychem!" "Aleychem sholem, Rachel!" (Glinert)

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Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew
  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • Y שלום-עליכם sholem aleykhem from TH שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם‎ shalom alekhem

      • Who Uses This

      • Orthodox: Jews who identify as Orthodox and observe halacha (Jewish law)
      • Older: Jews who are middle-aged and older

      Regions

      • North America

      Dictionaries

      • The New Joys of Yiddish, by Leo Rosten and Lawrence Bush (New York, 2003[1968]).
      • Yiddish and English: A Century of Yiddish in America, by Sol Steinmetz (Tuscaloosa, 1986).
      • The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).
      • The Joys of Hebrew, by Lewis Glinert (New York, 1992).
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      Alternative Spellings

      sholom aleikhem, shalom aleichem, shalom aleikhem, sholem aleychem, sholem aleichem, sholem aleykhem, sholem aleikhem, sholom aleychem, sholom aleykhem, sholom aleichem, shalom aleikhem, shalom aleykhem, shalom aleychem, shalom alaychem, shalom alaykhem

Notes

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