Shalom Aleichem (liturgy)
Encyclopedia
Shalom Aleichem is a traditional song sung Friday night at the beginning of Shabbat
, the Jewish Sabbath, welcoming the angel
s who accompany a person home on the eve of the Sabbath.
in the late 16th or early 17th century.
According to a homiletic teaching in the Talmud
, two angels accompany people on their way back home from synagogue
on Friday night — a good angel and a evil angel. If the house has been prepared for the Shabbat ("the lamp has been lit, the table set, and his couch spread"), the good angel utters a blessing that the next Shabbat will be the same, and the evil angel is forced to respond "Amen
". but if the home is not prepared for Shabbat, the evil angel expresses the wish that the next Shabbat will be the same, and the good angel is forced to respond "Amen".
The custom of singing Shalom Aleichem on Friday night before Kiddush
is now nearly universal, despite the fact that certain rabbinical authorities have expressed misgivings. As has been noted by Rabbi David Bar-Hayim
of Jerusalem, the 18th century Rabbi Jacob Emden
in his Sidur Beth Ya’aqov prayer book pointed out many problems regarding this song (addressing requests to angels, expressions that do not make sense, etc.). A similar attitude to the singing of Shalom Aleichem is attributed to Rabbi Elijah, the Vilna Gaon
. A further objection, Bar-Hayim explains, is that the song is based on a literal understanding of an Agadic (homiletic) statement (Babylonian Talmud Shabath 119b) which he views as misguided
. Most rabbis, however, do not accept these arguments.
According to Sephardi
pronunciation, the song in Hebrew
is transliterated as follows:
The words to the song translate as follows:
☼ NOTE: Mizrahi (not Sefard) tradition includes a penultimate verse, beginning , "May your rest here be in peace,..." and the final verse has a בְּ inserted in front of the צ, which does not change the meaning of the last verse.
Rabbi Jacob Emden, in his prayerbook, Bet El (1745), criticized both the use of the hymn (on the grounds that supplications on the Sabbath and supplications to angels were inappropriate) and its grammar - arguing that the inclusion of the prefix מִ at the beginning of every second line (i.e., mi-melech) was bad form, as it rendered the passage, "angels of the Most High, away from the King who rules over kings". He therefore deleted that מִ, thereby reducing mi-melech to melech, and that deletion has been emulated in some other prayerbooks (apparently a small minority) such as Seligman Baer's Siddur Avodat Yisroel (1868), the Orot Sephardic, and Koren's Mizrahi (but not Koren's Ashkenaz or Sefard) prayerbook, although it makes the musical tempo a bit awkward.
The slow, well-known melody for the song was composed by the American Rabbi Israel Goldfarb on May 10, 1918 while sitting near the Alma Mater statue in front of Low Memorial Library
at Columbia University
. Goldfarb's work is often presumed to be a traditional Hasidic
melody. He wrote in 1963, "The popularity of the melody traveled not only throughout this country but throughout the world, so that many people came to believe that the song was handed down from Mt. Sinai by Moses."
The Faster Common Traditional Melody was composed by Rabbi Shmuel Brazil.
Lately, a modern, exuberantly joyful version of this melody has been popularized by Idan Yaniv and Kinderlach. listen
Shabbat
Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
, the Jewish Sabbath, welcoming the angel
Angel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
s who accompany a person home on the eve of the Sabbath.
Source
This liturgical poem was written by the kabbalists of SafedSafed
Safed , is a city in the Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of , Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and of Israel. Due to its high elevation, Safed experiences warm summers and cold, often snowy, winters...
in the late 16th or early 17th century.
According to a homiletic teaching in the Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
, two angels accompany people on their way back home from synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
on Friday night — a good angel and a evil angel. If the house has been prepared for the Shabbat ("the lamp has been lit, the table set, and his couch spread"), the good angel utters a blessing that the next Shabbat will be the same, and the evil angel is forced to respond "Amen
Amen
The word amen is a declaration of affirmation found in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament. Its use in Judaism dates back to its earliest texts. It has been generally adopted in Christian worship as a concluding word for prayers and hymns. In Islam, it is the standard ending to Dua and the...
". but if the home is not prepared for Shabbat, the evil angel expresses the wish that the next Shabbat will be the same, and the good angel is forced to respond "Amen".
The custom of singing Shalom Aleichem on Friday night before Kiddush
Kiddush
Kiddush , literally, "sanctification," is a blessing recited over wine or grape juice to sanctify the Shabbat and Jewish holidays.-Significance:...
is now nearly universal, despite the fact that certain rabbinical authorities have expressed misgivings. As has been noted by Rabbi David Bar-Hayim
David Bar-Hayim
David Bar-Hayim is an Israeli rabbi who heads the Machon Shilo in Jerusalem, Israel.-Biography:...
of Jerusalem, the 18th century Rabbi Jacob Emden
Jacob Emden
Jacob Emden also known as Ya'avetz, , was a leading German rabbi and talmudist who championed Orthodox Judaism in the face of the growing influence of the Sabbatean movement...
in his Sidur Beth Ya’aqov prayer book pointed out many problems regarding this song (addressing requests to angels, expressions that do not make sense, etc.). A similar attitude to the singing of Shalom Aleichem is attributed to Rabbi Elijah, the Vilna Gaon
Vilna Gaon
Elijah ben Shlomo Zalman Kramer, known as the Vilna Gaon or Elijah of Vilna and simply by his Hebrew acronym Gra or Elijah Ben Solomon, , was a Talmudist, halachist, kabbalist, and the foremost leader of non-hasidic Jewry of the past few centuries...
. A further objection, Bar-Hayim explains, is that the song is based on a literal understanding of an Agadic (homiletic) statement (Babylonian Talmud Shabath 119b) which he views as misguided
. Most rabbis, however, do not accept these arguments.
Words
The lyrics, in Hebrew, are as follows:According to Sephardi
Sephardi Jews
Sephardi Jews is a general term referring to the descendants of the Jews who lived in the Iberian Peninsula before their expulsion in the Spanish Inquisition. It can also refer to those who use a Sephardic style of liturgy or would otherwise define themselves in terms of the Jewish customs and...
pronunciation, the song in Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
is transliterated as follows:
- Shalom aleichemShalom aleichemShalom aleikhem is a greeting version in Hebrew, literally meaning "peace be upon you". The appropriate response is "aleikhem shalom", or "upon you be peace"....
malachei ha-sharet malachei elyon, - mi-melech malchei ha-melachim Ha-Kadosh Baruch Hu.
- Bo'achem le-shalom malachei ha-shalom malachei elyon,
- mi-melech malchei ha-melachim Ha-Kadosh Baruch Hu.
- Barchuni le-shalom malachei ha-shalom malachei elyon,
- mi-melech malchei ha-melachim Ha-Kadosh Baruch Hu.
-
- ☼
- Tzeis'chem le-shalom malachei ha-shalom malachei elyon,
- mi-melech malchei ha-melachim Ha-Kadosh Baruch Hu.
The words to the song translate as follows:
- Peace upon you, ministering angels, messengers of the Most High,
- of the Supreme King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He.
- Come in peace, messengers of peace, messengers of the Most High,
- of the Supreme King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He.
- Bless me with peace, messengers of peace, messengers of the Most High,
- of the Supreme King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He.
-
- ☼
- May your departure be in peace, messengers of peace, messengers of the Most High,
- of the Supreme King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He.
☼ NOTE: Mizrahi (not Sefard) tradition includes a penultimate verse, beginning , "May your rest here be in peace,..." and the final verse has a בְּ inserted in front of the צ, which does not change the meaning of the last verse.
Rabbi Jacob Emden, in his prayerbook, Bet El (1745), criticized both the use of the hymn (on the grounds that supplications on the Sabbath and supplications to angels were inappropriate) and its grammar - arguing that the inclusion of the prefix מִ at the beginning of every second line (i.e., mi-melech) was bad form, as it rendered the passage, "angels of the Most High, away from the King who rules over kings". He therefore deleted that מִ, thereby reducing mi-melech to melech, and that deletion has been emulated in some other prayerbooks (apparently a small minority) such as Seligman Baer's Siddur Avodat Yisroel (1868), the Orot Sephardic, and Koren's Mizrahi (but not Koren's Ashkenaz or Sefard) prayerbook, although it makes the musical tempo a bit awkward.
Melodies
Many different melodies have been written for Shalom Aleichem.The slow, well-known melody for the song was composed by the American Rabbi Israel Goldfarb on May 10, 1918 while sitting near the Alma Mater statue in front of Low Memorial Library
Low Memorial Library
The Low Memorial Library is the administrative center of Columbia University. Built in 1895 by University President Seth Low in memory of his father, Abiel Abbot Low, and financed with $1 million of Low's own money due to the recalcitrance of university alumni, it is the focal point and most...
at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. Goldfarb's work is often presumed to be a traditional Hasidic
Hasidic Judaism
Hasidic Judaism or Hasidism, from the Hebrew —Ḥasidut in Sephardi, Chasidus in Ashkenazi, meaning "piety" , is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that promotes spirituality and joy through the popularisation and internalisation of Jewish mysticism as the fundamental aspects of the Jewish faith...
melody. He wrote in 1963, "The popularity of the melody traveled not only throughout this country but throughout the world, so that many people came to believe that the song was handed down from Mt. Sinai by Moses."
The Faster Common Traditional Melody was composed by Rabbi Shmuel Brazil.
Lately, a modern, exuberantly joyful version of this melody has been popularized by Idan Yaniv and Kinderlach. listen