Shalom Aleichem

This article is about a Hebrew greeting. For the writer with a similar name, see Scholem Alejchem .

Shalom aleichem ( Hebrew שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם shālôm ʻalêḵem , pronunciation: [ ʃəˌlɒm əˈleɪxəm ]) is a spoken greeting in Hebrew and means "Peace be upon you". The appropriate answer is aleichem shalom ("peace to you") (Hebrew: עֲלֵיכֶם שָׁלוֹם).

This form of greeting, which appears six times in the Talmud , is traditionally used among Jews around the world, and especially among Ashkenazi Jews . The plural form "עֲלֵיכֶם" ( you / for you ) is always used, even if only one person is addressed. One religious explanation for this is to greet both body and soul, with Hebrew occasionally using the plural as a sign of respect.

The equivalent Arabic version of the greeting is salam aleikum .