This sheet on Genesis 15 was written by MiliMiliM--The Hebrew Corner for 929 and can also be found here
שלום - Shalom - Peace/Hello/Goodbye
God’s promise to Abraham (Gen 15:15): “You shall go to your fathers בשלום, beshalom, in peace; You shall be buried at a ripe old age.”
Even though “shalom” is not a major theme of this chapter, yesterday’s chapter’s theme and word was milchamah, war; and this verse is the first mention of shalom, this otherwise ubiquitous word, in the Tanakh.
שלום "Shalom" is one of those familiar Hebrew words the world over. This is not really due to the importance of peace in the Middle East, but because שלום shalom is also used as a greeting and a parting. It's the first lesson in Hebrew 101: it means "hello," "goodbye," and "peace." Which is fine – though it makes it hard to translate the Beatles. "You say shalom, and I say shalom. Shalom, shalom! I don't know why you say shalom, I say shalom…"
President Bill Clinton famously used it in 1995, in his moving two-word farewell to assassinated Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, saying in Hebrew שלום, חבר "Shalom, chaver" – "Farewell, friend."
Hebrew goes the greeting one step further, with a common opener being "Shalom - mah shlomcha?" literally, "Peace - what is your peace?" or more colloquially, "Hello, how are you?" The second use of the root ש-ל-מ sh-l-m there refers to a person's "wholeness" or health – just as the phrase to "hail" someone originates from words meaning hale, healthy, and whole.
The root ש-ל-מ sh-l-m appears in a range of personal names in Hebrew. While naming your child "Peace" in English would brand you a hippie flower-parent, “Shalom” as a name is common: Shalom Hanoch, the aging Israeli rocker; popular novelist Shalom Auslander; or Yiddish writer Shalom Aleichem, (which was actually a pen name: his real name was Shalom Naumovich Rabinovich).
Solomon in Hebrew is Shlomo, "his peace" (or perhaps "His peace" referring to God) and other related names include: Shlomi, Meshulam, and the female names Shlomit, and Shulamit – this last was my late mother's name, עליה השלום aleha hashalom, "peace be upon her," a phrase used when speaking of the deceased.
On a different note, another related name is the Biblical Shelumiel, the son of Tzurishaddai (appearing in Numbers 1:6). This name will forever be associated with its Yiddish incarnation as schlemiel, an "awkward bungler" or "inept, luckless loser." It's not clear why this name was chosen for that characterization, but its popularization was due in part to being the name of the hapless hero of Adalbert von Chamisso's German fable "The Wonderful History of Peter Schlemihl" (1813). The personality has become a complete cultural type, as documented in Ruth Wisse's “The Schlemiel as Modern Hero” (1971).
Like many Hebrew roots, the many variations and uses of shalom make it hard to know whether you're coming or going. And that's exactly when a word that means "hello, goodbye and peace" comes in especially handy.
God’s promise to Abraham (Gen 15:15): “You shall go to your fathers בשלום, beshalom, in peace; You shall be buried at a ripe old age.”
Even though “shalom” is not a major theme of this chapter, yesterday’s chapter’s theme and word was milchamah, war; and this verse is the first mention of shalom, this otherwise ubiquitous word, in the Tanakh.
שלום "Shalom" is one of those familiar Hebrew words the world over. This is not really due to the importance of peace in the Middle East, but because שלום shalom is also used as a greeting and a parting. It's the first lesson in Hebrew 101: it means "hello," "goodbye," and "peace." Which is fine – though it makes it hard to translate the Beatles. "You say shalom, and I say shalom. Shalom, shalom! I don't know why you say shalom, I say shalom…"
President Bill Clinton famously used it in 1995, in his moving two-word farewell to assassinated Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, saying in Hebrew שלום, חבר "Shalom, chaver" – "Farewell, friend."
Hebrew goes the greeting one step further, with a common opener being "Shalom - mah shlomcha?" literally, "Peace - what is your peace?" or more colloquially, "Hello, how are you?" The second use of the root ש-ל-מ sh-l-m there refers to a person's "wholeness" or health – just as the phrase to "hail" someone originates from words meaning hale, healthy, and whole.
The root ש-ל-מ sh-l-m appears in a range of personal names in Hebrew. While naming your child "Peace" in English would brand you a hippie flower-parent, “Shalom” as a name is common: Shalom Hanoch, the aging Israeli rocker; popular novelist Shalom Auslander; or Yiddish writer Shalom Aleichem, (which was actually a pen name: his real name was Shalom Naumovich Rabinovich).
Solomon in Hebrew is Shlomo, "his peace" (or perhaps "His peace" referring to God) and other related names include: Shlomi, Meshulam, and the female names Shlomit, and Shulamit – this last was my late mother's name, עליה השלום aleha hashalom, "peace be upon her," a phrase used when speaking of the deceased.
On a different note, another related name is the Biblical Shelumiel, the son of Tzurishaddai (appearing in Numbers 1:6). This name will forever be associated with its Yiddish incarnation as schlemiel, an "awkward bungler" or "inept, luckless loser." It's not clear why this name was chosen for that characterization, but its popularization was due in part to being the name of the hapless hero of Adalbert von Chamisso's German fable "The Wonderful History of Peter Schlemihl" (1813). The personality has become a complete cultural type, as documented in Ruth Wisse's “The Schlemiel as Modern Hero” (1971).
Like many Hebrew roots, the many variations and uses of shalom make it hard to know whether you're coming or going. And that's exactly when a word that means "hello, goodbye and peace" comes in especially handy.
929 is the number of chapters in the Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible, the formative text of the Jewish heritage. It is also the name of a cutting-edge project dedicated to creating a global Jewish conversation anchored in the Hebrew Bible. 929 English invites Jews everywhere to read and study Tanakh, one chapter a day, Sunday through Thursday together with a website with creative readings and pluralistic interpretations, including audio and video, by a wide range of writers, artists, rabbis, educators, scholars, students and more. As an outgrowth of the web-based platform, 929 English also offers classes, pop-up lectures, events and across North America. We invite you to learn along with us and be part of our dynamic community.
To join 929's listserv for new and dynamic content each week click here
To join 929's listserv for new and dynamic content each week click here
