Shalom Aleichem (liturgy)
Shalom Aleichem is a traditional song sung Friday night at the beginning of Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath, welcoming the angels who accompany a person home on the eve of the Sabbath.
Source
According to 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 gives 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 wishes that the next Shabbat will be the same, and the good angel is forced to respond "Amen".[1]
Words
According to Ashkenazi pronunciation, the song in Hebrew is transliterated as follows:
- Shalom aleichem malachei ha-shareis 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:
- 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.
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 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."[2]
The Faster Common Traditional Melody was composed by Rabbi Shmuel Brazil.