Judaism 101_ Expressions and Greetings

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8/22/2014 Judaism 101: Expressions and Greetings

http://www.jewfaq.org/express.htm

There are a number of traditionalgreetings for Shabbat, holidays and

general purposes in Hebrew and Yiddish

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Expressions &

Greetings

SabbathHolidayOther

Expressions

and

Greetings

Level: Basic

What isthe proper Jewish thing to say when someone tells you

she's pregnant? How do you wish someone a happy holiday inHebrew? Below are some common Jewish phrases and

expressions to answer these questions and more.

Sabbath-Related Greetings

Shabbat Shalom(shah-BAHT shah-LOHM)

Hebrew. Literally, Sabbath peace or peaceful Sabbath.

This is an appropriate greeting at any time on Shabbat,

although it is most commonly used at the end of a shabbat

service.

Gut Shabbes(GUT SHAH-biss; gut rhymes with put)

Yiddish. Literally, good Sabbath. Like Shabbat shalom,

this is a general, all-purpose Shabbat greeting. In my

experience, gut Shabbes is more likely to be used in

general conversation or when greeting people, while

Shabbat shalom is more commonly used at the conclusion

of a service.

Shavua Tov(shah-VOO-ah TOHV)

Hebrew. Literally, good week. This greeting is used afterHavdalah(the ceremony marking the conclusionof

Shabbat), to wish someone a good forthcoming week.

Holiday Greetings

Chag Sameach(KHAHG sah-MEHY-ahkh)

Hebrew. Literally, joyous festival. This is an appropriate

greeting for just about any holiday, but it's especially

appropriate for Sukkot, Shavu'otand Pesach (Passover),
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which are technically the only festivals (the other holidays

are holidays, not festivals).

Gut Yontiff(GUT YAHN-tiff; gut rhymes with put)

Yiddish. Literally, good holiday. This greeting can be

used for any holiday, not necessarily a festival.

L'Shanah Tovah(li-SHAH-nuh TOH-vuh; li-shah-NAH toh-

VAH)

Hebrew. Lit. for a good year. A common greeting duringRosh Hashanahand Days of Awe. It is an abbreviation of

L'shanah tovah tikatev v'taihatem (May you be inscribed

and sealed for a good year).

Have an easy fast

This is the proper way to wish someone well for

Yom Kippur. Please, don't wish people a Happy Yom

Kippur; it's not a happy holiday.

Other Expressions

Shalom(shah-LOHM)

Hebrew. Literally, peace. A way of saying "hello" or

"goodbye."

Shalom Aleikhem(shah-LOHM ah-ley-KHEM) or Sholem

Aleikhem(SHOH-lehm ah-LEH-khem)

Hebrew and Yiddish. Peace upon you. A traditional

greeting. The second version (the Yiddish version) is

more common, at least in America. It is related to the

common Arabic greeting, salaam alaikum (not surprising,because Hebrew and Arabic are in the same family of

languages). Sholem Aleikhem is also the pen name of a

Yiddish author, best known for a collection of short

stories that was the basis for the musical Fiddler on the

Roof. The traditional response to the greeting is Aleikhem

Shalom (and upon you, peace).

Mazel Tov(MAH-zl TAWV)

Yiddish/Hebrew. Literally, good luck. This is the

traditional way of expressing congratulations. "Mazel

tov!" is the correct and traditional response upon hearingthat a person has gotten engaged or married, has had a

child, or has become a bar mitzvah. It can be used to

congratulate someone for getting a new job, graduating

from college, or any other happy event. Note that this

term is notused in the way that the expression "good

luck" is used in English; that is, it should notbe used to

wish someone luck in the future. Rather, it is an

expression of pleasure at the good luck someone has
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already had.

Yasher koach(YAH-shehyr KOH-ahkh)

Hebrew. Literally, straight strength. Figuratively, may you

have strength, or may your strength be increased. A way

of congratulating someone for performing a mitzvahor

other good deed. In essence, you are wishing this person

the strength to continue doing this good thing, and you are

also recognizing the effort that the person put into doingthis good thing. It is most commonly used in synagogue,

to congratulate someone after he or she has participated

in some aspect of the service. Strictly speaking, this is a

masculine form. Some people use the feminine form when

expressing the same sentiment for a woman, but that is

unusual.

L'Chayim(li-KHAY-eem)

Yiddish/Hebrew. Literally, to life. The toast you offer

before drinking wine or other alcoholic beverages, used

the way you would use "Cheers!" in English.

Gesundheit(g'-SUND-hahyt)

Yiddish. Literally, health. This is the normal response

when somebody sneezes. The same expression is used in

German (Yiddish is largely based on German), and is

quite common even among non-Jews, but I thought it was

worth pointing out because some non-Jews have told me

they were afraid of offending by saying "bless you" to a

Jew.

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