How to Say "Hello" in Yiddish

I was shocked to observe in a so-called "textbook" for learning Yiddish that Sholem Aleykhem (commonly spelled Sholem Aleichem) means Hello! Now, anybody with even a minimal traditional education knows that Sholem Aleykhem is not-at-all like the Shalom used in modern Israeli Hebrew to mean Hello (or Goodbye). The expression Sholem Aleykhem means something entirely different, as explained below.

The expression Sholem Aleykhem is a special form of hello. It is used only in three separate and distinct instances, and not otherwise. These are:

1. When you meet a person for the first time ever, you say to him (or her): Sholem Aleykhem! What you mean in this instance is, "How do you do!" (You might also add, A fargenign aykh tsu kenen!, meaning, "Pleased to meet you!" )

2. When you encounter someone whom you do know, but whom you haven't seen in quite a while (halachically, if you haven't seen him in three days), then you say (you guessed it!): Sholem Aleykhem! What you mean in this instance is, "Nice to see you again -- How ya been?" (You might also add, Shoyn lang nit gezen!, meaning, "Long time, no see!")

3. If you are greeting people anonymously, as on a website ( i.e., you don't know the identities of the visitors to your website), then you can greet them with a message that says (that's right!): Sholem Aleykhem! What you mean in this instance is, "Hi, Welcome to my website -- thanks for visiting!

In no instance can Sholem Aleykhem be used to mean simply hello. Yet people still write textbooks misinforming their readers that Sholem Aleykhem means hello. This is why I maintain that unless a person has either been brought up in a European shtetl or in a frum community, or unless he or she has received a solid Yeshiva education - he or she should not even dream of writing in Yiddish, or about Yiddish! For example, a friend of mine who is a leading Yiddish scholar decided to enroll in a Lubavitcher yeshiva in Brooklyn, NY, for this very reason. (Unfortunately, the yeshiva threw him out when he was caught a block away from the yeshiva, putting his yarmulke into his pocket!)

געדענקט ־־ אין דעם לעצטן סך־הכּל, שעפּט אידיש איר יניקה פֿוּן דער תּורה־ליטעראַטוּר, און פֿוּן דער ישיבֿה־װעלט

Using "Sholem Aleykhem" in the Outgoing-Message of Your Telephone Answering-Machine (or Voice-Mail)

To me, using "Sholem Aleykhem" for this just doesn't sound right (in most cases). Perhaps this is because I sense that most people who telephone you are not strangers, even though your answering-machine (like the aforesaid website) is greeting them anonymously. Admittedly, this is a visceral reaction on my part, and if you want to use "Sholem Aleykhem" in your outgoing-message, I suppose you can get away with it. Nevertheless, to me Alo or Halo, with a soft Slavik or Israeli lamed, sounds much better. In fact, even Weinreich lists Halo in his Dictionary for use when answering the phone live.

Close This Window