What does “Shabbat shalom” mean, and when do you say it?
Customs and symbolsPending rabbinic review
Short answer
“Shabbat shalom” means “a peaceful Sabbath”. It is the usual greeting from Friday afternoon until Shabbat ends on Saturday night. Many Ashkenazim say the Yiddish “Gut Shabbos”; Sephardim and Israelis also say “Shabbat shalom umevorach” or the Aramaic “Shabbata tava”. After Shabbat people say “Shavua tov” – a good week.
Why peace
Shabbat is described as a day of rest and wholeness: the six weekdays are for work and struggle; the seventh is for peace with God, with one’s family and with oneself. The Talmud tells that two angels accompany a person home from the synagogue on Friday night; if they find the candles lit, the table set and the beds made, the good angel blesses: “May it be so next Shabbat too.” Hence the Friday-night song Shalom Aleichem, greeting the angels of peace.
When to say it
From Friday afternoon, as people prepare, until havdalah on Saturday night. Some avoid weekday greetings like “good morning” on Shabbat, replacing them with “Shabbat shalom”, to remember the day. On Shabbat one avoids weekday talk, and the sages taught that even visiting the sick on Shabbat should be with the words “It is Shabbat, we may not cry out, and healing will come soon”.
Variants
Gut Shabbos (Yiddish, many Ashkenazim), Shabbat shalom umevorach (“peaceful and blessed”, common among Sephardim), Shabbata tava (Aramaic, used by some Sephardim and Kabbalists). The answer is the same greeting back.
After Shabbat
On Saturday night, after havdalah, the greeting is Shavua tov – “a good week”; Yiddish speakers say “a gute voch”. Our Shabbat shalom page has the Hebrew spelling and pronunciation.
Sources
Also asked as
- What do you say on Shabbat?
- What does Gut Shabbos mean?