Introduction
Shalom Aleichem (שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם — "Peace Be Upon You") is a traditional Jewish hymn sung every Friday night at the start of Shabbat, before the evening meal. It is one of the most widely sung Hebrew songs in Jewish homes around the world, welcoming the Sabbath and — according to tradition — greeting two angels who accompany each Jew home from synagogue on Friday night.
For Hebrew learners, Shalom Aleichem is a treasure. Its four short stanzas share almost identical grammatical structure, which makes it highly systematic and easy to analyse. It introduces important words for peace, greetings, angels, royalty, and the divine — vocabulary that appears throughout Hebrew prayer, song, and daily speech.
What Is the Song About?
The hymn is addressed to mal'achei ha-shareit (ministering angels) who are believed to accompany each person home from Friday-night synagogue. The four stanzas follow a clear narrative arc:
- Stanza 1 — Greeting the angels as they arrive: shalom aleichem (peace upon you)
- Stanza 2 — Welcoming their coming: bo'achem l'shalom (may your coming be in peace)
- Stanza 3 — Asking for their blessing: bar'chuni l'shalom (bless me with peace)
- Stanza 4 — Wishing them a peaceful departure: tzeit'chem l'shalom (may your going be in peace)
The poem dates to the 17th century and was composed by the Kabbalists of Safed (Tzfat) in northern Israel, a city that was at the time a world centre of Jewish mystical learning. Each stanza ends with the same refrain: mi-melech malchei ha-m'lachim, ha-Kadosh Baruch Hu — "from the King of kings of kings, the Holy One, Blessed be He."
Full Lyrics
שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת מַלְאֲכֵי עֶלְיוֹן
Shalom aleichem mal'achei ha-shareit, mal'achei Elyon
Peace upon you, ministering angels, angels of the Most High
מִמֶּלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא
Mi-melech malchei ha-m'lachim, ha-Kadosh Baruch Hu
From the King of kings of kings, the Holy One, Blessed be He
בּוֹאֲכֶם לְשָׁלוֹם מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁלוֹם מַלְאֲכֵי עֶלְיוֹן
Bo'achem l'shalom mal'achei ha-shalom, mal'achei Elyon
May your coming be in peace, angels of peace, angels of the Most High
מִמֶּלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא
Mi-melech malchei ha-m'lachim, ha-Kadosh Baruch Hu
From the King of kings of kings, the Holy One, Blessed be He
בָּרְכוּנִי לְשָׁלוֹם מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁלוֹם מַלְאֲכֵי עֶלְיוֹן
Bar'chuni l'shalom mal'achei ha-shalom, mal'achei Elyon
Bless me with peace, angels of peace, angels of the Most High
מִמֶּלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא
Mi-melech malchei ha-m'lachim, ha-Kadosh Baruch Hu
From the King of kings of kings, the Holy One, Blessed be He
צֵאתְכֶם לְשָׁלוֹם מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁלוֹם מַלְאֲכֵי עֶלְיוֹן
Tzeit'chem l'shalom mal'achei ha-shalom, mal'achei Elyon
May your going be in peace, angels of peace, angels of the Most High
מִמֶּלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא
Mi-melech malchei ha-m'lachim, ha-Kadosh Baruch Hu
From the King of kings of kings, the Holy One, Blessed be He
Vocabulary
| Hebrew | Transliteration | Type | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| שָׁלוֹם | shalom | Noun | Peace; also hello / goodbye |
| עֲלֵיכֶם | aleichem | Preposition + pronoun | Upon you (plural) — עַל + כֶם |
| מַלְאָךְ / מַלְאֲכֵי | malach / mal'achei | Noun | Angel (plural construct: angels of) |
| הַשָּׁרֵת | ha-shareit | Noun (verbal) | Service, ministry — "the ministering" |
| עֶלְיוֹן | Elyon | Adjective / divine name | Most High, Supreme |
| מֶלֶךְ | melech | Noun | King |
| מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים | malchei ha-m'lachim | Construct phrase | King of kings |
| הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא | ha-Kadosh Baruch Hu | Divine title | The Holy One, Blessed be He |
| בּוֹאֲכֶם | bo'achem | Noun (verbal) | Your coming — from בּוֹא (to come) |
| בָּרְכוּנִי | bar'chuni | Verb — imperative pl. | Bless me (root: ב-ר-ך) |
| צֵאתְכֶם | tzeit'chem | Noun (verbal) | Your going/departure — from יָצָא (to go out) |
Phrase by Phrase
שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת
shalom aleichem mal'achei ha-shareit
"Peace upon you, ministering angels"
שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם (shalom aleichem) is also the standard Hebrew greeting — the same phrase you say when meeting someone. Aleichem is the preposition עַל (on/upon) combined with the plural suffix -כֶם (you, plural). מַלְאֲכֵי is the plural construct of מַלְאָךְ (angel), so it means "angels of." הַשָּׁרֵת comes from the root ש-ר-ת (to serve, to minister) and refers to the angels who serve in the heavenly court.
מִמֶּלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא
mi-melech malchei ha-m'lachim, ha-Kadosh Baruch Hu
"From the King of kings of kings, the Holy One, Blessed be He"
The triple superlative — "King of kings of kings" — intentionally surpasses the Persian royal title King of Kings, asserting God's absolute supremacy. הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא (ha-Kadosh Baruch Hu) is the standard Jewish circumlocution for God, abbreviated in Hebrew texts as הקב"ה. בָּרוּךְ (baruch, blessed) from root ב-ר-ך is one of the most important roots in Hebrew prayer.
בּוֹאֲכֶם לְשָׁלוֹם
bo'achem l'shalom
"May your coming be in peace"
בּוֹאֲכֶם is a verbal noun (infinitive construct) from the root ב-ו-א (to come/enter) with the suffix -כֶם (your). Literally: "your-coming." The same root gives us bo (בּוֹא, come!) and biah (בִּיאָה, arrival/coming). לְשָׁלוֹם (l'shalom) means "in/to peace" — the prefix לְ- indicates purpose or direction.
בָּרְכוּנִי לְשָׁלוֹם
bar'chuni l'shalom
"Bless me with peace"
בָּרְכוּנִי is the plural imperative of the root ב-ר-ך (to bless) with the suffix -נִי (me): "bless me!" This same root appears in brachah (בְּרָכָה, blessing), the standard word for a Jewish blessing, and in the greeting Baruch haba (בָּרוּךְ הַבָּא, "Blessed is the one who comes" — welcome!).
צֵאתְכֶם לְשָׁלוֹם
tzeit'chem l'shalom
"May your going be in peace"
צֵאתְכֶם is a verbal noun from the root י-צ-א (to go out, to exit) with the suffix -כֶם (your): "your-going-out." This root is extraordinarily common: yatza (יָצָא, he went out), yetzi'ah (יְצִיאָה, exit, departure), and even Yetziat Mitzrayim (יְצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם, the Exodus from Egypt) all share this root. The phrase lech l'shalom (לֵךְ לְשָׁלוֹם, "go in peace") is still used as a farewell in Hebrew today.
Key Hebrew Roots from This Song
- ש-ל-מ — peace, wholeness. Related: shalom (שָׁלוֹם), shalem (שָׁלֵם, complete), l'hishtalmut (self-improvement).
- מ-ל-א-כ — angel, messenger. Related: malach (מַלְאָךְ), melacha (מְלָאכָה, work/craft).
- ב-ר-כ — to bless. Related: brachah (בְּרָכָה, blessing), baruch (בָּרוּךְ, blessed).
- י-צ-א — to go out. Related: yetzi'ah (יְצִיאָה, exit), Exodus, hotzi (הוֹצִיא, he brought out).
- ב-ו-א — to come, to enter. Related: bo (בּוֹא, come!), biah (בִּיאָה, arrival).