Shalom Aleichem, translates literally, “peace be upon you” and is both a traditional Jewish greeting and the title of a poem commonly sung at the beginning of the Friday night Shabbat meal, although it originated with Kabbalists*, it is traditionally sung,sometimes with four verses of five.
The story is that before the Sabbath meal, two angels, visit your house to see that your table is prepared. If it is the good angel pronounces peace and the bad one has to amen it. And it works in reverse as well. Although believers are not celebrating the Sabbath, Friday night to Saturday night, and going to church on Sunday, there are many traditions and roots to Judaism that are both just interesting and applicable, like sitting down to Sunday dinner. The blessing an peace, though that may not actually happen every week as we go out to dinner.
It is really not unlike a good and bad angel on each shoulder, one drawing you God the other to be wicked. That might appear cartoonish or fantastical to intelligent people, still the spiritual world exists. And we should be walking through it and overcoming it. Which one are we listening to?
As I said, I study Hebrew, but I don’t necessarily celebrate anything. The Jewish new Year is next month and before that is the forty days of Teshuvah, turning back to God. Not a bad idea, to start listening to Him. We should know the voice of the Lord, above all others. A blogger friend photographed a baby bird in Alaska, it could hear its father through all the noise of the other birds, should we be that way, and sometimes birds are represented as both good and bad in the Bible, so we should Him above all voices good or evil.
After all He prepares a table for us in the presences of our enemies and anoints us with the oil of the Spirit. There are teachings to avoid and Jesus helps us discern. Kabbalah, New Age, mysticism, and yet there can be a some truth in there, tainted by the enemy deception and lies.
There is true beauty in the fact that He fulfilled the law and the prophets and is bringing us to His banqueting table, and He, Himself, said He left us His peace. John 14:27. That’s even better than having an angel pronounces over you. Let Jesus speak His peace over you, in fact, ask Him to.
Remember how the disciples, were to speak peace over a house, and leave if they did not receive it. Our hearts are His home, let Him speak and receive it.
The full text of Shalom Aleichem is as follows:
שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת מַלְאֲכֵי עֶלְיוֹן
Peace be with you, ministering angels, messengers of the Most High,
מִמֶּלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא
Messengers of the King of Kings, the Holy One, Blessed be He.
בּוֹאֲכֶם לְשָׁלוֹם מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁלוֹם מַלְאֲכֵי עֶלְיוֹן
Come in peace, messengers of peace, messengers of the Most High,
מִמֶּלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא
Messengers of the King of Kings, the Holy One, Blessed be He.
בָּרְכוּנִי לְשָׁלוֹם מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁלוֹם מַלְאָכֵי עֶלְיוֹן
Bless me with peace, messengers of peace, messengers of the Most High,
מִמֶּלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא
Messengers of the King of Kings, the Holy One, Blessed be He.
צֵאתְכֶם לְשָׁלוֹם מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁלוֹם מַלְאָכֵי עֶלְיוֹן
Go in peace, messengers of peace, messengers of the Most High,
מִמֶּלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא
Messengers of the King of Kings, the Holy One, Blessed be He.
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