Makkot 23b and Berakhot 54a: The Power of Greetings in the Name of God
Rabbi Daniel Z Feldman
The Talmud relates that it was decreed that greetings should be made using the name of God, and that the Heavenly court agreed to this (Berakhot 54a and Makkot 23b). Whether this took place at the time of Boaz (as is the clear impression in Midrash Rut Rabbah 4:5), whom the Talmud identifies with this practice (as per Megilat Rut 2:4; see, in the journal VaY’lakket Yosef¸ XIII, #s 76, 97, 103, 115, and 129, or was later enacted by the Hasmoneans, is a matter of some analysis; see Sefer HaMikhtam to Berakhot). R. Yehudah Assad assumes this to have been instituted by Ezra (Responsa Yehudah Ya’aleh 9; see also R. Yisrael Shepansky, in Ohr HaMizrach113:107-111, and see also commentary of Rashash, Bava Kama 82a).
This practice eventually spread beyond the Jewish world as well: ‘goodbye’ is a contraction of what was originally, in the 16th century, ‘God be with ye’.
The Meiri (Berakhot 63a) explains that the reasoning behind this innovation was to make clear from whence all peace comes. This was especially necessary in light of the erosion of faith caused by the activities of the Sadducees, apparently the motivation for the enactment. This preceded considerations of the inappropriate use of God’s name; as the mishnahcites, “It is a time to act for God, they have nullified Your Torah (Ps. 119:126).” Rashi (Berakhot 54a, s.v. V’Omer), however, implies that the fundamental concern was the spreading of peace in this era, a goal apparently encouraged by the emphasis provided by the use of God’s name (see also R. Shepansky, pp. 111-112. For a rather innovative theory as to the reasoning of the enactment, see R. Avraham Pollack in the journal VaY’lakket Yosef, vol. 6, no. 173).
The scope of the enactment is not immediately clear. Rashi (Makkot 23b, s.v. vish’elat shalom bishaim; this commentary is actually not written by Rashi, but by his student R. Yehudah b. Natan) presents two possibilities as to whether it became obligatory to use the Divine Name in salutations (R. Yitzchak Chajes, Siach Yitzchak to Makkot, assumes this to be the case), or just that one who does so need not fear that he is taking God’s Name in vain (See R. Yosef Epstein, Mitzvat HaEtzah, pp. 348-349, 351; R. Shlomo Aviner, Am K’Lavi 356; and R. Natan Gestetner, Natan Piryo to Makkot).
In either case, empirical evidence will immediately indicate that modern practice does not usually involve pronouncing God’s Name in the normal mode of greeting. This discrepancy between Talmudic law and modern custom is explained by the authorities in one of two ways. The first is that the enactment was temporary and is no longer in effect; in fact, the lack of reference to this notion in the Rambam’s Mishneh Torah is accordingly noted (See R. Ephraim Zalman Margoliyos, Responsa Beit Ephraim, Even HaEzer 86 and R. Yitzchak Hecht, Responsa Sha’arei Kodesh1:171. R. Shepansky suggests that the Rambam felt that the thrust of the enactment was the greeting itself, a concept he does indeed record, in Hilkhot Deiot 5:7). This is the position of R. Chaim Yosef David Azulai (Petach Einayim, Yoma 39a) and others (See R. Yitzchak Weiss, Responsa Siach Yitzchak 39, and R. Joseph B. Soloveitchik, cited in the journal Mesorah6:33).
The second approach is that the essence of the enactment is fulfilled when care is taken to use the word shalom, which itself has Divine connotations (Shabbat 10a; see Rambam’s Peirush HaMishnayot to Berakhot, and Sefat Emet to Shabbat). The Responsa Beit Ephraim explicitly relates the Divinity of the word shalom to the enactment (note also commentary of the Arukh to Makkot. For a discussion of current practice in relation to this enactment, see Akiva Raz in Sefer Avnei Shlomo, Even Shlomo pp. 240-241; and Otzar Machmadim, I, 16).
R. Shepansky suggests that the above question of whether the enactment constituted an obligation, or a permission in light of the prohibition to use God’s Name in vain, is related to the issue of whether the practice became to use God’s Name directly or the word shalom to connote Divinity. If the enactment came to permit something, its subject must be something previously forbidden, that is, the usage of God’s Name in a direct sense.
Additionally, R. Yechiel Moshe Epstein (Be’er Moshe, Shoftim 6:12 (p. 188) offers a more homiletically oriented take on the entire concept: the enactment was not primarily that greetings should be offered with the Name of God, but for the sake of the Name of God. That is to say, it must be realized that greeting others is not a mere social ritual but a profound religious act.
By such process the greeting of others became akin to pronouncing the Holy Name, in particular when the word shalom is used (See also R. David Oppenheim, Responsa Nishal L’David, Orach Chaim 8, and R. Yehoshua Binyamin Krupnai’s discussion in Kovetz Zikaron L’R. Yosef Chaim Shneur Kotler, pp. 208-212. As to the status of non-standard designations of the Divine Name (kinuyyei hashem) in general, see Responsa R. Akiva Eiger 25 and R. Chaim Ozer Grodzenski, Responsa Achiezer 3:32.) This affects the treatment of these greetings in Jewish Law in a number of ways.
For one, it is forbidden to pronounce shalom in any place deemed inappropriate to say God’s Name (Shabbat 10a and Tosefta, Berakhot, ch. 3, per Shoftim6:24; see Kessef Mishneh, Hilkhot Kriat Shema 3:5; R. Yissakhar Shlomo Teichtal, Responsa Mishneh Sakhir, II, OC 15; R. Eliezer Cohen, Siach Kohen 9; and Responsa Sha’arei Kodesh II, 79). R. Yosef Engel raises the question of whether this is because the act of offering greetings is now a sanctified act or because the very word shalom itself is considered holy (Gilyonei HaShas to Shabbat, based on Responsa HaRadbaz1:220; see also Ta’amei HaMinhagim, p. 302).
Relevant to that latter possibility, the Tosafot (Sotah10a) consider the word to possess the status of a name that may not be erased, although Rabbeinu Asher (Responsa HaRosh 3:15) apparently disagrees (this is implied also by the Magen Avraham, Orach Chaim 85:3; see Machatzit HaShekel; R. Shabtai HaKohen, Nekudat HaKesef, Yoreh Deah 277; and R. Yerucham Ciechanowicz, Torat Yerucham 4).
R. Assad notes that the latter position is also that of Maimonides (note also the analysis of Sha’arei Teshuvah, Orach Chaim 84:2 and Pitchei Teshuvah, Yoreh Deah 276; R. Yosef Rosen, Tzofnat Pa’aneachto Mishneh Torah, Mahadurah Tinyana, p. 63; and R. Ya’akov Wehl, Ikvei Aharon Pesher Davar, Gittin 296). The Rama (Yoreh Deah, 276:13) recommends that an incomplete spelling be used when writing letters, to avoid problems of disrespectful treatment (see also R. Mordechai Leib Charney, Responsa Imrei Shalom 46). R. Shabtai HaKohen records that most are not of the custom to be careful for this stringency (Siftei Kohen, Yoreh Deah 276:16).
Some authorities were hesitant to allow using shalomto greet a bareheaded man, as he will then respond despite his lack of the necessary attire to do so (see R. Chaim Chizkiyahu Medini, Sdei Chemed, Kuntres HaKlallim, Ma’arekhet Ha-alef, Ot 313, citing the Sefer Mor V’Oholot, p. 5. R. Medini also discusses these topics in Ma’arekhet Aleph 113, Pe’at HaSadeh 110, and Mikhtav L’Chizkiyahu); nonetheless, contemporary authorities are lenient, fearing such reluctance will be misinterpreted as unfriendliness (see R. Ovadiah Yosef, Yalkut Yosef ; R. Aharon Rosenfeld, Responsa Minchat Aharon II, 199; and R. Moshe Shternbuch, Responsa Teshuvot V’Hanhagot I, 12).
R. Moshe Shternbuch (Pshat V’Iyun to Berakhot) suggests that it is for this reason that Shabbat Shalom has been adopted as a a Sabbath greeting. Nonetheless, he asserts, the Yiddish Gut Shabbos is also justifiable, as the Zohar (Yitro 88b) indicates that Shabbat is also a Divine Name.
Notably, the Radbaz (cited in Pitchei Teshuvah, YD 266:13) maintained that the only concern in erasing the word shalom comes specifically when it is used in a letter of greeting, “because at that time he is intending to offer ‘shalom’ to his friend, as did Boaz…but one who is coming to write that there is peace in the World, or between this one and that one, and the like… does not need to be careful of this, [as] he is not intending to invoke God's name, and this has no sanctity”.
The Pnei Yehoshua (Berakhot 27b) notes that what emerges from here is that greeting in this form amounts to ‘a prayer that one’s fellow should be in peace”. Similarly, the Avnei Nezer (Resp.,YD 474), explains that the phrase ‘She’eilat Shalom’ (lit., ‘asking shalom) is not translated as ‘asking how the other is’, but rather ‘asking God to bestow shalom’. Along these lines, R. Moshe Feinstein (Resp. Iggerot Moshe, YD, V, 51) sees in this an indication of the power of the prayer of every person, no matter how simple (see also the essay of R. Meir Yosef Fuchsbrumer, in the Journal Pe’er Yisrael, pp. 49-52, advocating for the resumption of this practice).
In the tractate Berakhot, the enactment of greeting with the Name is addressed towards the end, in the context of recognizing that it involved a necessary compromise of Jewish Law, in that it required the invoking of the Holy Name: ‘It is a time to act for God’. My grandmother’s grandfather, R. Zevulun Leib Barit (Divrei Moshe, pp. 37-42), in an elaborate analysis of themes in the beginning and the end of the tractate, considered the theories behind the enactment’s motivation noted above. He concludes that it was not fear of the forgetting of God’s Name that drove the Rabbis to act, but rather a profound recognition of the need to emphasize the importance of peace through the unusual invoking of Divinity.
In that spirit, he interprets the very last lines in that tractate (64a): Rabbi Elazar said Rabbi Ḥanina said: Torah scholars increase peace in the world, as it is said: “And all your children [banayikh] shall be taught of the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children” (Isaiah 54:13). Do not read your children [banayikh], but your builders [bonayikh]. As it is stated: “Those who love Your Torah have great peace; there is no stumbling block for them” (Psalms 119:165)… “May the Lord give strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace” (Psalms 29:11).
‘There is no stumbling block’; no danger that the Divine Name will be forgotten; but still, ‘those who love your Torah’ are greatly concerned with peace, and make tremendous efforts to stress its importance. At this point in history, with peace such a fervent desire of the Jewish people, it is awe-inspiring to consider the power of a simple greeting.