[Mesorah] Shalom Aleikhem

[Micha Berger]

On Fri, Oct 20, 2006 at 03:20:52PM -0400, MPoppers at kayescholer.com wrote:
:> Is there a reason why we say "Shalom Aleikhem" to individuals, not 
:> "Shalom Alekha/ayikh"?
: Perhaps we're assuming that an individual is accompanied by malachim (see 
: p.2 of http://ohr.edu/ask/ask231.pdf) or by the Sh'chinah in a manner 
: similar to what BT Shabbos describes re coming home from shul on Friday 
: night...

But that's greeting the mal'achim (... mal'akhei hashalom, mal'akhei
elyon) who accompany the men returning from shul.

I'm asking about two Jews who meet on the street, and greet eachother
with "Shalom Aleikhem". Are we greeting their entourage of mal'akhim
too? The same 4 mal'akhim accompanied /me/ all day as well, why suddenly
greet them?

And as you note in the MmD essay (URL below), the greeting derives from
the exchange in Rus. But there the fieldhands greet Boaz in the
singular. The answer therefore can not be overly inclusive, as it would
run counter to the pasuq.

:         Compare/contrast with saying "HaMaqom y'nacheim *eschem*" to only 
: one mourner (see p.4 of http://www.aishdas.org/mesukim/5764/vayechi.pdf).

I agree with your question in fn 18. Particularly if a woman is
sitting shiv'ah for her mother (lo aleinu), where the gender of the word
"neshamah" is less relevant. You also seem inconsistent, as in addressing
this question you suggest that it's the niftar who is "besokh she'ar
aveilei Tzion viYrushalayim", but in the next section you write of the
aveil not being alone.

But all this is tangential, as is doesn't help the pluralization of
"aleikhem".

Tir'u beTov!
-mi

-- 
Micha Berger             May it be His Will that Yosef Shelomo b' Devorah
micha at aishdas.org        - among all our soldiers and all the residents of
http://www.aishdas.org   northern Israel - return home soon, healthy in
Fax: (270) 514-1507      spirit and body, to peace and security.