Greeting
1. The Sages ordained that people greet one another with the word "Shalom" (peace). Although this word is considered one of the Creator’s Names, greeting someone in this way is not forbidden. When meeting a wise person, this greeting is repeated twice: "Shalom-shalom."
2. It is permissible to greet a non-Jew, too, with the word "shalom". The Torah repeatedly emphasizes how important it is to maintain good relations with members of other nations, even if doing so requires pronouncing a special Name of the Almighty.
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The great Rabbi Nachum Partzovitz, head of the Mir Yeshiva, always greeted everyone warmly and with a smile. This greatly surprised those who knew him well, because they knew that the rabbi was suffering terribly from a serious illness. Once, a student asked him: “How do you manage to keep yourself composed and smile whenever you meet someone, when you are suffering so much?” The rabbi replied: “I heard from Rabbi Yechiel Gordon that a person’s face is like a public domain, and in such a place it is forbidden to dig pits or put up obstacles…”
3. If you already know that an acquaintance always greets you with the word “shalom,” try to greet him before he greets you.
The Torah teaches us not merely to maintain balance and peace, but to hasten to do everything that helps friendships grow: “Seek peace and pursue it.” The Talmud relates that no one ever greeted Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai[1] before he greeted them. He always greeted everyone first.
If a person does not return a greeting, the Sages call him a gazlan (robber). A person who greets others with the blessing of peace, "Shalom", will be the first to merit a blessing.
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A renowned rabbi once entered the Tifereth Jerusalem Yeshiva in New York. He went straight to the place where Rabbi Moshe Feinstein usually sat, to greet him. Noticing that everyone present had already begun the evening prayers, he immediately left the room. After the prayers, Rabbi Moshe came out and apologized for not returning his greeting, explaining that he had already joined those praying at that moment.
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In Kelm, there was a tradition of paying special attention to the manner of greeting others—openness and a smile—during Rosh Hashanah. This was because, on those days, many people are preoccupied with themselves, anxious at the thought of the approaching Judgment, and forget to smile at one another.
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The leader of his generation and acting president of the Sanhedrin at the time of the destruction of the Second Temple. Thanks to his diplomatic efforts, the yeshiva in Yavneh survived, and all the great teachers of that generation emerged from it. The Talmud attests to the extraordinary breadth of his knowledge and his righteousness. ↑