Greeting
4. Our Sages said: “Welcome every person warmly.” They also said: “One who smiles at another person (that is, brings him joy) is better than one who gives him milk to drink.” (Milk was quite an expensive drink at the time.)
It is a great mitzvah to reconcile enemies or cheer up a sad person—even with a joke.
5. In a situation involving danger or out of respect, one may interrupt and respond to a greeting even while reciting «Shema Yisrael»[1]. This is also permitted if a king or a very important official encounters someone while he is reciting «Shema». (This law is discussed in detail in tractate «Berakhot»).
7. This form of greeting may not be used in dirty places, in a bath or toilet, or wherever there is an unpleasant smell, because the word «shalom», as we have already said, is one of the Creator’s Names.
8. When writing a letter, it is best to write «shalom» in abbreviated form, for example, without the letter «vav» or without the final letter. This is merely a precaution—we must bear in mind that letters are sometimes thrown into the trash, and so on.
9. Before morning prayers, people do not greet one another with the word «shalom». It is inappropriate to greet others with the Creator’s Name before first addressing Him in prayer. But one may say: “Good morning!”
****
One evening, at the close of Shabbat, Rabbi Yechezkel Sarna, the head rabbi of the Hebron Yeshiva, came to his yeshiva. Despite being ill and feeling unwell, he decided to go upstairs to meet his students. When one of the students noticed his teacher, he approached and told him that evening prayers had already ended, so there was no point in the rabbi going upstairs. Rabbi Yechezkel replied: “Evening prayer is an enactment of the Sages, but we are obligated to bless and greet others even without that enactment, since the Torah itself speaks of love for one’s fellow.”
- Hear, O Israel, G-d is our Lord, G-d is One! Jews repeat these words of Torah twice a day; they are the essence of our faith and one of the central elements of prayer. ↑