Greetings can offer recognition, affection, respect, and sometimes—a blessing. In Yiddish, if you’re greeted in the morning with גוט־מאָרגן (gut-morgn), you might respond by wishing that person גוט־יאָר! (gut-yor) —a good year. Don’t just have a good morning, you’re saying, have a good year!
Greeting: גוט־מאָרגן! Gut-morgn!
Response: גוט־יאָר! Gut-yor!
There are greetings in Yiddish for various occasions. If you see someone that you haven’t seen in a while, you might say “שלום־עליכם!” (sholem-aleykhem). This phrase comes from Hebrew and literally means “peace be upon you”. It has its own reply, as well:
Greeting: שלום־עליכם! Sholem-aleykhem!
Response: עליכם־שלום! Aleykhem-sholem!
You may have even heard this phrase before. Solomon Rabinovitsh, a Yiddish writer in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, chose this classic Yiddish greeting as his pen name, and has been known the world over as “Sholem Aleichem” ever since.
Here are some other greetings. "Gut-yor" can be used as a response to them, too!
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