In these days of social distancing and reduced contact, people are using alternative greetings which don’t involve physical contact. One of the popular ones, especially with the geekier among us, is the “Live long and prosper” gesture made famous by the actor Leonard Nimoy on the original Star Trek series.
Most people don’t know the history of the greeting, despite Nimoy sharing the story often. Several articles discussed it after Nimoy’s death in 2015. Nimoy played a member of an alien race called the Vulcans. He wanted to give the race its own unique culture, and he also wanted to introduce something of his Jewish background into the show. During a 2013 interview, Nimoy made the famous gesture, and explained, “This is the shape of the letter shin.” Nimoy had seen the gesture many times from rabbinical priests while growing up.
The Hebrew letter shin is the first letter in several Hebrew words. Shaddai is one of the names used for God in the Torah and the Bible. It means the All-Sufficient One, the Lord God Almighty. Shalom is a well-known Jewish word similar to Aloha. It can mean hello, goodbye, but is best known to mean peace. Shekhinah is the physical presence and manifestation of the glory of God. When Solomon dedicated the ancient Temple in Jerusalem, God’s presence, His Shekhinah glory, filled the place. This is recorded in the Bible in the book of 2nd Chronicles.
As you go around using Live Long and Prosper, you’re actually giving the other person a blessing. In these crazy times, that makes the greeting even more appropriate.
Live long and prosper, my friends.
Photograph of Leonard Nimoy by Gage Skidmore at the 2011 Phoenix Comicon in Phoenix, Arizona. CC BY-SA 3.0