JMN wishes a tremendous Mazal Tov to our subscriber Reuven S. on his engagement to Shira R., and extends heartfelt wishes for a continued recovery to our subscriber Yakov S. – יעקב ישראל בן ריזל רחל

One of the most obvious aspects of Shabbos is the undeniable presence of a Divine peace that permeates the world. Once the sun dips beneath the trees, the usual city noises are increasingly muted and are replaced with a certain calm and tranquility. The wind starts to whistle to a different tune and the birds begin to sing a slightly different song. Nature itself looks and sounds different the minute the Shabbos Queen arrives.

But aside from the changes that take effect outside our front doors, there are also many changes that occur inside of our homes as well. For instance, we don’t act in the same ways that we do the rest of the week. We specifically eat different foods in honor of Shabbos. We specifically wear different clothing in honor of Shabbos. We even speak differently! We say divrei Torah and speak in learning. We sing zemiros, and we greet each other with a hearty ‘Gut Shabbos!’ or ‘Shabbat Shalom!’ instead of the usual, “Shalom Aleichem.” Well, that is besides for a particular Friday night feature…

You see, of all the things that we hope and pray for, peace is the only blessing that I think all of us innately know, can only come from Hashem. In our limited perception, we see that money can come from various avenues. Refuah can come at the hands of our doctors or by taking the medicine that they prescribe. Food comes from the grocery store, right? But peace – true peace – can only come from the One Above. And every Shabbos eve, as the world receives its weekly Shabbos hug, we are reminded of this all over again.

As we enter our houses and greet our families with a warm ‘Good Shabbos,’ we turn our focus to the heavenly guests that have escorted us home. Joining us for the next 24 hours are two malachim whose mission it is to pass on Hashem’s blessings to us on this holiest of days. And as they bestow the ever elusive and invaluable gift of peace onto our homes, we sing a song to acknowledge and express our appreciation to them for bringing us this profound present.

‘Shalom Aleichem ministering angels, messengers of the Most High. Bo’achem L’shalom messengers of the supreme King of kings. Borchuni L’shalom – bless me with peace, as you are angels of peace. And finally, Tzeischem L’shalom – may your departure be in peace as well, whenever you take your leave.’

Ever since I mentioned it in the Mishpacha interview a couple months ago, I have received plenty of requests for today’s song. Being that the composer of this exact tune is unknown, I was a bit hesitant to feature it here until I would find out a bit more of its origins. But as the week went on, the more I felt inclined to highlight one of my personal favorites, so I hope you will forgive me for the lack of information in that regard. Of course, if you know, please feel free to share.

This unique Shalom Aleichem was sung by the fabulous band called Ruach on their 2nd Volume back in 1981, appearing again on their Greatest Hits album released in 1995 – and for good reason! Harold Fruchter, Alan Freishtat, Myron Chaitovsky, Sam Klaver… if these names ring any bells for you it’s probably because you can remember the decade of sensational music that the members of Ruach and its orchestra brought to the table throughout the 70’s and 80’s. “Puff the Kosher Dragon,” “Shoshanas Yaakov,” and their very educational “Hebrew Lesson” are just a few of their finest and are prime examples of the distinctive style that made them so popular back in the day.

Wishing everyone – you guessed it – a very peaceful Shabbos Mevorchim!