Vulcan salute
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Leonard Nimoy, the actor who played the half-Vulcan Spock on Star Trek, devised the Vulcan Salute, consisting of a raised hand, palm forward with the fingers parted between the middle and ring finger. The Salute first appeared on the original Star Trek series in the second season opening episode, "Amok Time." The gesture is famously difficult for most people to do without practice, and actors on the original show would often have to position their fingers off-screen, manually, using both hands, before raising their hand into frame.
In his autobiography, I Am Spock, Nimoy has said that he based it on the Jewish priestly Cohen blessing with both hands, thumb to thumb in this same position, representing the Hebrew letter Shin. (ש), which has three upward strokes similar to the position of the thumb and fingers in the salute. The letter Shin also stands for Shaddai, meaning "Almighty (God)" and has mystical significance in Judaism.
Also in I Am Spock, Nimoy explains how, when he was a child, his grandfather took him to an Orthodox synagogue. There he saw the blessing performed, and was very impressed by it.
Nimoy also coined the accompanying spoken blessing, "Live long and prosper." The lesser-known response is "Peace and long life." This format is similar to (and probably based upon) the Hebrew greeting, "Shalom aleichem" (peace be upon you) and it's reply, "Aleichem shalom" (upon you be peace.)
See also
- References to Star Trek, where movies and television shows referencing Star Trek by using the Vulcan salute can be found.
- The Jewish Origin of the Vulcan Salute (http://www.pinenet.com/~rooster/v-salute.html) -- a very complete page by Rabbi Yonassan Gershom, with photos and diagrams of how the Salute forms the Hebrew letter Shin, the use of the Blessing Hands gesture on Jewish gravestones and jewelry, etc.