The Roots of “Mayim Mayim” and the Meaning of “Shalom” (En)

This is a corner of a restaurant in Jerusalem where they were making fresh pomegranate juice. I’m usually not a clumsy person, but I accidentally knocked over a nearly full glass of juice and stained my white T-shirt bright red. 😅

I am still continuing the long process of categorizing my old Hatena Blog (in Japanese) posts. Along the way, I came across a short article I had written nine years ago and decided to revisit the topic.

Among the many folk dances we learned in junior high school, “Mayim Mayim” left the strongest impression on me. Its melody and rhythm somehow felt “Israeli” to me, so I looked it up and discovered that it really did originate in Israel.

The song was originally created around 1937 in a Jewish settlement in Palestine. Before World War II, it spread to the United States, and after the war, organizations such as the YMCA introduced it throughout Japan as part of youth activities.

The repeated phrase:

“Mayim, mayim, mayim, mayim, mayim b’sasson”

comes from Hebrew.

• mayim means “water”
• b’sasson means “with joy”

The lyrics are based on this verse from the Old Testament:

“With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.”
(Isaiah 12:3 NIV)

This YouTube video is a “Mayim Medley” that includes several Israeli songs.

In 2010, during a Holy Land tour organized by Pastor Kenichi Nakagawa of Harvest Time Ministries, we learned a short Hebrew song called Hevenu Shalom Aleichem. 

At one point during the trip, our group suddenly began singing it together, and local Israeli people stopped, smiled, applauded, and seemed genuinely delighted. The song appears around 4:40 in the video.

Hevenu shalom aleichem
Hevenu shalom aleichem
Hevenu shalom aleichem
Hevenu shalom, shalom, shalom aleichem

It means:

“We bring peace to you.”
“Peace be upon you.”

The word shalom has a much deeper meaning than simply “peace.” It can also include:

• peace of mind
• wholeness
• rest
• God’s blessing

At the time, I wondered why the Israeli people were so happy to hear us sing. Looking back now, perhaps they were simply touched that people from a distant country were singing “shalom” in Hebrew.

Interestingly, shalom is also commonly used in everyday Israeli conversation as both “hello” and “goodbye,” while also carrying the meaning of “peace.”

Israel has experienced a long history of exile, persecution, and war. Even today, the conflict that began in October 2023 has not yet ended. When I visited, it may have been one of the more peaceful periods.

The roots of these struggles go all the way back to Old Testament times, making the situation extremely complex. I can do very little, but I continue to pray for peace.

にほんブログ村

にほんブログ村　　　　　

多言語学習ランキング