Vulcan Salute

A friendly Star Trek hello or good wish. The sender is doing Spock's hand: hi, bye, or “may things go well for you.” It lands warmer than a plain wave and carries a small badge of fandom. Answering with 🖖 or a simple “you too” fits; nobody checks your Trekkie credentials.

Is the Vulcan salute Jewish?

Its shape comes from a Jewish blessing. In the Birkat Kohanim (Priestly Blessing), Kohanim, men from Jewish priestly families, raise both hands over the congregation with the fingers parted in pairs. The shape is associated with ש (shin), the Hebrew letter that begins Shaddai, a name of God. The blessing's words are ancient: silver amulets from Ketef Hinnom preserve an early version around the 6th century BCE. The paired-finger custom is far younger, and nobody can date exactly when it took hold.

Nimoy remembered peeking at the blessing in synagogue as a child. When the 1967 episode “Amok Time” needed a Vulcan greeting for Spock's meeting with T'Pau, a Vulcan elder, he proposed a one-handed version. In a chat, 🖖 points to Star Trek or simply a kind greeting; the ritual it came from is still practised in synagogues.