hand symbol star trek

What Is Spock's Star Trek Hand Sign Called & What Does It Mean?

There is no more iconic hand gesture in pop culture than the split-fingered greeting used by Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and other Vulcans in "Star Trek." Usually accompanied by the phrase, "Live long, and prosper," the gesture requires splitting one's fingers between the middle and ring finger while extending the thumb, with the palm facing forward. But while many fans have seen it used throughout "Star Trek," many don't know its name, let alone its origins.

Spock's gesture is known as the Vulcan Salute. It was first seen in the episode "Amok Time," the episode of "Star Trek: The Original Series" in which Spock returns to Vulcan to compete in a mating ritual. Though not originally in the script for that episode, Nimoy felt it would be a good way to add more depth to Vulcan culture. "I suggested to the director that there should be some Vulcan thing that Vulcans do when they greet," Nimoy said in an Archive of American Television interview preserved by FoundationINTERVIEWS on YouTube. It was one of many aspects of Vulcan culture improvised by the actor . But the star clarified that the episode's writer, science fiction author Theodore Sturgeon, had come up with the phrase, "Live long, and prosper."

So, that's what the Vulcan Salute means within the universe of "Star Trek." But for Leonard Nimoy, it had a far more profound personal meaning rooted in his Jewish upbringing.

Leonard Nimoy's Vulcan Salute took inspiration from an ancient Jewish tradition

Leonard Nimoy, who played Spock on "Star Trek: The Original Series" and elsewhere, was raised in a Jewish household in Boston, Massachusetts, as the child of Ukrainian immigrants. His parents were observant, particularly his father, who brought his son along to High Holiday services at their local Orthodox synagogue. There, Nimoy witnessed a ritual that would go on to inform his Vulcan Salute.

Synagogue services on major holidays include the Priestly Blessing. Members of the priestly class of Kohanim — in the most simple terms, those with last names like Cohen and derivations thereof — bless the congregation by lifting their hands with the split-fingered gesture. The difference is that, in performing the Priestly Blessing, both hands are raised.

Crucially, members of the congregation are instructed to avert their gaze while the Blessing is recited, as the priests are said to be channeling the divine presence. Congregants often cover their faces with a tallis, a ritual shawl worn during prayer. But young Nimoy was much too curious to remain under the veil, so he would peer out at the Kohanim from under his father's tallis.

As noted on the  Star Trek  website, Nimoy wrote, "There were a group of five or six men facing the congregation and chanting in passionate shouts of a Hebrew benediction ... My dad said, 'Don't look.' ... I peeked. And when I saw the split-fingered gesture of these men ... I was entranced. I learned to do it because it seemed so magical. It was probably 25 years later that I introduced that gesture as a Vulcan greeting in 'Star Trek' and it has resonated with fans around the world ever since. It gives me great pleasure since it is, after all, a blessing."

Vulcan salute

• View history

A Vulcan salute ( Star Trek: First Contact )

The Vulcan salute was a hand gesture used by Vulcans . It involved holding the palm of one hand outwards while placing the fingers in a "V" shaped by separating the middle and ring fingers, while keeping the others together, with the thumb extended.

• 2.1 Appearances
• 2.2.1 Origins
• 2.2.2 Serialization
• 2.2.3 Influence and other usage
• 2.3 External links

A statuette of Surak performing a version of the Vulcan salute

The salute was part of both Vulcan greetings and farewells. The formal phrase associated with the salute in both cases was " Live long and prosper. " ( Star Trek: First Contact ; TOS : " Amok Time ")

When parties took their leave of each other, one party could use the phrase " Peace and long life " and would receive " Live long and prosper " as a reply. ( TOS : " Is There in Truth No Beauty? ", " The Savage Curtain "; Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home ; TNG : " Sarek ", " Unification I "; Star Trek Beyond ) Alternately, each party could simply state to the other " Live long and prosper, (name). " ( TOS : " Amok Time "; Star Trek: Voyager various episodes)

In the Vulcan language , " Live long and prosper " was pronounced " Dif-tor heh smusma. " ( Star Trek: The Motion Picture )

In diplomatic situations, the greeting used was " I/We (depending on situation) come to serve, " possibly prefaced by the statement of the initiators' name. The response was " Your service honors us. " ( TOS : " Journey to Babel "; TNG : " Data's Day ", " Sarek ", " Unification I ")

In 2151 , a statuette of Surak performing the Vulcan salute with both hands was displayed aboard the Vahklas , a Vulcan ship. Unlike other Vulcan salutes, Surak's hands were not held upright. ( ENT : " Fusion ")

In February 2152 , Vulcan Ambassador V'Lar wished Sub-Commander T'Pol goodbye with the phrase " Live long and prosper. " T'Pol, however, bowed in response. ( ENT : " Fallen Hero ")

Spock shows McCoy how to do the salute

Several Humans greeted Vulcans with the hand gesture, including Captain Jonathan Archer in 2154 ( ENT : " Kir'Shara ") and Captain Jean-Luc Picard in 2368 . ( TNG : " Unification I ") T'Pol taught Trip Tucker the salute when she took him to Vulcan to meet her mother , T'Les . ( ENT : " Home ") Zefram Cochrane tried and failed to perform it in 2063 , during First Contact ; he settled on a handshake instead. ( Star Trek: First Contact ) Michael Burnham learned the salute from her brother, Spock, as a child. ( DIS : " Perpetual Infinity ") When Leonard McCoy attempted to perform the salute, he said it hurt worse than having to wear his dress uniform . ( TOS : " Journey to Babel ") The saying was quite well-known among those in Starfleet – in 2375 , trapped in the Delta Flyer under layers of rock, two minutes before the air would run out, Tuvok told Tom Paris , " In accepting the inevitable, one finds peace, " to which Paris responded that, if this was another Vulcan axiom, he would stick to " Live long and prosper. " Fortunately, Paris had barely finished the sentence when he was interrupted by the sound of USS Voyager 's phaser drills breaking through the rock , and those on board the Delta Flyer were safely beamed back to the ship. ( VOY : " Once Upon a Time ")

As a practical joke , Tom Paris and Harry Kim once reprogrammed Tuvok's security console so that it said, " Live long and prosper " whenever he accessed the internal sensors . They also reprogrammed his replicator the same way. ( VOY : " Revulsion ")

Ensigns Beckett Mariner and Brad Boimler occasionally used the gesture as a sarcastic jest with each other, or with other people. This is done by performing the gesture, then swinging that arm up and down by the elbow. ( LD : " Moist Vessel ", " Terminal Provocations ")

In 2383 , Dal R'El mistook the gesure for a high five when a hologram of Spock saluted him after he took Kobayashi Maru test multiple times. ( PRO : " Kobayashi ")

In 2384 , the crew of the USS Protostar encountered the Enderprizians : a species whose knowledge of Starfleet was outdated, incomplete, and often incorrect. They performed an erroneous interpretation of the Vulcan salute, which was made by separating the pinky and pointer fingers from the middle amd ring fingers – the latter two being kept together – and saying "Live logs and proper." Upon seeing Dal perform the correct gesture, however, Huur'A followed suit. ( PRO : " All the World's a Stage ")

In 2258 , in the alternate reality brought about by Nero 's incursion, Ambassador Spock , after speaking with a younger version of himself , made the hand gesture but said, " Good luck, " as he felt it would be "oddly self-serving" to say the usual phrase to his younger counterpart. ( Star Trek )

In 2263 of the alternate reality, the Vulcan salute was exchanged between the Spock who was indigenous to that universe and a pair of Vulcan messengers who had brought him news that Ambassador Spock was dead . Spock used the salute to bid farewell to the Vulcan pair on Starbase Yorktown , both Spock and his Vulcan visitors saying " Live long and prosper " to each other before the messengers walked away. ( Star Trek Beyond )

In the mirror universe , the first Vulcan to step on Terran soil used the traditional greeting before being shot by Zefram Cochrane , after he failed to duplicate the gesture. ( ENT : " In a Mirror, Darkly ") Thereafter, in the mirror universe, it was not safe, even behind closed doors , for Vulcans to perform the Vulcan salute, for fear that they might be seen by a Terran . ( ENT : " In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II ")

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

• " Amok Time "
• " Journey to Babel " (only gestured)
• " Assignment: Earth " (only said)
• " The Enterprise Incident " (only gestured)
• " Is There in Truth No Beauty? "
• " The Savage Curtain "
• TAS : " Yesteryear "
• Star Trek: The Motion Picture
• Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
• Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
• Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
• Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (only gestured)
• Star Trek: First Contact
• Star Trek Into Darkness (only gestured)
• Star Trek Beyond
• " Conspiracy " (only gestured)
• " Data's Day " (only gestured)
• " Unification I "
• " Unification II "
• " Revulsion "
• " Year of Hell, Part II "
• " In the Flesh "
• " Once Upon a Time " (only said)
• " Counterpoint "
• " Gravity "
• " Riddles " (only said)
• " Live Fast and Prosper "
• " Shattered "
• " Homestead "
• " Fallen Hero " (only said)
• " Home " (only gestured)
• " The Forge "
• " Kir'Shara "
• " In a Mirror, Darkly "
• " In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II " (only gestured)
• " Battle at the Binary Stars "
• " The War Without, The War Within " (only gestured)
• " Light and Shadows " (only gestured)
• " If Memory Serves " (only gestured)
• " Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2 " (only gestured)
• " Unification III "
• " Terra Firma, Part 2 " (only gestured)
• " Choose to Live "
• ST : " Ephraim and Dot "
• " Moist Vessel "
• " Terminal Provocations " (only gestured)
• " Much Ado About Boimler " (only gestured)
• " wej Duj "
• " Trusted Sources " (only gestured)
• " The Stars At Night " (only gestured)
• " Kobayashi "
• " All the World's a Stage " (only gestured)
• " Spock Amok " (only gestured)
• " All Those Who Wander "
• " Those Old Scientists "

Background information [ ]

Origins [ ].

The Vulcan salute was devised by Leonard Nimoy , based on a gesture made by various Jewish denominations, including Orthodox and Conservative. In TV Land's The 100 Greatest TV Quotes & Catchphrases , William Shatner described the salute as a benediction, comparing it to the Sign of the Cross . The gesture actually forms the Hebrew letter "Shin" and represents the honorific title "Shaddai", which means "Almighty (God)." The hand gesture is traditionally used by the Kohanim (Hebrew "priests"), Jews of priestly descent, during a blessing ceremony performed during the prayer service of certain Jewish holy days. The Jewish blessing is done with both hands, with arms extended upward at roughly a forty-five-degree angle, rather than one hand held upright as in the Vulcan salute. Nimoy learned the gesture, which takes practice to do, from visiting his grandfather's synagogue as a child. In the video William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy: The Twenty-Five Year Mission , Nimoy stated, " It took me years of diligent practice and self-denial to be able to do that. " [1]

The Vulcan salute wasn't originally in the script of " Amok Time ", which called for Spock to walk up to T'Pau followed by them simply exchanging brief greetings. Leonard Nimoy thought this might be a good chance to bring something unique to the Vulcan people. When he spoke to the episode's director, Nimoy suggested – citing examples of other gestures conveying greetings, such as handshakes, salutes, and bows – that perhaps Vulcans would greet each other with the Jewish gesture he remembered from his childhood, and the director agreed to try it. However, the actress playing T'Pau, Celia Lovsky , initially couldn't perform the salute, presenting a problem for the production personnel. They solved it by using a simple camera trick where her hands were below camera frame while she used one of her hands to get the other hand in the proper position. The salute was established from then on. According to an interview with Leonard Nimoy, the line " live long and prosper " was written by Theodore Sturgeon (the author of "Amok Time"). [2]

Serialization [ ]

William Shatner was unable to do the Vulcan salute. When Kirk (as played by Shatner) performs the salute in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock , it appears that fishing line holds two of his fingers together. In the video William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy: The Twenty-Five Year Mission , Shatner joked that the reason he couldn't do it was because, in Leonard Nimoy's words, it took "years of diligent practice and self-denial." During a June 2009 appearance on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien , Shatner demonstrated his inability to perform the salute, to which O'Brien responded with a perfect salute of his own.

A sign of the M-9 language

As an in-joke , one of the gestures of the M-9 sign language is similar to the Vulcan salute. ( Star Trek Encyclopedia )

The first Vulcan to fail to perform the salute on screen was Sarek in TNG : " Unification I ", being terminally ill.

In the writers' second draft script of ENT : " Breaking the Ice ", Sub-Commander T'Pol and Captain Vanik exchanged Vulcan salutes, unaccompanied by any of the traditional Vulcan greetings. However, they don't exchange the salute (and their initial meeting is not shown) in the final version of that episode.

In the script of the 2009 film Star Trek , the Vulcan salute was described as "legendary". [3]

Influence and other usage [ ]

Armin Shimerman devised a Ferengi gesture inspired by the Vulcan hand salute. " I know that the Vulcan hand sign is universally recognized, " he commented. " I thought, 'Let's see if we can find something like that to do.' " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 647))

Molly Hagan developed a Vorta greeting for Eris that was ultimately not used. She commented: " I immediately began working on a physical gesture that would indicate when I was using my telekinesis . I thought it could become the defining gesture of my people, like the Vulcan 'Live Long and proper' hand gesture . So, I came up with a motion where both my hands looked like they were taking energy in from my body before I pulsed it back out through my hands. It reminded me of something I saw Bruce Lee do. It never got used because a) they had great special effects and didn’t need me to do any gestures to sell 'my powers' and b) they were concerned that any future Vorta may not be able to replicate it. I was beyond disappointed ." [4]

The Filipino greeting "Mabuhay" can also be roughly translated as "live long and prosper" (it literally means "Live", but the expression is meant to convey a wish for someone to have a long and prosperous life in order to truly "live"). [5]

In Act 5, Scene 3, line 42, of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet , Romeo says to Balthasar, " Live, and be prosperous, and farwell good fellow. " [6]

It was proposed, accepted, and published in Version 7 of the Unicode Standard as Unicode Character U+1F596 (🖖 "RAISED HAND WITH PART BETWEEN MIDDLE AND RING FINGERS"). [7] [8]

A physician addressed a closed-door meeting of the US House Democratic caucus on 10 March 2020 where he "lightheartedly suggested" that people could employ the "live long and prosper sign" as a way to forgo handshakes and other physical forms of greeting during the outbreak of COVID-19. [9] [10]

On a 2022 episode of Who Do You Think You Are? , Zachary Quinto was surprised to see that his maternal great-grandfather P.J. McArdle had used the phrase May it live long and prosper in a letter published in the Official Organ of the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers in 1899 . [11]

External links [ ]

• Vulcan salute at Wikipedia
• Vulcan salute at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• The Jewish Origin of the Vulcan salute – a 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.
• Names of God in Judaism at Wikipedia shows a clear illustration of the Judaic origin of the Vulcan salute
• 2 Marlys Burdette

clock This article was published more than  9 years ago

The Jewish roots of Leonard Nimoy and ‘live long and prosper’

Leonard Nimoy first saw what became the famous Vulcan salute, “live long and prosper,” as a child, long before “Star Trek” even existed. The placement of the hands comes from a childhood memory, of an Orthodox Jewish synagogue service in Boston.

The man who would play Spock saw the gesture as part of a blessing, and it never left him. “Something really got hold of me,” Nimoy said in a 2013 interview with the National Yiddish Book Center.

Nimoy, who died on Friday , spoke about the Jewish roots of the famous gesture for an oral history project documenting the lives of Yiddish speakers, of which Nimoy is one.

[ Leonard Nimoy’s final public words: ‘Live long and prosper’ ]

At the beginning of the interview, Nimoy talked about his childhood in Yiddish. He was born in Boston, but his parents came from a village in what is now Ukraine, where his father worked as a barber. “My first language was English,” Nimoy told the interviewer in Yiddish, “but I needed to speak Yiddish with my grandparents.”

A disclosure: Years ago, as a college student, I worked part-time at the National Yiddish Book Center, which is located on my alma mater’s campus.

Although Nimoy never hid his upbringing from the world, my short experience there is why Nimoy’s work to preserve the language of his childhood came to mind today. I reached out to the Center, which explained that Nimoy started recording Jewish short stories, from Eastern Europe, in 1995, for a radio show hosted by the Center. He funded another project to record Yiddish stories and distribute them to children.

“Toward the end of his life, he called for increased efforts to teach Yiddish to a new generation,” Aaron Lansky, the center’s president, added in an email. “I’m not sure any Vulcan ever spoke a more geshmak (flavorful) Yiddish. He will be missed.”

[ Leonard Nimoy’s struggle with being Spock ]

Nimoy’s incorporation of the blessing  speaks particularly poignantly about the permeable boundaries between Spock and Nimoy himself.

“This is the shape of the letter shin,” Nimoy said in the 2013 interview, making the famous “V” gesture. The Hebrew letter shin, he noted, is the first letter in several Hebrew words, including Shaddai (a name for God), Shalom (the word for hello, goodbye and peace) and Shekhinah, which he defined as “ the feminine aspect of God who supposedly was created to live among humans.”

The Shekhinah,  Nimoy has said , was also the name of the prayer he participated in as a boy that inspired the salute. The prayer, meant to bless the congregation, is named after the feminine aspect of God, Nimoy explained in a 2012 post on the “Star Trek” site. “The light from this Deity could be very damaging. So we are told to protect ourselves by closing our eyes,” he wrote in the blog.

“They get their tallits over their heads, and they start this chanting,” Nimoy says in the 2013 interview, “And my father said to me, ‘don’t look’.” At first he obliged, but what he could hear intrigued him. “I thought, ‘something major is happening here.’ So I peeked. . And I saw them with their hands stuck out from beneath the tallit like this,” Nimoy said, showing the “V” with both his hands. “I had no idea what was going on, but the sound of it and the look of it was magical.”

After witnessing the ritual all those years ago, Nimoy practiced making the “V” with his fingers as a child. He “never dreamed” he would one day make the gesture so publicly and repeatedly as an adult.

That was, he said, until a “Star Trek” script required his character Spock to go home to Vulcan. “It was the first time we’d seen other Vulcans, other people of my race, so I was hoping to find some touching that could help develop the Vulcan sociology,” Nimoy said.

“I think we should have some special greeting that Vulcans do,” Nimoy recalled saying. He suggested the prayer gesture from his childhood.

“Boy,” he said, “that just took off. It just touched a magic chord.

He noted that “most people to this day still don’t know” the history of the greeting, although he repeatedly and enthusiastically shared its origin.

Laughing, Nimoy revealed the best part of it all: “People don’t realize they’re blessing each other with this!”

Michelle Boorstein contributed reporting. 

[This post has been updated]

How Leonard Nimoy's Roots Inspired The Vulcan Salute

The Vulcan salute is instantly recognizable to most people, even if they're not "Star Trek"  fans, consisting of an open palm with the pinky and ring fingers pressed together on one side of the "V," with the middle and pointer making up the other side, the thumb extended on its own. According to a 2012 entry from the official Star Trek blog , the gesture was first performed by the character of Mr. Spock, played by actor Leonard Nimoy, on the episode "Amok Time," which premiered on television in 1967. The episode takes place on the planet Vulcan, where Spock uses the gesture to greet fellow Vulcan T'Pau, played by Celia Lovesky, probably little knowing the importance the gesture would have to "Star Trek" lore and pop culture history in general. 

Nimoy explained in 2012 that he had come up with his character's gesture himself: "The idea came when I saw the way Joe [director Joseph Pevney] was staging the scene. He had me approach T'Pau and I felt a greeting gesture was called for. So I suggested it to Joe, who accepted it immediately. Gene [Roddenberry, the creator of "Star Trek"] was not involved." Nimoy noted in his 1995 autobiography "I Am Spock," quoted by the website Quartz in 2015 on the occasion of Nimoy's death at the age of 83, that he had adapted the symbol from Orthodox Judaism, specifically a hand symbol the Konahim, or priests, make as they bless the congregation during High Holiday services "with thumbs outstretched and the middle and ring fingers parted so that each hand forms two vees."

The Vulcan salute copies an Orthodox Jewish gesture with special meaning

Nimoy wrote for the Star Trek blog that he had grown up in Boston's West End neighborhood, which was home to a large number of immigrants. He attended a local Orthodox Jewish synagogue with his family. They were particularly observant of the Jewish High Holidays. His father once instructed young Nimoy not to look at the priests as they prepared to say the benediction that included the gesture, as "it is believed that during this prayer, the 'Shekhina,' the feminine aspect of God comes into the temple to bless the congregation" and the accompanying light could be damaging. Some people traditionally close their eyes to protect them. Nimoy secretly peeked and recalled that upon seeing "the split-fingered gesture of these men ... I was entranced. I learned to do it simply because it seemed so magical." Around 25 years later he introduced a version of the hand sign as the Vulcan salute, accompanied with its own blessing: "Live long and prosper."

Writer Lindsay Traves explored the history of the Vulcan salute for the Star Trek blog in 2019 in honor of Jewish History Month. Rabbi Howard Morrison of Toronto's Beth Emeth Synagogue explained that the gesture, made with both hands with thumbs connected, forms the Hebrew letter Shin, which is the first letter of Shaddai, one of the names for God in the Torah. The gesture didn't come easily to all "Star Trek" actors; per the IMDb , Celia Lovsky had to have her fingers taped together in order for T'Pau to return Spock's greeting. 

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The history behind Leonard Nimoy’s Vulcan salute

Leonard Nimoy’s passing at the age of 83 is prompting a flood of reminiscences about the actor, artist, and poet best known for his portrayal of the half-human/half-Vulcan Spock on the television series and movies  Star Trek .

Many will remember him performing his trademark four-finger Vulcan salute, which the actor actually created himself:

Nimoy drew on his orthodox Jewish upbringing to invent the iconic hand gesture, and he wrote about the process of finding it in his memoir, I am Spock :

For what would soon become known as the Vulcan salute, I borrowed a hand symbol from Orthodox Judaism. During the High Holiday services, the Kohanim (who are the priests) bless those in attendance. As they do, they extend the palms of both hands over the congregation, with thumbs outstretched and the middle and ring fingers parted so that each hand forms two vees. This gesture symbolizes the Hebrew letter shin, the first letter in the word Shaddai, `Lord.’ … So it was that, when I searched my imagination for an appropriate gesture to represent the peace-loving Vulcans, the Kohanim’s symbol of blessing came to mind.

In a chat with the Baltimore Sun in 2000, Nimoy explained how he got the idea:

In the blessing, the Kohanim (a high priest of a Hebrew tribe) makes the gesture with both hands, and it struck me as a very magical and mystical moment. I taught myself how to do it without even knowing what it meant, and later I inserted it into “Star Trek.” There was a scene in one episode that needed something. People were seeing other members of the Vulcan race for the first time, and I thought it called for a special gesture.

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Listen to Leonard Nimoy Explain the Jewish Origins of His Famous Vulcan Hand Greeting

Leonard Nimoy, who passed away Friday, sat down with the Wexler Oral History Project last year, his impressive Yiddish skills on full display . In the video below, Nimoy describes the origin of his famous Star Trek hand greeting: The Jewish priestly blessing, or duchening . He’d already revealed this in his 1975 autobiography  I Am Not Spock , but the video is still delightful.  

As a curious young boy at synagogue, Nimoy recalled peeking from under his father’s talit as the priests blessed the congregation. He described what he saw as “magical.” Years later, while filming an episode of Star Trek , the first with other Vulcans, he suggested a special greeting—and it stuck. “It’s great,” he said, “people don’t realize they’re blessing each other.”

The Canadian Jewish News The CJN

The jewish origins of the vulcan salute.

By Lindsay Traves

“Liv e long and prosper.” These words, along with the Vulcan salute, are immediately recognized and associated with Star Trek , which is celebrating the 53rd anniversary of its first episode this month. Their origins do not emanate from the vast final frontier, however, but rather from Leonard Nimoy’s Jewish heritage.

With Star Trek , Gene Roddenberry’s mission was to tell stories that included elements from a diversity of cultures, be they alien or Earthly. So when Leonard Nimoy had an idea for a Vulcan greeting, Roddenberry let him bring along a piece of his culture.

Nimoy recounted the story of Star Trek ’s Season 2 premiere, titled “Amok Time,” the first episode of the show where Spock visited the planet Vulcan (where he was to be married). It would be the first time another Vulcan would be seen on screen. After considering the greetings people have across cultures, Nimoy thought the Vulcans should have one of their own.

Though most of us immediately recognize the salute as the Vulcan greeting, its true origin comes directly from the Torah.

I met with Rabbi Howard Morrison of Beth Emeth Synagogue in Toronto, an expert on both Judaism and “nerd TV culture,” who told me more about the origin of the salute. “When the Kohanim do the priestly blessing, they take their two hands and bring the thumbs together and it’s like the ‘Live long and prosper’ sign,” he explained. But, Rabbi Morrison continued, the version in the blessing differs slightly: Spock “only does it on the show with the one hand,” he noted, “but the  Kohanim , when they do the blessing, use two hands, and connect the thumbs to make the Hebrew letter shin (representing the first letter of one of God’s names).

The hand sign is done during the performance of the blessing by the Kohanim, who stand at the front of the sanctuary and bless the congregation. Historically, this was done daily in the Holy Temple, when it stood in Jerusalem. “You needed the Kohanim and their officiating to be able to fulfill certain Jewish practices,” Rabbi Morrison explained, adding, “Now, the blessing is done ‘symbolically’ by the Kohanim daily in Israel, and outside, during festivals.” (The words in the blessing itself are part of the daily prayers, but the sign we know as the Vulcan salute is only done when the Kohanim are called upon to stand before the congregation and recite them.

READ: SCHWARTZBERG: A TRIBUTE TO HARLAN ELLISON

Though Jewish fans of Star Trek might be thrilled by the revelation of something so deep in our culture, many of us have never seen the hand sign used in religious practice. Per Rabbi Morrison, “You’re not supposed to look when the Kohanim do the blessing and ‘salute,’ because you are supposed to be focusing on the words and thinking of God as opposed to focusing on the people saying the words.

“There are some who believe that if you look, you will go blind, but the idea is that the focus should be on hearing the words and internalizing the meaning of the words and not looking at the Kohanim who are doing it. But neither Nimoy or I could help ourselves – we peeked.” Indeed, the Spock actor recalled a time he attended synagogue and his father told him not to look when five or six men stepped to the bimah and began shouting a blessing. He knew something “major” was happening, so he snuck a view of those men with their hands poking out from their tallitot in a striking hand sign that he thought was “magical.” Years later, Nimoy would suggest this magical hand sign extend from his personal heritage to that of his character.

Though Nimoy could flash the sign with ease, not every Vulcan could. Celia Lovsky, who played T’Pau, the Vulcan minister, was unable to do the sign on her own and had her fingers taped together for production. Zachary Quinto allegedly had some trouble with the salute and did some Vulcan finger exercises while preparing for his most logical role. It was said his fingers were glued together for production, but Quinto swears this is just a rumour. Though I can’t say for sure, I have a suspicion that Arlene Martel, who played Spock’s bride-to-be, T’Pring, a fellow eastern European Jew, could probably flash the sign with ease. 

This story was originally published by StarTrek.com and CBS. It has been reprinted with permission.

Live Long and Prosper: Words of "Star Trek" and Torah for Jewish Leaders

You’re probably familiar with the Star Trek  hand symbol that means, “Live long and prosper!” Did you may know that Leonard Nimoy, who played Spock, was Jewish? He once said in an interview that he was inspired to create the Vulcan salute because he had seen the hand motion in synagogue as a child during the Priestly Benediction.

Parashat Naso (the Torah portion we read before opening week of the Jewish summer camp where I serve as director of Jewish life) contains the words of the Priestly Benediction, the prayer the priests (the descendants of Aaron during the Temple period) use to bless the Israelites. It’s also the prayer that modern-day rabbis use to bless their communities, acting as a medium through which God reaches the people.

As the Torah says in Numbers 6:23-27:

“Speak to Aaron and his sons: Thus shall you bless the people of Israel. Say to them: ‘May God bless you and guard you: May the light of God shine upon you, and may God be gracious to you: May the presence of God be with you and give you peace.’ Thus they shall link My name with the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

And according to the Talmud, in tractate Sota 39a, we see that the priests are supposed to say yet another blessing in preparation for the Priestly Benediction in order to sanctify it: “Blessed are You, Sovereign of the universe, who sanctified us with the holiness of Aaron and commanded us to bless God’s people with love.” ( Sotah  39a).

As Rabbi Dr. Jenny Solomon asks in her d’var Torah “What’s Love Got to Do with It?" this leads us to ask the question “Why love?” Why is it so important that the priests acting as God’s messenger bless the Israelites with love ?

It seems that the Talmud is saying that the blessing over the people of the children of Israel must be sanctified – and that one way of doing that is through love. 

This is something we also do with our campers. On Friday nights, we literally bless them during Shabbat dinner, and even when it’s not Shabbat , we use our love of community and Judaism to pass on a legacy to our children.

Our leadership and staff know, too, that our words and behaviors will trickle down to our staff and our campers. In fact, in many ways, it’s a trickle-down effect of our leadership’s love and care that translates into the love and care put in by our counselors that evolves into campers’ overall love of learning, community, and camp.

It is my hope, then, that even on our most difficult days, we can remember to sanctify with love everything that we pass on to our young Jewish campers – and in doing so, perhaps we can encourage them to “live long and prosper” while fulfilling the goals of the Priestly Benediction that we find in the Torah.

This d’var Torah was presented before the staff and leadership of  URJ 6 Points Sci-Tech Academy – East , a Reform Jewish summer camp in Byfield, MA, during the first Shabbat of the camp’s 2019 summer season. Learn more about Reform Jewish summer camping and find a camp near you .

About the Author

Julia Berg is the director of Jewish life at URJ 6 Points Sci-Tech Academy – East , a Reform Jewish summer camp in Byfield, MA. She is a rabbinical student at  Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles, CA. 

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Emoji dictionary

🖖 vulcan salute emoji.

[ vuhl -k uh n s uh - loot ih- moh -jee ]

What does 🖖  Vulcan Salute emoji mean?

Live long and prosper, friends! If you ever need to spread the love to your geekier friends, then flash a 🖖.

The Vulcan salute  emoji, 🖖, is perfect for showing your Star Trek cred or sci-fi pride more generally.

Related words

Where does 🖖 vulcan salute emoji come from.

The Vulcan Salute emoji is officially called the raised hand with part between middle and ring fingers emoji. And, that’s exactly what the emoji shows across platforms. Its default hue is yellow, but skin-tone modifiers allow users to change color. It joined emoji keyboards under Unicode 7.0 in 2014.

The emoji commonly goes by the Vulcan salute because the gesture was popularized by Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy), who used it as a greeting in the sci-fi franchise, Star Trek . Nimoy first used the gesture in the 1967 TV episode “Amok Time,” in which Spock comes into contact with other members of his Vulcan race.

Nimoy wanted the Vulcans to have a way of greeting one another similar to human hand gestures. In an interview with New York Times , Nimoy said that his Vulcan salute was inspired by a gesture that he witnessed during a Jewish religious service when he was a boy. Jewish priests perform the actual religious gesture with both hands to form the Hebrew letter shin , ש.

The greeting Live long and prosper!  has also accompanied the Vulcan salute ever since its debut in “Amok Time,” also inspired by Jewish scripture, with Deuteronomy 5:33 being the most cited inspiration for the phrase.

The Vulcan salute went memetic almost immediately after Nimoy’s first usage of the gesture. According to Nimoy, mere weeks after “Amok Time” aired, people were already using the gesture to greet him everywhere he went. The gesture was first popular among Star Trek fans but the gesture’s similarity to the popular V-shaped peace hand gesture (✌️), both in finger placement and good-willed intent, helped it catch on outside that community.

The Vulcan salute was popular long before the rise of social media, so it comes as no surprise that the emoji version took off right away after Unicode added it on June 16, 2014.

🖖 — Kim Ahlström (@Kimtaro) June 16, 2014

Prior to that day, users had to make due with typographical substitutes.

@pruet \V/_ Vulcan salute — Keng ☂ (@kengggg) November 14, 2007

Examples of 🖖 Vulcan Salute emoji

Who uses 🖖 vulcan salute emoji.

The Vulcan salute emoji is used anytime someone wants to flash the greeting and good wishes. It can be  Star Trek fans …

Happy Birthday to our Trekkie Girl Carole! Have a trektastic day! 🖖 🍸🍾 — Trekkie Girls (@TrekkieGirls) October 17, 2016

Live long & prosper. Trekkie and proud 🖖 pic.twitter.com/omklaAa5ak — Lola Dreambomb (@Lola_Dreambomb) July 22, 2016

… or your non-Trekkie but self- avowed nerd friends. In this vein, the emoji can suggest anything “geeky” or “far out.”

Happy birthday nerd. May you live long and prosper 🖖 in Jesus name. God bless you homie @J_Anowa — Bruce Wayne💰💵 (@Bizzle025) July 16, 2018

embrace the martian 🖖 — Genius (@Genius) July 17, 2018

The Vulcan salute emoji is also commonly used when tweeting about (or to) actors that appeared in Star Trek.

Happy 78th Birthday to Patrick Stewart …🖖 pic.twitter.com/bgA4gsL0Bg — Phil Murphy (@crashtesterX) July 13, 2018

George Takei knows the score. 🖖 https://t.co/qInzV1IRsH — Ross Colquhoun (@rosscolquhoun) June 24, 2016

William Shatner is in Lowell today 🖖 — V. Arun (@A_Venugopal_97) June 11, 2015

While the Vulcan salute emoji is widely used when discussing anything Star Trek related, such as old episodes or new films, it can also mark content dealing with science fiction works in general.

🤔 Like anyone could possibly just rank their favorite all-time episode @StarTrek ?!? Ridiculous! #TrekRanks 🖖📊 https://t.co/KYzfPRXacD — TrekRanks Podcast 🖖📊 (@TrekRanks) July 24, 2018

For all who love Sci-Fi movies that really fuck with your head and concept of reality/time, watch 'Arrival' .. great movie, still confused as tits 10/10 wont sleep tn 👍🖖 — MariJane (@mariman777) July 25, 2018

This is not meant to be a formal definition of 🖖 Vulcan Salute emoji like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of 🖖 Vulcan Salute emoji that will help our users expand their word mastery.

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Leonard Nimoy 'Star Trek' Vulcan Salute: Jewish Heritage Cited As Spock Hand Gesture's Inspiration

Leonard Nimoy, the actor who rose to fame in the breakout science fiction television and movie series, “Star Trek,” reached cult status mostly because of his unique character of Mr. Spock. Nimoy, who died Friday , left the world with many memories, but one in particular has remained standing the test of time: Spock's Vulcan salute, the popular hand signal that Nimoy employed in many "Star Trek" scenes.

The ubiquitous hand gesture caught on like wildfire among fans both ardent and casual, even being reproduced by the likes of musical sensation Pharrell Williams, who named his record label Star Trak Entertainment after the influential show. But one little-known fact is that Nimoy's Jewish heritage played a prominent role in the famed hand signal's timeless notoriety.

Nimoy discussed that fact in an anthology of famous Jews , and related the hand signal’s Jewish origins. Nimoy said that as a boy he just imitated men making the sign during the priestly benediction in a synagogue -- a ritual performed by "kohanim," the descendants of the ancient Israelite priesthood. He and the rest of the congregation were instructed not to look at the men conducting the ritual.

“These men from our synagogue would cover their heads with their prayer shawls, and they were shouters — these were old, Orthodox, shouting guys. About a half a dozen of them would get up and face the congregation, chanting in a magical, mystical kind of way,” Nimoy said in “ Stars of David: Prominent Jews Talk About Being Jewish ,” a book by Abigail Pogrebin.

His father instructed him not to look. “But I peeked,” Nimoy said, adding that he saw the men holding both arms out with their hands and fingers in the now-famous V gesture that Nimoy ultimately replicated for his Spock character. Nimoy went on to say that his cousin, a rabbi, explained why his eyes should have remained covered: "The traditional belief is that during that blessing, the Shekhina — the feminine presence of God — enters the congregation to bless the congregation. And you shouldn’t see God, because the light could be fatal to a human. So you close your eyes to protect yourself," his cousin said, according to Nimoy.

Watch the video below to see Nimoy discuss in depth how his Spock hand signal eventually came to life on the screen.

© Copyright IBTimes 2024. All rights reserved.

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The Significance And Meaning Of The Star Trek Hand Symbol

• Last updated Jul 26, 2023
• Difficulty Beginner

• Category Symbolism

If there is one symbol that instantly transports us to the futuristic universe of Star Trek, it is the famous hand sign. With a simple gesture, the iconic hand symbol became synonymous with the famous greeting live long and prosper and came to represent the ideals of peace, logic, and unity in the Star Trek universe. But where did this symbol originate, and what does it truly mean? Join me on this journey to uncover the mysteries behind the Star Trek hand symbol, as we explore its historical significance and its profound impact on popular culture.

What You'll Learn

What is the origin of the star trek hand symbol, how did the star trek hand symbol become popularized, what does the star trek hand symbol represent in the show, are there any real-life meanings or origins to the star trek hand symbol, how has the star trek hand symbol been embraced by fans and pop culture outside of the show.

The hand symbol commonly seen in the science fiction franchise Star Trek has become widely known and recognized. The gesture, known as the Vulcan salute, is performed by raising the hand and separating the palm from the fingers, leaving only the middle and ring fingers together, while the index and little fingers remain extended. Also known as the "live long and prosper" sign, it has become an iconic symbol associated with the series.

The origin of the Vulcan salute can be traced back to the creator of Star Trek, Gene Roddenberry, and the actor who played the character of Spock, Leonard Nimoy. In the original Star Trek series, Nimoy's character, Spock, was half-human and half-Vulcan, a fictional alien race known for their logic and rationality. Nimoy wanted to incorporate a distinctive greeting for Vulcans that would reflect their unique culture and customs.

The inspiration for the Vulcan salute came from Leonard Nimoy's childhood experiences. He remembered attending a Jewish synagogue service where he observed a gesture performed by the rabbi when giving a blessing. The symbolic gesture involved the hands positioned similarly to the Vulcan salute, with the rabbi's thumb extended and touching his index finger. Nimoy found this ritualistic hand position fascinating and decided to adapt it for Spock's character as a way to emphasize the Vulcan culture's emphasis on logic and intellect.

When Nimoy approached Gene Roddenberry with the idea, the creator of Star Trek liked the concept and immediately incorporated it into the series. From that point forward, the Vulcan salute became an integral part of the Star Trek franchise, often associated with Spock's character and Vulcan culture as a whole.

The popularity of the Vulcan salute quickly spread beyond the boundaries of the show and became a recognizable symbol in popular culture. Fans of the series and non-fans alike started using the gesture as a greeting, a sign of solidarity, or simply as a way to express their love and appreciation for Star Trek.

The phrase "live long and prosper," often associated with the Vulcan salute, also originated from the Star Trek series. It was first used by Spock's character in the episode "Amok Time" and became one of his catchphrases. The phrase encapsulates the core values of the Vulcan civilization, which prioritizes knowledge, reason, and the pursuit of a long and prosperous life.

In conclusion, the Vulcan salute, or the iconic hand symbol from Star Trek, has its origins in Leonard Nimoy's childhood observations of a rabbi's gesture during a Jewish synagogue service. Nimoy adapted this hand position for his character, Spock, to symbolize the Vulcan culture's emphasis on logic and intellect. The Vulcan salute became a recognizable symbol in popular culture and is often associated with the phrase "live long and prosper," which epitomizes the values of the fictional Vulcan society.

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The Star Trek hand symbol, also known as the Vulcan salute, has become an iconic symbol in pop culture. It is often used as a greeting among Star Trek fans, and has even been adopted by famous personalities and celebrities. But how did this hand symbol become so popularized?

The Vulcan salute was first introduced in the original Star Trek television series, which aired from 1966 to 1969. The salute was developed by Leonard Nimoy, who played the character Spock, a Vulcan science officer on the Starship Enterprise. Nimoy wanted a distinctive greeting for his character, and took inspiration from a Jewish blessing he saw as a child.

The hand symbol itself is made by separating the middle and ring fingers, while the thumb is extended fully and the other fingers are closed. This creates a distinctive "V" shape with the hand. The gesture is accompanied by the phrase "Live long and prosper," which became synonymous with the salute.

When Leonard Nimoy first introduced the Vulcan salute on the show, it was not an instant hit. In fact, many people found it confusing and difficult to replicate. However, over time, the symbol gained popularity among Star Trek fans and became a recognized symbol of the franchise.

The popularity of the Vulcan salute reached new heights with the release of Star Trek movies and spin-off series. The gesture was often used by other characters in the Star Trek universe, further solidifying its association with the franchise.

Outside of the Star Trek fandom, the Vulcan salute gained wider recognition through various forms of media. It has been featured in popular television shows, movies, and even cartoons. The symbol has also been adopted by fans of the show as a way to identify themselves and show their love for Star Trek.

In addition, notable personalities and celebrities have also embraced the Vulcan salute, further contributing to its popularization. People like Barack Obama, Stephen Hawking, and Justin Trudeau have been spotted giving the salute at various events. This has helped to elevate the symbol's status and make it more widely known.

The Vulcan salute's popularity can also be attributed to its unique and distinct appearance. The "V" shape created by the hand symbol is visually striking and easily recognizable. Its association with the Star Trek franchise also adds to its appeal, as the show has a dedicated fan base that spans generations.

Overall, the Vulcan salute's journey from a simple greeting on a television show to a widely recognized symbol in popular culture is a testament to the enduring impact of Star Trek and its dedicated fan base. Its distinctive appearance, association with the franchise, and adoption by notable personalities have all contributed to its continued popularity. The Vulcan salute is now not only a symbol of Star Trek, but also a symbol of unity and connection among fans around the world.

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In the iconic science fiction franchise Star Trek, one of the most recognizable symbols is the hand gesture often used by the characters. Known as the "Vulcan salute" or the "Live long and prosper" gesture, it has become synonymous with the show and has even entered popular culture.

The Vulcan salute is performed by raising the hand with the palm forward and the thumb extended, while separating the middle and ring fingers to form a "V" shape. The index and little fingers are bent, completing the distinct hand symbol. The gesture was first introduced by the character Mr. Spock, portrayed by Leonard Nimoy, in the original Star Trek series.

The meaning behind the Vulcan salute is rooted in the fictional alien race of Vulcans, who are known for their logic and emotional control. According to the show's mythology, Vulcans greet each other by raising their hand in this manner, accompanied by the phrase "Live long and prosper."

The gesture represents the Vulcan philosophy, which is centered around the pursuit of knowledge, logic, and the suppression of emotions. By using the hand symbol, Vulcans are reminding themselves and others of their commitment to these principles. It serves as a visual reminder of the value placed on reason and intellect, as well as a way to identify and connect with other Vulcans.

Outside of the Star Trek universe, the Vulcan salute has taken on a symbolic meaning of its own. Many fans of the show use the gesture as a sign of their appreciation for the franchise and its values. It has become a way to communicate a sense of unity and belonging within the Star Trek community. The phrase "Live long and prosper" has also been widely adopted as a mantra and a well-wishing expression.

The popularity of the Vulcan salute extends beyond Star Trek itself, with the symbol being recognized by people who may not even be familiar with the show. It has been referenced in other television series, movies, and even political campaigns. This demonstrates the lasting impact of the Star Trek franchise and its ability to create iconic symbols that resonate with audiences.

In conclusion, the Vulcan salute is a hand gesture used by the fictional Vulcan race in the Star Trek series. It symbolizes their commitment to logic and emotional control, as well as a means of identification. The gesture has become a cultural phenomenon, representing unity and appreciation for the franchise. Whether you're a Star Trek fan or not, the Vulcan salute serves as a visual reminder of the show's enduring legacy. So, next time you see the hand symbol, remember to "live long and prosper."

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The Star Trek hand symbol, commonly known as the Vulcan salute, has become iconic in popular culture. It is recognized worldwide as a symbol of greeting and unity among Star Trek fans. However, it is interesting to explore if there are any real-life meanings or origins behind this gesture.

The Vulcan salute consists of lifting the hand flat and parting the fingers between the middle and ring finger, while the thumb is held against the palm. The gesture was first introduced in the original Star Trek series by Spock, a Vulcan character portrayed by Leonard Nimoy. In the show, it was described as a traditional Vulcan greeting, accompanied by the phrase "Live long and prosper."

The origins of the Vulcan salute, however, can be traced back to Leonard Nimoy's childhood. In his autobiography, "I Am Spock," Nimoy explains that the hand symbol was inspired by a Jewish blessing he witnessed in his synagogue as a child. The blessing, known as the "priestly blessing" or "raising of the hands," is performed by Kohanim (descendants of the Jewish priestly caste) during certain religious ceremonies.

In the blessing, the Kohanim raise their hands with the fingers spread apart, similar to the Vulcan salute. Nimoy was deeply moved by this ritual and its symbolism of unity and connection. He later incorporated it into his portrayal of Spock to add depth and history to the Vulcan culture.

The Vulcan salute quickly became associated with Spock and the Star Trek franchise, and it soon gained popularity beyond the show's fan base. Star Trek conventions, interviews, and public appearances by Leonard Nimoy often included the iconic hand gesture. Over time, the salute came to represent the ideals of peace, logic, and understanding espoused by the Vulcans in the Star Trek universe.

The cultural impact of the Vulcan salute is further exemplified by its adoption and recognition in diverse communities worldwide. The symbol is used as a sign of solidarity among Star Trek fans, often accompanied by the phrase "Live long and prosper." It has also been embraced by various organizations and individuals to promote goodwill and inclusivity.

In conclusion, while the Vulcan salute originated in the fictional universe of Star Trek, its real-life meaning and origins can be traced back to Leonard Nimoy's personal experiences and cultural influences. The hand symbol's connection to the Jewish blessing and its embodiment of unity and connection have contributed to its lasting popularity and significance in popular culture. The Vulcan salute serves as a reminder to embrace diversity, seek understanding, and strive for peace in the real world.

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The Star Trek hand symbol, also known as the Vulcan salute, has become an iconic part of popular culture. This hand gesture, made by extending the palm forward with the fingers split between the middle and ring fingers, was first introduced in the original Star Trek series by the character Mr. Spock, played by Leonard Nimoy.

Despite its origins in a science fiction television show, the Vulcan salute has been embraced by fans and has become a symbol of unity and peace. The gesture is often used by fans to identify themselves as part of the Star Trek community, and it has been adopted by various organizations and individuals outside of the show.

One of the most notable instances of the Vulcan salute being embraced by popular culture was during the inauguration of President Barack Obama in 2009. Leonard Nimoy, who created the hand sign, was present at the event and performed the Vulcan salute when he was introduced to the crowd. This moment not only highlighted the cultural significance of Star Trek but also showed how the hand symbol has transcended its fictional origins to become a symbol of hope and unity.

The Vulcan salute has also been used in various forms of media and entertainment. It has made appearances in other television shows and movies, such as The Big Bang Theory, where the character Sheldon Cooper often uses the salute as a reference to his love for Star Trek. Additionally, the hand symbol has been featured in advertisements, artwork, and fan creations, showcasing its widespread popularity.

Outside of media and entertainment, the Vulcan salute has been embraced by various organizations and individuals as a symbol of peace and unity. It has been used in protests and demonstrations as a way to express solidarity and promote inclusivity. It has also been incorporated into various logos and designs, representing values such as diversity and acceptance.

The influence of the Vulcan salute can even be seen in scientific and technological advancements. For example, NASA astronauts Mark Lee and Jan Davis famously performed the Vulcan salute in space during the STS-47 mission in 1992. This gesture not only showcased their love for Star Trek but also highlighted the connection between science fiction and scientific exploration.

In conclusion, the Star Trek hand symbol, or Vulcan salute, has been embraced by fans and popular culture outside of the show. It has become a symbol of unity, peace, and hope, and has been adopted by various organizations and individuals. Through its appearances in media, entertainment, and even space exploration, the Vulcan salute continues to exemplify the influential impact of Star Trek on society.

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Frequently asked questions.

The Star Trek hand symbol is known as the Vulcan salute, which is a hand gesture used by the fictional Vulcans in the Star Trek universe. It consists of raising the hand, separating the fingers between the middle and ring finger, and keeping the thumb extended. The gesture is often accompanied by the phrase "live long and prosper."

The Star Trek hand symbol is not a real sign language gesture, but it was inspired by a Jewish blessing. Leonard Nimoy, the actor who played Mr. Spock, based the Vulcan salute on the traditional priestly blessing performed by Jewish Kohanim during religious ceremonies. Nimoy wanted to create a unique gesture for his character that conveyed a sense of peace and spirituality.

The Star Trek hand symbol gained popularity through the Star Trek television series and subsequent movies. As the character of Mr. Spock became increasingly popular, so did his iconic gesture. Fans of the show began adopting the Vulcan salute as a way to express their love for the series and to identify themselves as Star Trek enthusiasts. The hand symbol has since become a widely recognized symbol of Star Trek fandom.

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To Boldly Explore the Jewish Roots of ‘Star Trek’

An exhibition at a Jewish cultural center has plenty of artifacts to delight Trekkies — but it also notes the Jewish origins of the Vulcan salute.

Credit... Alex Welsh for The New York Times

Supported by

By Adam Nagourney

• Jan. 4, 2022

LOS ANGELES — Adam Nimoy gazed across a museum gallery filled with “Star Trek” stage sets, starship replicas, space aliens, fading costumes and props (think phaser, set to stun). The sounds of a beam-me-up transporter wafted across the room. Over his shoulder, a wall was filled with an enormous photograph of his father — Leonard Nimoy, who played Spock on the show — dressed in his Starfleet uniform, his fingers splayed in the familiar Vulcan “live long and prosper” greeting.

But that gesture, Adam Nimoy noted as he led a visitor through this exhibition at the Skirball Cultural Center , was more than a symbol of the television series that defined his father’s long career playing the part-Vulcan, part-human Spock. It is derived from part of a Hebrew blessing that Leonard Nimoy first glimpsed at an Orthodox Jewish synagogue in Boston as a boy and brought to the role.

The prominently displayed photo of that gesture linking Judaism to Star Trek culture helps account for what might seem to be a highly illogical bit of programming: the decision by the Skirball, a Jewish cultural center known mostly for its explorations of Jewish life and history, to bring in an exhibition devoted to one of television’s most celebrated sci-fi shows.

But walking through the artifacts Adam Nimoy recalled how his father, the son of Ukrainian Jews who spoke no English when they arrived, had said he identified with Spock, pointing out that he was “the only alien on the bridge of the Enterprise.”

Jewish values and traditions were often on the minds of the show’s writers as they dealt with issues of human behavior and morality, said David Gerrold, a writer whose credits include “The Trouble with Tribbles,” one of the most acclaimed “Star Trek” episodes, which introduces the crew to a cute, furry, rapidly reproducing alien life form.

“A lot of Jewish tradition — a lot of Jewish wisdom — is part of ‘Star Trek,’ and ‘Star Trek’ drew on a lot of things that were in the Old Testament and the Talmud,” Gerrold said in an interview. “Anyone who is very literate in Jewish tradition is going to recognize a lot of wisdom that ‘Star Trek’ encompassed.”

That connection was not explicit when the show first aired. And a stroll through the exhibition, which covers the original television show as well as some of the spinoffs and films that came to encompass the “Star Trek” industry, mainly turns up items that are of interest to “Star Trek” fans. There is a navigation console from the U.S.S. Enterprise, the first script from the first episode, a Klingon disrupter from “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” and a display of tribbles .

To some extent, the choice of this particular exhibition — “Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds” — to help usher the Skirball back into operation after a Covid shutdown reflects the imperatives museums everywhere are facing as they try to recover from a pandemic that has been so economically damaging. “These days — honestly, especially after the pandemic — museums are looking for ways to get people through the door,” said Brooks Peck, who helped create the show for the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle. “Museums are struggling to find an audience and are looking for a pop culture hook.”

It seems to have worked. The “Star Trek” exhibition has drawn 12,000 attendees in its first two months here, a robust turnout given that the Skirball is limiting sales to 25 percent of capacity.

“This has been bringing in new people, no question,” said Sheri Bernstein, the museum director. “Attendance is important for the sake of relevance. It’s important for us to bring in a diverse array of people.”

Jessie Kornberg, the president of Skirball, said that the center had been drawn by the parallels between Judaism and the television show. “Nimoy’s Jewish identity contributed to a small moment which became a big theme,” she said. “We actually think the common values in the ‘Star Trek’ universe and Jewish belief are more powerful than that symbolism. That’s this idea of a more liberal, inclusive people, where ‘other’ and ‘difference’ is an embraced strength as opposed to a divisive weakness.”

The intersections between the television series and Judaism begin with its two stars, Nimoy and William Shatner , who played Capt. James T. Kirk. “These are two iconic guys in outer space who are Jewish,” said Adam Nimoy. And it extends to the philosophy that infuses the show, created by Gene Roddenberry, who was raised a Southern Baptist but came to consider himself a humanist , according to his authorized biography.

Those underlying connections are unmistakable for people like Nimoy, 65, a television director who is both a devoted “Star Trek” fan and an observant Jew: He and his father often went to services in Los Angeles, and Friday night Sabbath dinners were a regular part of their family life.

Nimoy found no shortage of Jewish resonances and echoes in the exhibition, which opened in October and closes on Feb. 20. He stopped at a costume worn by a Gorn , a deadly reptilian extraterrestrial who was in a fight-to-the-death encounter with Kirk.

“When he gets the Gorn to the ground, he’s about to kill him,” Nimoy recounted. “The Gorn wants to kill Kirk. But something happens. Instead he shows mercy and restraint and refuses to kill the Gorn.”

“Very similar to the story of Joseph,” Nimoy said, referring to the way Joseph, in the biblical book of Genesis, declined to seek retribution against his brothers for selling him into slavery.

Leonard Nimoy died in 2015 at the age of 83. Shatner, who is 90 and recently became the oldest person to go into space , declined to discuss the exhibition. “Unfortunately Mr. Shatner’s overcommitted production schedule precludes him from taking on any additional interviews,” said his assistant, Kathleen Hays.

The Skirball Cultural Center is set on 15 acres, about 20 miles from downtown Los Angeles.

The exhibition ran for about two years in Seattle after opening in 2016 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the original “Star Trek” TV show’s 1966 debut. (That version was on NBC for three seasons.) The exhibition had been intended to tour, but those plans were cut short when the pandemic began to close museums across the country.

The exhibition was assembled largely from the private collection of Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft and founder of the Museum of Pop Culture, who died in 2018.

Peck said he wanted to commemorate the anniversary of the series with an exhibition that explored the outsize influence the television show had on American culture. “The answer that I am offering is that ‘Star Trek’ has endured and inspired people because of the optimistic future it presents — the good character of many of its characters,” Peck said. “They are characters that people would like to emulate.”

“Skirball faced a bit of a challenge in trying to explain to its audience how ‘Star Trek' fit in with what they do,” he said. “Happily it completely worked out. I had always hoped that Skirball could take it. Skirball’s values as an institution so align with the values of ‘Star Trek’ and the ‘Star Trek’ community.”

Bernstein, the Skirball director, said the exhibition seemed a particularly good way to help bring the museum back to life.

“There was never a better time to present this show than now,” she said. “We very much liked the idea of reopening our full museum offerings with a show that was about inspiring hope. A show that promised enjoyment.”

By spring, ‘Star Trek’ will step aside for a less surprising offering, an exhibition about Jewish delis, but for now, the museum is filled both with devotees of Jewish culture, admiring a Torah case from China, and Trekkies, snapping pictures of the captain’s chair that Kirk sat in aboard the Enterprise.

“There is no such thing as too much ‘Star Trek,’” Scott Mantz, a film critic, said as he began interviewing Adam Nimoy after a recent screening at the museum of “ For the Love of Spock ,” a 2016 documentary Nimoy had made about his father. A long burst of applause rose from his audience.

Adam Nagourney covers West Coast cultural affairs for The Times. He was previously the Los Angeles bureau chief and served eight years as the chief national political correspondent. He is the co-author of “Out for Good,” a history of the modern gay rights movement. More about Adam Nagourney

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Published Mar 26, 2021

Nimoy Family and Boston's Museum of Science Announce Vulcan Salute Monument

The sculpture will honor beloved entertainer's life and legacy as a symbol of peace and unity

StarTrek.com

The Museum of Science, Boston, one of the world’s largest science centers and one of Boston’s most popular attractions, in collaboration with the family of Leonard Nimoy, legendary actor of the historic television series, Star Trek , today, announced the development of a monument honoring the Boston native to be located at the Museum of Science.

The 20-foot, illuminated, stainless steel monument, designed by artist David Phillps, will be shaped in the famous “Live Long and Prosper” hand gesture that the actor’s character Mister Spock was known for. It will be located in front of the Museum, at Science Park, welcoming visitors and Star Trek fans from around the world.

“The “Live Long and Prosper” symbol represents a message that my dad believed so strongly in,” said Julie Nimoy, daughter of the entertainer. “My dad always loved Boston and he would be honored knowing that the Museum of Science would be the permanent home to this memorial. The sculpture not only depicts one of the world’s most recognized and loved gestures for peace, tolerance, and diversity, but it will also be a beautiful tribute to my dad’s life and legacy.”

Leonard Nimoy’s career spanned over 60 years as an award-winning actor, director, producer, writer, recording artist and photographer. He is one of Hollywood's most recognized and loved entertainers. Born in the West End of Boston, just blocks from where the Museum of Science is now located, Nimoy’s values for unity and tolerance, stemmed from his early days growing up in Boston.

The idea for the Live Long and Prosper hand gesture as the Vulcan greeting, originated from Nimoy himself, who was inspired by an ancient blessing he saw growing up in his synagogue. Later, in the 1980’s Nimoy collaborated with the Museum of Science as the recognizable voice of the original introduction film of the Mugar Omni Theater which has welcomed millions of audience members over the past three decades.

“Leonard Nimoy was one of our own. Growing up a few blocks from the Museum of Science, he never forgot his immigrant roots. He was, and forever will be, a beloved part of our Museum family,” says Tim Ritchie president of the Museum of Science. “He lifted our aspirations and hopes through his commitment to science, intellectual curiosity, generosity, and, yes, logic. He reminded us about the best part of humanity and gave us a vision for building a society based on reason and tolerance. The opportunity to pay tribute to him is a great honor and what better day to make this announcement than on what would have been his 90th birthday.”

The Museum of Science and the Family of Leonard Nimoy will collaborate on the next phases of development of the Leonard Nimoy memorial sculpture which will include finalizing site plan, fundraising, and construction. Those interested in donating to the memorial fund can visit the Museum of Science Boston's official site.

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WATCH: Leonard Nimoy explains Spock’s salute

Leonard Nimoy, who played the overly logical part-human, part-Vulcan hero Spock on “Star Trek,” passed away Friday at the age of 83.

To quote Spock’s most famous recurring line, Nimoy certainly lived long and prospered.

Though he had a wide-ranging career that included acting on stage and screen, directing, and writing, Nimoy was (and will be) forever associated with Spock.

The character’s signature gesture, as most people with moderate pop culture knowledge know, was his split-finger Vulcan salute greeting.

The salute, which Nimoy devised himself, was taken from a Jewish prayer. The split-finger gesture represents the Hebrew letter shin.

In the video below, Nimoy digs deeper into the salute’s Jewish origins.

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Give Me a Sign: The Stories Behind 5 Hand Gestures

By rob lammle | jan 19, 2023, 10:28 am est.

So much can be said with a hand gesture. Here are the stories behind gestures you might use every day, and some you might not.

Table Of Contents

1. the vulcan salute, 2. the shaka sign, 3. the corna, 4. the pledge of allegiance, 5. the high five.

We all know it, even if we can't all do it. The Vulcan Salute, made famous by Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock on the original Star Trek , has become a cultural icon recognized even by those who have never been to a sci-fi convention. And while the gesture is meant to be from another planet, its inspiration is anything but alien.

When Nimoy was a child, he witnessed a Jewish ritual called the "kohane blessing," which uses a hand sign meant to resemble the Hebrew letter "shin," which symbolizes the Hebrew word for "Shaddai," meaning "Almighty (God)." (Got that?) It's made by splitting the hand down the middle—holding the index and middle fingers together, the ring and pinky fingers together—and then the thumb pressed firmly against the side of the hand. The Orthodox priest giving the blessing holds both hands out in front of him in these strange configurations, palms down. When Nimoy was developing a greeting to be used between Vulcans, he remembered the sign and adapted it, using only one hand held up, and pulling his thumb away from the rest of the hand.

Nimoy had no problem doing the salute, but not all Trek actors have been so lucky.

William Shatner had to have his fingers tied together with fishing line whenever Captain Kirk needed to use the sign. Even the latest pointy-eared Vulcan, actor Zachary Quinto, who played a younger Mr. Spock in the recent blockbuster film, had to have his fingers stuck together with the skin-safe superglue used by hospitals as a replacement for traditional stitches.

The oldest origin story goes back to the days when Spanish sailors first landed on the Hawaiian Islands. Unable to speak the native tongue, but trying to be friendly, the Spaniards offered to share a drink by mimicking a bottle with their hand with the gesture and tilting back their head. This became such a common greeting that the natives simply believed that's how the Spanish said hello, so they started using the sign whenever the two groups encountered one another.

Another theory, from the mid-20th Century, claims the sign was inspired by the wave of a beloved local named Hamana Kalili, who'd lost the middle fingers on one hand. There are multiple theories as to how he lost his fingers: there was a shark attack, they were blown off while using dynamite to catch fish, or perhaps the digits were lost in an accident while working on a sugar plantation. But no one knows for sure anymore.

As if the origin of the gesture isn't mysterious enough, the word Shaka isn't even Hawaiian. However, most people agree the name goes back to a local used car salesman, Lippy Espinda, who would throw up the sign at the end of popular TV commercials during the 1960s and 70s, and say, "Shacka, brah!" ("Shocker, bro!")

During his Inauguration Parade, Barack Obama threw the Shaka Sign to greet Honolulu's Punahou School marching band.

If you're in Italy or Spain and you flash this sign towards a man, you might get beaten up. In this culture, the symbol represents the horns of one of nature's most virile animals, the bull. The bull in this case is usually meant to symbolize the guy sleeping with the man's wife behind his back. The sign can also be interpreted with the cuckold as the bull, who has been symbolically castrated by his wife. Either way it's bound to make him see red.

However, turn your palm down and point the extended fingers at someone who doesn't like you, and you're simply guarding yourself from the Evil Eye. In ancient times, bulls were often seen as protective deities, so turning the bull's horns against an enemy was a way of keeping the curse at bay.

On a similar note, in South America, if you have the horn sign held up and twist it back and forth, it's known as "lagarto" or Lizard Gesture. Similar to the old superstition "Knock on wood," it's thought that by doing this you can protect yourself from any bad mojo that might occur after someone utters the taboo word "culebra," or snake.

Of course the corna is also used by fans of the University of Texas, where they call it the "Hook 'Em Horns." Created in 1955 by student Harley Clark, the sign represents the school's mascot, a Texas longhorn steer named Bevo, and his impressive 72" horns. Being a

Texas native

former Governor of Texas, though not a UT alumni, President George W. Bush and his family were known for flashing the Hook 'Em Horns during appearances in the Lone Star State.

But there's another group of fans who use the corna, too "“ fans of heavy metal music. The gesture in metal goes back to occultist band Coven, a group heavily inspired by counter culture figures like renowned Satanist Anton LaVey, who used the corna as a sign of the Devil. However, it was Ronnie James Dio, lead singer for Black Sabbath in the late-1970s, that really made the sign take hold in the genre. He borrowed the gesture from his superstitious Italian grandmother who used it to ward off evil. He felt the sign's pagan origins fit perfectly with the subject matter of the band's music.

Chances are, when you were saying the Pledge of Allegiance in elementary school, you placed your hand over your heart in a sign of adoration for Old Glory. But if you were in school before World War II, you probably used an entirely different gesture to address the flag—the Bellamy Salute.

However, as the years went by, parts of the Bellamy Salute fell out of use, while others evolved. First, the military salute was abandoned, leaving only the straight arm presentation of the flag. But then the palm went from facing up, to sideways, and by the 1940s, it faced down. This last version became a problem as America entered World War II, because it so closely resembled the stiff-armed salute of dictators Mussolini and Hitler. The hand over the heart gesture was suggested as a viable alternative and President Franklin Roosevelt signed it into law in 1942 as part of the Flag Code, making it the official gesture for the Pledge of Allegiance we all know today.

While no one can say for sure where the high five came from, some believe the first one was exchanged between Glenn Burke and Dusty Baker, baseball players for the L.A. Dodgers, after a home run in 1977. But there is one man who claims he knows the origin of the high five, because he says he's the guy who invented it.

Lamont Sleets, Jr. says he adopted the high five from a salute his father exchanged with old Army buddies from the 5th Infantry regiment, nicknamed "The Five." To say hello, the men would stick their hand straight up in the air, spread their fingers wide, and call out "Five!" Anytime he saw the Five greeting, Sleets Jr. would say "Hi, Five!" to the visiting veteran and slapped the upraised hand with his own. Sleets Jr. went on to become one of the top basketball players at Murray State University in the late-1970s and he brought his odd salutation with him. It became popular with his teammates, and as the team traveled the country to play other schools, Sleets says the gesture caught on.

To celebrate this infamous hand gesture, students at the University of Virginia created "National High Five Day," which takes place on the third Thursday in April (yesterday). * * * * * * Have a favorite fun hand gesture we didn't mention? Is there one you've always wondered where it came from? Tell us about it in the comments below!

The Iconic “Live Long and Prosper” Hand Gesture Was Originally a Jewish Sign

The hand gesture itself is a slight modification of the Hebrew gesture forming the letter “Shin”, which represents the name “Shaddai” meaning “Almighty” (God).  This gesture is still used today by orthodox Jews of the Kohanim, which are priests descended from Ahron by the patrilineal line.  These Kohanim form a subset of the descendants of the priestly Levite tribe.

The Kohanim use the Shin gesture during a blessing ceremony, the nesiat kapayim or the “Priestly Blessing”, that accompanies the prayer service.  The actual Jewish blessing is done with both hands, not just one, extended outward.  In this gesture, the arms are then held at a roughly 45 degree angle, level with the shoulders, as opposed to the completely vertical salute fashion in the “live long in prosper” version of the gesture.

The hand gesture itself wasn’t the only part that was borrowed from Jewish tradition.  The “live long and prosper” and the lesser known Vulcan traditional response of “peace and long life” was based on the Jewish “Shalom Aleichem” (peace be upon you) and the traditional reply of “Aleichem Shalom” (upon you be peace).

If you liked this article, you might also enjoy our new popular podcast, The BrainFood Show ( iTunes , Spotify , Google Play Music , Feed ), as well as:

• The Actor Who Played “Scotty” on Star Trek was Shot 6 Times on D-Day
• “To Boldly Go Where No One Has Gone Before” is Thought to Have Been Borrowed from a White House Pamphlet on Space
• The Man Who Tried to Raise His Son as a Native Speaker of Klingon
• Split Infinitives, like “to boldly go”, are Not Incorrect Grammatically
• “Beam Me Up Scotty” was Never Said in the Original Star Trek and Other Interesting Star Trek Facts

Bonus Facts:

• The Hebrew Priestly Blessing itself can be found in the Bible in Numbers 6:22: “May the Lord bless you and keep you.  May the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.  May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”
• Nimoy also was the one to come up with the Vulcan nerve pinch.  In the first episode this pinch showed up, Spock was originally supposed to club evil Kirk over the head, knocking him out.  Nimoy thought this was inconsistent with Spock’s personality.  He felt a non-violent nerve pinch would be more fitting with Vulcan’s being able to emit energy from their fingertips; this energy when applied to the correct nerves of a human would then render the human unconscious.
• Jewish worshipers are not supposed to look at the Kohanim while the blessing is being given as this would distract them from the words of the blessing itself.  As a child, Nimoy couldn’t contain himself however and snuck a peak.  As he said, “The special moment when the Kohanim blessed the assembly moved me deeply, for it possessed a great sense of magic and theatricality… I had heard that this indwelling Spirit of God was too powerful, too beautiful, too awesome for any mortal to look upon and survive, and so I obediently covered my face with my hands. But of course, I had to peek.” (From his autobiography, I am Spock .)
• In Act 5 Scene 3 line 42 of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Romeo says to Balthasar, “Live and be prosperous, and farewell good fellow.”
• The actress who played T’Pau, Celia Lovsky, couldn’t do the salute, which was a problem in the filming of “Amok Time”.  In order to get around this issue, they simply filmed with her hands starting below the camera frame; she’d then use her other hand to get the one hand into the proper position, which she could then hold for a couple seconds before losing it.
• Ancient Egyptians had a common phrase that is properly translated today to, “May he live long, prosper, and be in health.”
• After Star Trek was canceled, Nimoy immediately joined the cast of Mission Impossible as an IMF agent.  He played this role in the fourth and fifth seasons of the show.
• Nimoy officially retired in April of 2010, his reasons being his age and his hope that by bowing out,  Zachary Quinto would be able to better enjoy the full media attention of being Spock.
• Leonard Nimoy
• The Jewish Origin of the Vulcan Salute
• Vulcan Salute
• Entertainment

24 comments

Hey nice article. I’m Jewish and it’s definitely not just Orthodox Jews that use this gesture. Indeed I have seen it used by Reform and Conservative rabbis or Kohanim. So it is universal. Another fact is that if you go to a Jewish cemetery, you will see this and symbol on the grave stones of anyone with the last ne Cohen, Katz, Getz, Kahn, etc.

[…] Original post: The Iconic “Live Long and Prosper” Hand Gesture Was Originally a Jewish Sign […]

[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Matthias Rascher. Matthias Rascher said: @TheRealNimoy The Iconic “Live Long and Prosper” Hand Gesture Was Originally a Jewish Sign. http://bit.ly/aISSpF Aha. […]

Interesting! I didn’t know Spock was a jew at his roots!

This is no secret, Nemoy has been explaining this for many years. Both Nemoy and Shatner are Jews, Nemoy is pretty religious. “Goy” does not mean “cattle.” It translates as “nations,” as “Lo yisa goy…”, “The NATIONS will study war no more.”

Goyim is Yiddish slang for “cattle”.

this is interesting, muslims say “as-salam alaikum – alaikum salam” which means exactly the same thing…

Wear do you think they got it from??

I knew nimoy was Jewish but not Shanter

As a person with cerebral palsy, I CANNOT do this hand gesture, no matter how hard I try. What say you to that, God of the Jews? Or was just this “man’s” attempt to have a hand symbol of the Almighty?

Ask a Rabbi – if you needed to do it for the prayer, they’d come up with something. The symbol a Shin (looks like a W in English) is commonly used in Judaism to refer to the name of G’d. Judaism is nothing if not complex. There’s always a way to talk any problem to death. Figuring out how to properly accommodate you so you weren’t shamed in any way or left out, would be a proper problem for a Rabbi to solve.

From wiki: According to the Torah,[3] Aaron blessed the people after offering sacrifices,[4] and YHWH[5] promises that “I will place my name on their hands” (the Kohanim’s hands) “and bless them” (the Jews receiving the blessing). [6]

So whether you think it’s from G’d or from man, depends on whether you think Torah is written by G’d or written by man who were inspired or is a collection of stories.

Leopold Bloom (Milo O’Shea) (from Ulysses – by Joseph Strick, aired June 1967 in UK) did this hand gesture at 1h07min08sec.

He’s also referencing Bnai Brith and it sounds like babbling…

Sometimes it’s time for an idea to appear and then it does, in multiple places. Like evolution was identified by two different scientists. Darwin had more status and connections.