וַיֹּ֥אמֶר לָהֶ֖ם הֲשָׁל֣וֹם ל֑וֹ וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ שָׁל֔וֹם וְהִנֵּה֙ רָחֵ֣ל בִּתּ֔וֹ בָּאָ֖ה עִם־הַצֹּֽאן׃
He continued, “Is he well?” They answered, “Yes, he is; and there is his daughter Rachel, coming with the flock.”
Genesis 29:6 (The Contemporary Torah, JPS 2006)
When Jacob inquires about Laban, he isn’t merely asking about the man’s health. The word here is שָׁלוֹם. Shalom.
“Is he shalom?”
This is a profound question. It asks not merely about the physical well-being, but about the spiritual as well. It asks about wholeness.