Live Long and Prosper, Rabbi

The "live long and prosper" hand gesture or "Vulcan salute, " originated on the set of the original Star Trek series by Leonard Nimoy during the filming of the second-season opener, "Amok Time." In this episode, Spock goes into something like a male estrus cycle, called pon farr and he must return to Vulcan to mate with his betrothed bride, T'Pring, or die trying. The wedding ceremony was to be the first glimpse of Spock's homeworld in the series.

Nimoy felt that there should be some kind of distinctive greeting among Vulcans, analogous to a handshake or a bow. Nimoy drew upon his own Jewish background to suggest the now-familiar salute.

The Vulcan greeting is based upon a blessing gesture used by the kohanim (koe-hah-NEEM) during the worship service. The kohanim are the genealogical descendants of the Jewish priests who served in the Jerusalem Temple.