The Gut Shabbos Nod

So many people out there complain that, in Brooklyn, no one says "Gut Shabbos." There have been letters about this in Jewish Press for the longest times. And the ridiculous cop-out teirutzim get worse and worse each time (e.g. the dread of Shabbos, we don't want the cholent to get cold, etc.).

My proposal to help solve the problem: have people give each other gut shabbos nods instead of saying it.

Whatever the reason is for not saying it, there's less of an excuse now. If someone's insecure and shy, the nod will suit them a lot better. If it's too much of a pain and takes to long to actually say "gut shabbos," the half-second gained by just nodding will prove to be indispensable, especially in keeping the cholent warm. And all those snobs out there will have to make sure to keep their heads firm and not budge, to keep the condescension at its fullest.

Also, you can adjust the nod depending upon how friendly you are with the guy you're greeting. If you don't know him at all, you just give a slight movement. But if it's your good buddy from high school that you haven't seen in years, you can give him quite a nice, energetic headshake (aka the ol' BS nod)!

Also, I was walking to shul this week and noticed that many of the non-greeters pass me by, look me over, then walk away. I'm not sure why they look me over. Do they think they know me from somewhere? Are they waiting for me to tell them "gut shabbos"? Maybe they don't like my tie?

As per the second possibility ("are they waiting for me tell them gut shabbos?"), again, the cleverness of the shabbos nod is in all its glory. In Brooklyn, I'm never sure if someone's minhag is to say gut shabbos or not. So I'll often wait for them to say it. After all, if someone can't stand saying gut shabbos to someone, why should I ruin their day with my greeting? At least if the other person says "gut shabbos," I know they're cool with it.

But with the gut shabbos nod, why stare if you can just nod?