Above, a compilation of the iconic Vulcan salutation. The spoken line was penned by Theodore Sturgeon for the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Amok Time" (1967) while the accompanying hand gesture is of Jewish origin. From Memory Alpha:
The Vulcan salute was devised by Leonard Nimoy, based on a gesture made by various Jewish denominations, including Orthodox and Conservative[…] 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."
