Shabbos Parashas Vayikra - 5775

Shabbos Parashas Vayikra - 5775

Rabbi Hal Miller

And your every meal offering you shall salt with salt, you may not cease the salt

of your G-d's covenant from upon your meal offering, on all of your offerings you

shall offer salt. [Vayikra 2:13]

Each Shabbos we (at different meals) salt the challah before we eat it. What exactly

does salt accomplish?

Our verse speaks about the Mincha offering, which is unleavened flour. But it also

says "on all of your offerings you shall offer salt." Although one could read this to

mean "all of your meal offerings", Rashi says "On olah-offerings of livestock and

fowl" to make certain we know that the command extends beyond flour.

What is salt? It is a seasoning, a preservative, a cooking agent, and a mineral

from the earth.

Ibn Ezra explains that the covenant mentioned here "is an oath not to sacrifice

something tasteless". Nachshoni asks where there is a commandment to make

such an oath. Rambam tells us that "pagans disliked it and did not offer it at all".

Salt does season food, but this is not the reason to tie it to sacrifices.

On the matter of preservative, Rivash believes that salt "symbolizes eternity for salt

does not change or decay." Rav Hirsch takes this to the next step, that "the covenant

of salt directs Israel not to change or modify the laws of Sinai." As salt preserves

food, this covenant preserves man's soul.

The Gemora in Shabbos describes how salting food on Shabbos is prohibited

because it is considered 'cooking', using sliced cucumbers as an example. This

is of interest, but does not explain the use with meal, and is not the reason for our

covenant.

Talelei Oros addresses the issue of salt being a mineral, in his explanation why we

use it as part of the Divine Service. He cites "the Ari, who said that all parts of Creation

have a spiritual element without which they would not exist. When a sacrifice is offered,

the spiritual is separated from the physical and returns to its source, while the material

is burned on the altar. In this manner, the physical finds it repair. Physical Creation is

divided into four classes: those who speak, those who have life, that which grows, an

that which is inanimate. The sacrifice itself represents those who live. The mincha,

the libations and wood represent that which grows. The Kohen offering the sacrifice

represents those who speak. The Torah therefore ordained that you shall offer salt on

all your sacrifices to represent the inanimate."

Using these four descriptions of salt, we find something interesting about our Shabbos

challah. By salting and eating the bread, we are accomplishing two things on the

surface and two more deeply in our souls. We complete a mitzva as commanded,

leading toward reward in the world to come, and we flavor our food so we enjoy it more

in this world. But more importantly, we unite the various parts of the universe, externally

and within ourselves, in a way that both serves as an example to the rest of mankind,

and that rectifies and preserves our own soul.