Parshat Vayikra Rabbi Chaim Brovender

Let us learn a posuk with Rashi

The Laws of the Sacrifices are addressed in this parsha where the Torah reviews them systematically. In the discussion of laws relating to the meal offering, we might notice an interesting detail:

"You shall salt your every meal offering with salt; you may not discontinue the salt of G-d's covenant from your meal offering; on all your offerings you shall offer salt..." (3:13).

The use of salt is stressed. It is designated specially: "the salt of G-d's covenant." Other mitzvot too are mitzvot connected to a covenant: circumcision is called a covenant. Shabbat is a covenant. Both of these mitzvot testify to or mark our commitment in a certain way-that our covenant with G-d receives mention along with them does not surprise. Not so with salt. The notion of a covenant of salt is not familiar to us. The term "salt of G-d's covenant" remains mysterious.

Rashi has a somewhat surprising explanation: "A covenant has been made with salt since the six days of creation. The earthly waters were promised to be offered on the altar in the form of salt; also the pouring of the water on the altar on the holiday of Succot."

Rashi does not quote a source for this interpretation. [A similar idea is found in a medrash quoted by Tosfot HaRosh (Bresheit, 1: 7). See also, Ramban and Rabenu Behaye on our verse.]

The medrash says [referring to the division of the waters during creation]: "When the lower and upper waters were split the lower waters were consumed with grief. They would have to spend their existence in an unclean place. G-d said to them: 'Stay quiet and I will instruct the people of the Torah to give a water libation on the altar.' The waters were not placated because this only took place once a year. G-d then said that there would be a covenant and the sacrifices would be always given with salt..."

The medrash clarifies Rashi: the covenant is between the water and G-d! According to the logic of the medrash, the waters deserved some kind of compensation. The water libation was some compensation but apparently not enough. The use of salt, which comes from the sea, speaks of some kind of further privilege for water. The water received its compensation through its involvement in the salt of the sacrifices.

It is clear to Rashi that sacrifices, burnt or baked, are given to Heaven. From a certain point of view, the sacrifices represent a return to Heaven of items from the disconnected world. In order to create the world Hashem had to split things up; this resulted in the creation of tuma (a defiled or disconnected state) which enables us to aspire toward reunification with the Celestial or Divine realm. The medrash that we have quoted and which Rashi seems to presuppose speaks of this aspiration occurring even in the inanimate world.

The use of salt in offering the sacrifices shows the great potential in existence itself. The Heavenly waters and the terrestrial ones separated. That separation seems to us a kind of imperfection. The sacrifices teach us that this state is not final and that we must continue to aspire to a unified and a sanctified world. That is the covenant.

Gut shabbos,
Chaim Brovender

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