Salt Instead of Sugar

Wed Sept 27, 2006

On Kabbalat Shabbat, the beginning of the Sabbath on Friday evening, the head of the house says the Kiddush—the blessing over the cup of wine which is passed around to each person at the table. He then says the blessing over the hallah (two braided Shabbat loaves) as he breaks them in pieces, sprinkles them with salt and passes them around.

On this evening the table becomes an altar and the father is the priest of the house, who blesses his family with the Aaronic priestly blessing (Numbers 6:24-26). The two Shabbat loaves remind us of the Israelites wandering in the desert and how God provided a double portion of manna on Shabbat (Exodus 16:22). In the same way, God also wants to give us a double blessing on Shabbat.

But why should we sprinkle salt on our bread? Wouldn’t it be more appropriate to use sugar on the joyful Sabbath? The Lord instructed Israel in Leviticus 2:13 to salt all sacrifi ces so that the “salt of the covenant” would never lack. This is why it says in 2 Chronicles 13:5, “Do you not know that the Lord God of Israel gave the rule over Israel forever to David and his sons by a covenant of salt?” Thus, salt is a symbol of the eternal covenant between God and His people. Salt is incorruptible. Even when anything that has been salted has long since evaporated, the pure salt will remain. All that can happen is that it becomes dirty and thus inedible, and then it is thrown out of the house and trodden underfoot (Matthew 5:13).