Salt as the Spice of Life

Question

I woke up in the middle of the night and wondered: “Why is it Jewish practice to dip the Challah or bread we eat in salt?” What’s so important about salt in Judaism?

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Answers

  1. The Just Ask! - AskTheRabbi.org Team

    Judaism teaches that the purpose of life is not about how other people can fulfill you. It’s about finding out how you can fulfill others. Life is an opportunity for giving all you can.

    What’s this have to do with salt? The Torah tells us that no sacrifice in the Temple could be offered without the presence of salt. We are taught that our table is like the altar of sacrifices in the Temple that helped us atone for wrongdoings and come closer to our Creator. Today, we no longer have the Temple, but by inviting poor and hungry people to join us at our tables we are showing great kindness. We emulate God who provides for us and we turn our mundane tables into today’s “altars” of sacrifice for atonement and being closer to the Creator.

    Now, we can appreciate the idea of having salt on our tables and dipping our Challah in it. Salt is the archetypal giver. Salt has only one purpose: to give taste to something else. By itself it is nothing. Therefore, when a person sees himself as salt – when he realizes that the purpose of his being is to help others – he has grasped the essence of life.

    Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team