To salt all sacrifices

This mitzvah requires that all offerings on the Mizbeach be accompanied with salt. The Torah calls this “the salt of the covenant of your G-d,” symbolizing preservation, endurance, and the eternal covenant between Hashem and Israel. Salt does not decay but preserves, reflecting the unbreakable bond between Creator and His people.

Rambam codifies this requirement as a universal law for all korbanot, whether animal, bird, or meal offerings. Sefer HaChinuch explains that salt symbolizes permanence and incorruptibility, teaching that Hashem’s covenant is enduring. The Midrash adds that the “covenant of salt” recalls the separation of the upper and lower waters during Creation (Genesis 1:7), when the lower waters were promised that salt would forever ascend the altar.

The Talmud emphasizes that salting the sacrifices is not symbolic alone but a halachic requirement, without which the korban is incomplete. Ramban highlights that salt purifies, preserves, and binds, mirroring the covenantal relationship between Hashem and Israel.

Commentary & Classical Explanation:

• Rambam (Hilchot Issurei Mizbeach 5:7): Rules that all offerings require salt, regardless of type.
• Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah 119): Explains the symbolism of salt as enduring permanence and covenant.
• Rashi (Lev. 2:13): Connects “salt of the covenant” to the eternal promise between Hashem and Israel.
• Midrash (Vayikra Rabbah 2:13): Interprets salt as representing the lower waters’ covenant to share in sanctity through the altar.
• Talmud (Menachot 20a): Establishes that all offerings require salt by Torah law.
• Ramban: Notes that salt’s role as preservative reflects the eternal nature of holiness.