Leviticus 1:1-6:7
“Adonai called to Moshe and spoke to him from the tent of meeting” (Leviticus 1:1).
Leviticus or Vayikra means ‘he called’ and begins with Adonai calling Moshe into the Mishkan to explain the order of worship in the Tabernacle. He explains the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, the peace or fellowship offerings, the guilt, and sin offerings.
Excerpt:
A Covenant of Salt
The eternal covenant of salt is mentioned three times in Scripture. It was given to Aaron and his sons as a promise of the eternal priesthood.
“All the contributions of the holy things which the people of Isra’el offer to Adonai, I have given you, your sons and your daughters with you; this is a perpetual law, an eternal covenant of salt before Adonai for you and your descendants with you” (Numbers 18:9)
It was given to David and his sons regarding an everlasting kingdom as an eternal covenant.
“Don’t you know that Adonai, the God of Isra’el, gave rulership over Isra’el to David forever, to him and his descendants, by a covenant of salt?” (2 Chronicles 13:5).
The covenant of salt began with Isra’el with their free-will or grain offerings, the minchah, as something they are to do forever.
“You are to season every grain offering of yours with salt — do not omit from your grain offering the salt of the covenant with your God, but offer salt with all your offerings” (Leviticus 2:13).
The worshiper brought the salt-seasoned grain offering to the priest. The cohen took a handful of the mixture of salt and grain and placed it on the Altar of Sacrifice to burn up. This small portion was the reminder portion for Adonai, an offering made by fire that was a fragrant aroma to Him. The rest of the salted grain offering belonged Aaron and his sons as an especially holy offering.
Throughout history, salt has been considered a mineral of great value. Those who work hard are ‘worth their weight in salt.’ In some countries, salt was considered a source of life and its distribution was controlled by the ruler of that country.
With the grain offering, there is a combination of bread and salt. ‘Breaking bread’ generally means a time of table fellowship. Sharing salt symbolizes having peaceful table fellowship. Who has not asked for or passed the salt during a meal with another person? During the breaking of bread, a host will treat his guests with respect and even protection until even a short time after they leave. Breaking bread together bonds people together and makes them ‘family’ for a short time. Being filled with salt, there is peace in our fellowship with others.
Here is an interesting observation about salt and table fellowship: “Where enmity subsists, the fiercer Arabs will not sit down at the same table with their adversary; sitting down together betokens reconciliation…. It is not customary among Arabs to place salt on a common table.”
Salt is also symbolic of blood. Ancient people who did not have salt or could not afford salt substituted fresh blood for the mineral. Dr. Livingstone, a missionary to South Africa, noted that when he was among people who had difficulty procuring salt, fresh-killed meat seemed to satisfy the natural craving. Today in hospitals, saline solutions are given intravenously when blood is not readily available in an emergency.
After the flood, Elohim told Noach that blood was forbidden as food (Genesis 9:4). The Israelites were also told not to consume the blood of the animal (Deuteronomy 12:23). It was always drained from the animal and poured out at the Altar. Jewish kosher dietary laws involve shekita or the humane way of killing an animal that drains its blood forcing Jewish people to salt their food because their meat has no blood.
Salt also represents life. Elohim says that the life of an animal is in its blood (Leviticus 17:11). Therefore, if salt is synonymous with blood and blood is the source of life, then salt and life are synonymous. As we say, “He was the life of the party,” the Arabs say, “he was the salt of the party.”
After Elisha replaced Elijah as a prophet, he was met by some men from Jericho who told him the water was bad and was causing miscarriages. Elisha tells them to bring him a new jug and put salt in it. He took it to the source of the water, threw salt into it and said, “This is what Adonai says: ‘I have healed this water; it will no longer cause death or miscarriage.’ The water was healed and has remained healed to this day” (2 Kings 2:19-22). Salt changed ‘death water’ into ‘living water.’
In some cultures newborn babies are washed and salted. In the Middle East when someone says, “He wasn’t salted when he was born,” it refers to a person lacking common sense or wisdom. When the prophet Ezekiel reproaches Jerusalem for their foolishness, he uses the same symbolism, “As for your birth –– on the day you were born, nobody cut your umbilical cord, washed you in water to clean you off, rubbed salt on you, or wrapped you in cloth” (Ezekiel 16:4).
It is still customary to observe the salt covenant on Shabbat. Some people sprinkle salt on their challah as it is passed around the table. I put salt on top of my challah bread before baking it. With the symbolism of blood, peace, and life, salt is an eternal ‘covenant’ reminder of Yeshua whose free-will offering of his poured-out blood brought peace and life to Isra’el.
For a complete copy of this Torah portion, the readings from the Prophets, gospels, letters, and study questions, please purchase Open My Eyes: Wonders of Torah.
©2018 Tentstake Ministries Publishing, all rights reserved. No copying or reproducing of this article without crediting the author or Tentstake Ministries Publishing.