Once this rebellion is ended, God recognizes the priesthood
of Aharon by making his staff bloom and by giving him a special covenant. “All
the offerings of the holy things, which the people of Israel offer to the Lord,
have I given you, and your sons and your daughters with you, by a statute forever;
Brit melakh hi le’olam – it is a covenant of salt forever before
the Lord to you and to your seed with you.” [Ibid. 18:19] This “Brit
melakh - covenant of salt” is intriguing and deserve a moments study.
There are only three references in the entire Tanakh to a “Brit melakh
- covenant of salt” – two beside this week’s. The first came
in Leviticus, where we read, “And every sacrifice of your meal offering
shall you season with salt; nor shall you allow the salt of the covenant of
your God to be lacking from your meal offering; with all your offerings you
shall offer salt.” [Lev. 2:13] The last is found in the last book in our
Scriptures, second Chronicles, “Ought you not to know that the Lord God
of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David forever, to him and to his sons
by a covenant of salt?” [II Chron. 13:5]
I believe that this covenant of salt is related to the importance of salt in
the ancient world. It is not for naught that we speak of “good people”
as being “the salt of the earth.” Without salt we would not last
long on this earth. Salt rocks were used as currency for payment of the wages
of Roman soldiers, and were sought by people to preserve foodstuff, particularly
meat, before the invention of refrigeration. The “triple injunction in
Leviticus informs us of the manner of preparing the sacrificial meat –
which was continued in the “kashering” of meat that if proper for
mitzvah-observing Jews to use. The passage from Chronicles suggests that a “Brit
melakh - covenant of salt” was also a promise of continuity of the anointing
of the Royal House of David.
It is interesting to discover that Judaism uses the natural gift of God, salt,
as a high mark of fidelity and steadfastness. I am reminded of the famous story
of the king who had three daughters. He wished to test their love for him, and
asked each to bring him “the most precious gift.” One brought a
huge diamond mounted in a crown; the second brought a scepter of gold with precious
stones to add sparkle to its handle. The youngest, and the king’s favorite,
brought him a bag of salt. The king loved the crown, and was impressed by the
scepter. He became furious at the sight of the bag of salt. “Is this all
you could bring me?” He asked. “Shame on you! I expected more from
you. You shall be banished from my presence.”
The princess accepted her fate, asking only that the king foreswear the use
of salt. After a short while, the king found his food tasteless; he was getting
weak and feeble and could not stand the summer heat. The doctors told him that
if he does not return to a diet of salt he would soon perish. The king understood,
a little late, that his youngest daughter was not only the one who loved him
“best” – she was also the wisest of his three children. He
brought her back to the palace, begged her to forgive him, and gave her the
crown and the scepter when he made her the one to reign after him.
God blesses us in the most rudimentary way, establishing a covenant of salt,
making us consecrate out food with salt, making us “the salt of the earth.”
Amen