Rabbi Gary KatzWhy do we use salt on bread when making hamotzi?
Hmmmmmm….not sure why, but I’ve been thinking A LOT about bread (especially pizza) recently…
My friend, Yochi Dreazen mentioned to me earlier this week that he and his wife Annie began to use honey on their challah (and even matzah) as a sign for sweetness in life and their marriage during their first year of marriage and have never stopped. I love that idea!
What then is the reason that most people add salt on their bread after making the blessing “hamotzi?”
Two reasons are often given: First, salt adds flavor to food. It enhances flavor. This is a reminder to us to live a life which is full of flavor! Don’t settle for bland and status quo – look to enhance your life.
The second reason is that salt represents that which doesn’t spoil and is eternal. Leviticus talks about a covenant of salt. It symbolizes a relationship that lasts and doesn’t spoil.
Both of these are reasons to use salt on bread as well as signs for us to remember in life as well as marriage. Whether you use honey or salt may we always strive in life and in our relationships to make them sweet, enhance them and keep them from spoiling.
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