(2002/5762)
In Perek 2 Pasuk 13, the Torah commands על כל קרבנך תקריב מלח, “On all of your offerings you shall offer salt.” Why is salt such an essential element for each and every Korban?
Rabbi Nissan Alpert zt”l offers two possible answers. The purpose of Korbanot is for man to establish a relationship with Hashem. The actual offering of the Korban, and the various rituals that accompany their offering, are not the man objective. Man must understand that the Korban is only a means to establish a lasting, permanent relationship with Hashem. Salt, a preservative, represents that notion of permanence. In addition, salt functions to remove the blood from meat (it is precisely this quality that allows it to function as a preservative). When man comes closer to Hashem via Korbanot, he is only able to do so if he removes the impurities that act as a barrier between him and Hashem.
If man’s objective in offering Korbanot is to both rid himself of his impurities and to establish a relationship with Hashem that is permanent. In doing this he will achieve the relationship with his creator that is fit to be entitled מלח ברית אלקיך.