CLERGY CORNER: The salt of the Earth

Posted on 20 March 2014 by LeslieM

Not long ago, I had an issue with my blood pressure. Fortunately, I have a wonderful Cardiologist, Dr. Lawrence Weinstein, and, with his wisdom, and a bit of mazel, the very first medicine he prescribed for me worked like a charm. Of course, while it worked, the first few samples I was given needed to be cut in half and, let me tell you something, it was not exactly a mechaya to my taste buds.

Mary Poppins sang, “Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.” And while a spoonful of sugar can, indeed, make the medicine go down, it can also make your glucose level go up. And that is when someone mockingly said, “Why don’t you just take it with a grain of salt.” But any of you who have dealt with high blood pressure know that salt is not such a wise thing either as it will make your blood pressure go up. Oy, sometimes you just can’t win.

Truth is, I love salt and most of you who know me know that I also love chocolate … chocolate covered almonds, chocolate covered peanuts, chocolate covered macadamias, chocolate covered pretzels and, let’s not forget the various chocolate pastries we have at our Kiddush at the end of our services.

Then again, we also have things like white fish salad, lox and chips, and do you know what all of those have in common? That’s right, they are loaded with salt. The other day I felt like I was coming down with something and I went out to get some chicken soup. The regular kosher soup I looked at had over 1,000 milligrams of salt in it, so I got the low sodium version, and it still had some 570 grams, enough to overdo my quota for the day.

You shall season your every offering of meal with salt, you shall not omit from your meal offering the salt of your covenant with G-d, with all your offerings you must offer salt.” (Vayikra 2:13)

To this day, when we partake of Challah on Shabbat, it is traditional to either dip it in salt or to sprinkle some salt on the piece we are about to eat as Challah is representative of one of the sacrifices and a sacrifice requires salt.

While my blood pressure causes me to say “No” to salt and to look at salt in a negative way, I cannot forget that there is a positive side, a holy side to salt as well. For instance, to this day when my throat gets sore, it is not unusual for me to take to gargling with warm salt water.

Isak Diinisen talks about the healing power of salt saying, “The cure for anything is salt water – sweat, tears or the sea.” When I dance, sweat pours out of my pores literally cleansing my body of many impurities. When I am by the sea, my mind is cleansed by the sound of the waves and the beauty of the waters. And, as for tears, what is the main ingredient in tears? Salt water! Tears, too, are cleansing. The falling of those precious drops from your tear ducts cleanses your heart and your soul and enables you to let go of a lot of hurt.

So have a good sweat. Have a good cry. And go spend some time relaxing down by the sea, and, while you are there, I hope you can feel Gd calling out to you reminding you that you are the salt of the earth.

Shalom my friends,

Rabbi Craig H. Ezring

Rabbi Ezring is the spiritual leader of Temple Beth Israel of Deerfield Beach. We welcome you to join our warm and caring family for Shabbat and festival services. We’ll make your heart glow…who knows, you might even fall in love with Shul all over again.

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