Parshat Vayikra opens the book of Leviticus with the laws of sacrifice; tucked inside those laws is a small but striking mitzvah: every sacrificial offering brought to the altar must be salted. Not optional. Not symbolic. Required.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, the 19th century German rabbi and thinker, draws out the deeper logic here. Salt, he explains, is unique among substances because it accomplishes two seemingly divergent tasks simultaneously. It preserves — holding things intact against decay — and it enhances, drawing out the flavor already present in whatever it touches. But the metaphor has a sharp edge: too much salt ruins everything. The mitzvah isn't just about adding salt. It's about the right amount, in the right measure, at the right time.