The second chapter of Vayikra (Leviticus) describes the “meal offering,” a voluntary offering often given by those too poor to afford an animal to sacrifice. The meal offering must include salt, but must not include honey. There are a variety of commentaries on the prohibition against honey and the requirement for salt. Both clearly have power. Here’s a new prayer for the parasha, riffing on the flavors of life. To listen along as you read, click on the triangle in the bar below (website only).

Salt and Honey
G-d of secrets,
Ancient whisper,
Music in wind,
Heartbeat in water,
Soul of eternity,
You are in my breath
And beyond my reach.
You kiss my eyelids,
From beyond my sight.
You are pulse and rhythm.
The call of sunrise
At midnight.
The first star
And the last.

Let me bring salt and honey
To the tents of life,
To the tents of wonder,
To the tents of joy beyond understanding.
The salt that calls vitality.
The honey that calls love.
The salt that summons savor and essence.
The honey that summons heart and core.
Flavors of power and passion.
Flavors of holiness and rejoicing.
Flavors of longing and desire.

Hear my prayer.
Let me be coarse and sweet,
Savory and tart.
A source of beauty,
A source of delight.
And I will sing praises
To the unknown and unknowable,
The unseen and unseeable,
The untouched and untouchable,
The radiance that swirls around us,
The salt and honey that flows from You.

© 2015 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: Here’s a recipe for Salted Honey Butter and another for Brown Butter Salted Honey Pie.  Some other prayers and meditation that are based on the Temple, Temple service or the sacrificial cult include: “The Temple,” “Tabernacle” and “Stones of Remembrance.”

Please consider making a contribution to support this site and my writing. For usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” For notices of new prayers, please subscribe. You can also connect on Facebook and Twitter.

Photo: Kinfolk