Salt. This Midrash is all about salt. Apparently Hashem's had a soft spot for salt since day two of creation. Here's what happened: Once the chaos of creation cleared, day two brought on a new challenge. The waters just ran rampant - up in the heavens, down on earth, mixing and sloshing with no clear divide. Hashem commanded the waters to divide into "heavenly waters" above the earth, and lower waters that cover the earth.

Well, that was fine for the "heavenly" water. They got to be closer to Shamayim. But what about the water that got stuck on earth. They too yearned to be close to Hashem. That's where the salt comes in. To comfort the lower waters, Hashem made a pact with the sea that its salt would be placed on any Korban that would be put on the Mizbayach. Additionally, fresh water would be poured on the Mizbayach every Sukkot in a special service called Nisuch Ha'mayim (water libation).

So here's a good question: Why wait until Sukkot? Why not splash the Mizbayach with fresh water everytime? (Don't worry, the heavenly fire can cut through a little dampness if necessary!). One answer is that all water eventually makes it up to the sky by evaporation. It is only the salt of the sea that is condemned to earth permanently.

Salt is a sign of the covenant between Hashem and the Jewish people. Just as no person can live without salt, the world cannot survive without the study of Torah. That's why we place salt on the table at meal time to remind us to speak words of Torah at the table where people are eating.