Salt, Hospitality & Guest-Right

On Lot's wife, Ali Baba, Game of Thrones & Korbanot

In this week’s parsha, we see that Lot’s wife receives a peculiar punishment. This occurs when she turns back to look at the burning cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Her fate appears in Genesis 19:26.

וַתַּבֵּ֥ט אִשְׁתּ֖וֹ מֵאַחֲרָ֑יו וַתְּהִ֖י נְצִ֥יב מֶֽלַח׃

Lot’s wife looked back, and she thereupon turned into a pillar of salt.

The fact that Lot’s wife receives a punishment for her disobedience is unsurprising. The real question is: why, out of anything that she could have turned into, does God turn her into salt?

The Midrash is curious about this as well, and leads us to a story that in my head is associated with Ava Max’s line “I’m all out of salt.”

ותהי נציב מלח. לפי שחטאה במלח, כיצד שבאותה הלילה שבאו המלאכים לביתו של לוט, הלכה היא אצל שכניה בעלילה לשאול מלח, אמרו לה שכניה ולמה את צריכה מלח, וכי אין יודעת שהיית חסה מלח לילך ליקח מלח מבעוד יום, אמרה להם אין אנו צריכין מלח, אלא שבאו לנו אורחים, ולכך ידעו אנשי סדום במלאכים שבאו בביתו של לוט: "

And she became a pillar of salt" - Due to her having sinned with salt. How? In that on that night on which the angels came to Lot's house, she went to her neighbors' places with pretext to ask for salt. Her neighbors said to her, "And why do you need salt? Didn't you know that you were short on salt to go and take salt while it was still daytime?" She said to them, "We didn't need salt until guests came to us." And therefore, the people of Sodom knew about the angels that came to Lot's house.

-Midrash Aggadah 19:26

According to this rendering, Lot’s wife revealed the presence of her guests, which ultimately led to the men of Sodom gathering outside her house in an attempt to rape the angels (who they believed to be men). The way Lot’s wife revealed their presence was through the pretext of asking for salt, and that is why she deserves to be punished with salt.

Fair enough. But I think there’s actually something deeper going on- something that hits upon the relationship of salt to hospitality, and more specifically, to the idea of guest-right.

Take a look at Genesis Rabbah 50:4.

(בראשית יט, ג): וַיַּעַשׂ לָהֶם מִשְׁתֶּה, בְּבֵיתוֹ שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ הָיָה שֶׁהָיָה מְקַבֵּל אֶת הָעוֹבְרִים וְאֶת הַשָּׁבִים. אָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק מַצּוּת גְּדוֹלָה עָמְדָה עַל הַמֶּלַח, דְּהוּא אָמַר לָהּ הַב לְאִלֵּין אַכְסַנְיָא קַלִּיל מֶלַח, וַהֲוַת אָמְרָה לֵיהּ אַף הָדָא סוֹנִיתָא בִּישָׁא אַתּ בָּעֵי מֵילְפָא הָכָא.

AND HE MADE THEM A FEAST. He had been reared in the home of Abraham who showed hospitality to travellers. R. Isaac said: A fierce quarrel broke out over the salt, for he [Lot] said to her [his wife], ‘Give these guests a little salt,’ to which she replied, ‘Do you want to introduce here that evil practice too?’

But what is she talking about? Why is giving salt to guests an evil practice?

To understand this, we have to understand what the sin of Sodom was. According to our sages, the sin had everything to do with the way they treated (or did not treat) others. Specifically, their sins revolved around a selfishness so intense that it led them to view anyone who was not a member of their city as a parasite. You can see illustrations of their behavior in narratives provided in Sanhedrin 109a-109b. Below are some examples.

אמרו וכי מאחר שארץ ממנה יצא לחם ועפרות זהב לו למה לנו עוברי דרכים שאין באים אלינו אלא לחסרינו [מממוננו] בואו ונשכח תורת רגל מארצנו שנאמר (איוב כח, ד) פרץ נחל מעם גר הנשכחים מני רגל דלו מאנוש נעו

The people of Sodom said: Since we live in a land from which bread comes and has the dust of gold, we have everything that we need. Why do we need travelers, as they come only to divest us of our property? Come, let us cause the proper treatment of travelers to be forgotten from our land, as it is stated: “He breaks open a watercourse in a place far from inhabitants, forgotten by pedestrians, they are dried up, they have moved away from men” (Job 28:4).

[…]

כי הוה מתרמי להו עניא יהבו ליה כל חד וחד דינרא וכתיב שמיה עליה וריפתא לא הוו ממטי ליה כי הוה מית אתי כל חד וחד שקיל דידיה

When a poor person would happen to come to Sodom, each and every person would give him a dinar, and the name of the giver was written on each dinar. And they would not give or sell him bread, so that he could not spend the money and would die of hunger. When he would die, each and every person would come and take his dinar.

[…]

הויא ההיא רביתא דהות קא מפקא ריפתא לעניא בחצבא איגלאי מלתא שפיוה דובשא ואוקמוה על איגר שורא אתא זיבורי ואכלוה והיינו דכתיב (בראשית יח, כ) ויאמר ה' זעקת סדום ועמורה כי רבה ואמר רב יהודה אמר רב על עיסקי ריבה:

There was a young woman who would take bread out to the poor people in a pitcher so the people of Sodom would not see it. The matter was revealed, and they smeared her with honey and positioned her on the wall of the city, and the hornets came and consumed her. And that is the meaning of that which is written: “And the Lord said: Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great [rabba]” (Genesis 18:20). And Rav Yehuda says that Rav says: Rabba is an allusion to the matter of the young woman [riva] who was killed for her act of kindness. It is due to that sin that the fate of the people of Sodom was sealed.

(According to a Midrash, that young woman was actually Lot’s daughter.)

(You may be wondering how the rabbis determined that this was the sin of the city of Sodom. While I think there are several clues, the most obvious ones emerge when you read this story alongside its parallel narrative, which appears in Judges 19. In that story, it becomes clear that no one in the city is willing to invite the man or his concubine into their home. Along comes one old man, and he *does* invite them in. Events then progress similarly to our narrative in Genesis. Since the main issue in the Judges 19 story is the lack of hospitality, it stands to reason that this is an echo of the issue in our narrative as well.)

It becomes clear that in a city like Sodom, Lot’s decision to invite the angels into his home, let alone extend hospitality to them, was radical. It was also extremely risky. Lot was willing to do this because he had learned to be hospitable from Abraham. Now let’s get back to the salt. What does the salt represent? Why is Lot’s wife so upset that Lot is copying this custom as well from Abraham?

It is my hypothesis that the salt represents the rule of guest-right, or at least, of an allegiance or alliance. More specifically, someone who has eaten salt under someone else’s roof has been extended guest-right. This means the host must treat them as though they were a member of the family, and must protect them. We see Lot doing this in our narrative when he tries to reason with the mob that has assembled to rape the two men (angels). He argues that the reason they cannot do this is

כִּֽי־עַל־כֵּ֥ן בָּ֖אוּ בְּצֵ֥ל קֹרָתִֽי׃

since they have come under the shadow of my roof.”

-Genesis 19:8

Once Lot has extended, and the guests have eaten and accepted, guest-right, he is bound to protect them. No wonder Lot’s wife was so angry about it.

We see the idea of salt as a way of offering guest right show up in a number of cultures (read more here). But I first made this connection when I was a tween reading the Arabian Nights. In the true story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (click here for the full story), we come upon this important scene:

Ali Baba, wishing to return his kindness, invited him into his house and received him smiling, thanking him for his kindness to his son.

When the merchant was about to take his leave Ali Baba stopped him, saying, "Where are you going, sir, in such haste? Will you not stay and sup with me?"

The merchant refused, saying that he had a reason; and, on Ali Baba's asking him what that was, he replied, "It is, sir, that I can eat no victuals that have any salt in them."

"If that is all," said Ali Baba, "let me tell you that there shall be no salt in either the meat or the bread that we eat to-night."

He went to give this order to Morgiana, who was much surprised.

"Who is this man," she said, "who eats no salt with his meat?"

"He is an honest man, Morgiana," returned her master; "therefore do as I bid you."

But she could not withstand a desire to see this strange man, so she helped Abdallah to carry up the dishes, and saw in a moment that Cogia Hassan was the robber Captain, and carried a dagger under his garment.

"I am not surprised," she said to herself, "that this wicked man, who intends to kill my master, will eat no salt with him; but I will hinder his plans."

She sent up the supper by Abdallah, while she made ready for one of the boldest acts that could be thought on. When the dessert had been served, Cogia Hassan was left alone with Ali Baba and his son, whom he thought to make drunk and then to murder them. Morgiana, meanwhile, put on a headdress like a dancing-girl's, and clasped a girdle round her waist, from which hung a dagger with a silver hilt, and said to Abdallah, "Take your tabor, and let us go and divert our master and his guest."

Abdallah took his tabor and played before Morgiana until they came to the door, where Abdallah stopped playing and Morgiana made a low courtesy.

"Come in, Morgiana," said Ali Baba, "and let Cogia Hassan see what you can do"; and, turning to Cogia Hassan, he said, "She's my slave and my housekeeper."

Cogia Hassan was by no means pleased, for he feared that his chance of killing Ali Baba was gone for the present; but he pretended great eagerness to see Morgiana, and Abdallah began to play and Morgiana to dance. After she had performed several dances she drew her dagger and made passes with it, sometimes pointing it at her own breast, sometimes at her master's, as if it were part of the dance. Suddenly, out of breath, she snatched the tabor from Abdallah with her left hand, and, holding the dagger in her right hand, held out the tabor to her master. Ali Baba and his son put a piece of gold into it, and Cogia Hassan, seeing that she was coming to him, pulled out his purse to make her a present, but while he was putting his hand into it Morgiana plunged the dagger into his heart.

"Unhappy girl!" cried Ali Baba and his son, "what have you done to ruin us?"

"It was to preserve you, master, not to ruin you," answered Morgiana. "See here," opening the false merchant's garment and showing the dagger; "see what an enemy you have entertained! Remember, he would eat no salt with you, and what more would you have? Look at him! he is both the false oil merchant and the Captain of the Forty Thieves."

It’s very clear in this story that those who eat salt with others are pledging to be friends and to help one another. The reason the merchant won’t eat meat with Ali Baba is because he has no such interest.

George R. R. Martin probably also read the Arabian Nights because he incorporates this same idea into his A Song of Ice and Fire series. The most important example shows up in ‘A Storm of Swords’ as a prelude to the infamous Red Wedding.

Catelyn shifted her seat uncomfortably. “If we are offered refreshment when we arrive, on no account refuse. Take what is offered, and eat and drink where all can see. If nothing is offered, ask for bread and cheese and a cup of wine.”

“I’m more wet than hungry . . . ”

“Robb, listen to me. Once you have eaten of his bread and salt, you have the guest right, and the laws of hospitality protect you beneath his roof.”
(…)
“We thank you for your hospitality, my lord,” Robb replied. Edmure echoed him, along with the Greatjon, Ser Marq Piper, and the others. They drank his wine and ate his bread and butter. Catelyn tasted the wine and nibbled at some bread, and felt much the better for it. Now we should be safe, she thought.

I want to take this idea even further. Later on, we will be taught that all of God’s sacrifices, including the korban mincha, must include salt. In contrast, they are not allowed to include honey. See Leviticus 2:11.

כׇּל־הַמִּנְחָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֤ר תַּקְרִ֙יבוּ֙ לַיהֹוָ֔ה לֹ֥א תֵעָשֶׂ֖ה חָמֵ֑ץ כִּ֤י כׇל־שְׂאֹר֙ וְכׇל־דְּבַ֔שׁ לֹֽא־תַקְטִ֧ירוּ מִמֶּ֛נּוּ אִשֶּׁ֖ה לַֽיהֹוָֽה׃ No meal offering that you offer to the LORD shall be made with leaven, for no leaven or honey may be turned into smoke as an offering by fire to the LORD.

(Isn’t it interesting, by the way, that in both hospitality narratives- Abraham’s and Lot’s- they bake matzot, unleavened bread, to offer the guests? Leavened bread is also not permitted as an offering to God.)

Ramban comments to Leviticus 2:11 and writes:

It is possible that the reason why we are forbidden to bring leaven and honey [upon the altar] is as the Rabbi [Moshe ben Maimon] states in the Moreh Nebuchim,209 where he says that he found it written in their books that the custom among the idolaters was to offer all their meal-offerings only in leavened form, and to season all their sacrifices with honey; therefore He forbade bringing them on His altar. Our Rabbis have similarly said with reference to monuments [of one stone raised in order to sacrifice on it], that this was a favored mode of worship in the days of the patriarchs,210See Genesis 28:18. and afterwards G-d hated it because [the Canaanites] had made it an ordinance of an idolatrous character, as He said, which the Eternal thy Gd hateth.

Concerning the reason why we were commanded to offer salt with every offering, [Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon] also said that it is because the idolaters rejected it and did not offer it at all to their idols; [therefore He commanded us to have salt in every offering]. It is possible that [we are commanded to offer salt because] it is not respectful that the food which is offered up to G-d should have no flavoring, being without salt, Job 6:6: Can that which hath no savor be eaten without salt? similar to that which is written, Present it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee? Malachi 1:8. — “The Torah thus teaches us a rule of conduct — that Royal Majesty of heaven is similar to that on earth” (Bachya, in my edition Vol. II, p. 406). That is why the Sages excluded wood and blood Menachoth 21a. from the requirement of being offered with salt [since they are not edible]. Or it may be that there is in all these matters some secret hidden from us.

I think there is a secret, but it’s not hidden from us. Honey and leaven are dishonest. Honey can sweeten the taste of something and hide its true nature from you. Leaven is puffed up bread, looking bigger than it really is. In contrast, salt is honest. It’s not used to disguise the taste of anything, but rather to add savor to it.

So too with our behavior. There’s a reason we talk about people who have poisonous tongues but behave in ways that are sweet as honey. The same applies to people who puff themselves up (like leaven) and seem to be all that but are really just filled with hot air. Salt cannot disguise itself. It is what it is.

In Sodom, people pretended to be kind but weren’t - like the people who gave a poor man coins but then refused to sell him bread or water. They even used honey as a torture mechanism- killing a girl who had dared to give a poor man bread by slathering her in honey and letting the bees sting her to death. Salt (and unleavened bread), in contrast, was a way of representing things as they were, without artifice, and symbolically, of allying yourself to your guest, and extending hospitality.

When Lot and his family flee, they are being rewarded for the hospitality they offered (even though it was imperfect, and Lot’s wife did so begrudgingly). When Lot’s wife looks back, it’s not clear why. Does she look back out of curiosity? To see if her family members are following them? Or because she’s considering going back to the city? I think it’s out of longing for a way of life she appreciated and did not want to leave.

In looking back, Lot’s wife is separating herself from her family and from the angels. She is expressing a preference for Sodom and its way of life over where she is going. Her transformation into a pillar of salt, then, has less to do with her specifically and more to do with serving as a warning and a sign to all who come to visit the region. Here is a pillar of salt, which represents what everyone in this city *ought* to have done- extended hospitality freely, happily and properly- without artifice, without cruelty, without lying. It is this very salt that will be placed on all of God’s sacrifices as a way of reminding all Jews how they should and must behave. Salt, it turns out, is a symbol of the kind of people we aspire to be.