The meal offering consists of a portion of grain and oil, usually mixed with frankincense. It can be brought raw, baked, fried or cooked. If it is not raw, it must not be leavened, nor may honey be added to it, but it must be seasoned with salt. A portion of the meal offering is burned for God, and the rest is eaten in holiness by the priests.
As the Israel Bible points out, the ingredients for the meal offering are far less expensive than those of the animal offerings mentioned previously. According to the Talmud, for this reason the Hebrew word nefesh, which means ‘soul’, is used to describe the one who brings the meal offering — when a poor person goes to this much trouble to bring an offering from his meager means, it is valued as if he has offered his soul to God.
Virtual Classroom Discussion
What do you think is the significance of forbidding leaven or honey but requiring salt be added to the meal offering?