Salt on the table at Pesach seders

Question

It seems that some don't dip the matzah into salt before eating it at the seder. Also, in my community, salt is not put on the table for the seder (except for the salt water for karpas/beitzah--which may or may not stay around for hamotzi).

I had thought that our table is supposed to symbolize the Mizbeach, and that we put salt on it by every blessing on motzi because salt necessarily accompanied every offering in the Beis Hamikdash. For this and other reasons given here for putting salt on the table, it would seem that we should indeed have salt on the table at the Pesach seder, if not especially then.

Is it correct not to have salt on the seder table? Is there a reason--such as that the Korban Pesach was eaten without salt (was it??)--that we don't?

Answer 1

It seems that there are various customs. This article says that the Chaba"d Rebbe's custom was not to dip the matzah in salt. However, note 308 mentions that the Shelah cites that the Ari z"l's custom was to dip the matzah in salt.

Answer 2

There is no prohibition about having salt on the table during seder according to the minhag of Chabad. This follows what the Rebbe writes in the Haggadah on page 38 beginning with the words:

ויאכלם. ואינו טובל במלח

In the later editions of the haggadah it mentions that the explanation for this is based upon the Chassidic discourse from the Alter Rebbe in Likkutei Torah, beginning with the words ולא תשבית מלח וגו׳., page 6c, chapter 8 which points to the Tur, O.C. 455 beginning with the words והרבה נוהגים שלא ליתן מלח בפת בפסח. According to the Tur, this is also the custom of all Ashkenaz. And as he emphasizes, salt with matzah is not considered enriched matzah, like with egg matzah.

In all of these places it is only discussing tasting the salt, not its presence on the table. The emphasis from the Rebbe, and what he says is the custom of the Rebbe's household, is not to dip the matzah in salt in order that no other taste is mixed with the taste of the matzah.

Like the Alter Rebbe explains in the Chassidic discourse cited, the concept of matzah is that it is Lechem Ani, a poor persons bread, bread without taste (בלי שום טעם). This is a play on words for the idea of knowledge and reason (טעם ודעת). That faith, as in the matzah of the first night is also called the bread of faith, is service without knowledge and reason (בלי שום טעם ודעת). So it all is related to the actual tasting.

If the custom in your particular community or family is not to have salt on the table until after making HaMotzi and eating, then that is what you should follow. But as it relates to the custom of the Rebbe's household, it is only about not actually tasting salt with the matzah. Presence on the table, by itself, is not forbidden.