In addition to the above, there is room to question if it is ok to dip the challah into sugar instead of salt. On the one hand the halachah is to dip challah into salt, on the other hand sugar is sweet and perhaps it’s also a good omen, and perhaps it works in place of salt?
The Shu”t Torah Lishmah (siman 500) writes that he saw a big chiddush [novel ruling] in the sefer Shu”t Halachos Ketanos (siman 218). The Halachos Ketanos was asked if it permissible to salt a korban with sugar? And he answered: Sugar is 100% salt, as it also helps preserve things for a long time. And don’t ask that surely sugar is sweet, whereas salt is the opposite? As very often we find two types of the same item with opposite properties, for example by pomegranates there are bitter ones and sweet ones ... therefore, by salt as well, there is sweet salt and there is bitter salt...”
We see from the Halachos Ketanos a big chiddush and that sugar can be used in place of salt to salt a korban. Based on this, the Torah Lishmah writes:על זה סמכו העולם להניח בראש השנה על השלחן סוכר במקום המלח להטביל בו פרוסת המוציא שרוצים לעשות זה בראש השנה לסימנא טבא – “This is what the world relies upon to put on their table on Rosh Hashanah, sugar instead of salt to dip the piece of hamotzi into, as they want to do something which is a good omen on Rosh Hashanah.”
However, the Torah Lishmah questions this chiddush and says that he has no clear proof that sugar works the same as salt, therefore, he writes, even though in his house he brings sugar to the table as a good omen, he also brings salt in a different utensil and he dips the challah into both salt and sugar. As the truth is, dipping challah into salt has great soidois [secrets] and deep kavanos behind it, as the wordמלח has the same letters asלחם andוהלחם הוא סוד ג' חסדים שהם ג' הויו''ת בגימטריה לחם והמלח ה' ספירות ג' גבורות הנמתקות על ידי החסדים ועל ידי הטיבול הזה לחם במלח מתמתקים הגבורות בחסדים כי כל מלח הוא קצת מרירות ודין וכנזכר כל זה בדברי רבינו הגדול האר''י ז''ל. Therefore, according to the kavonah and soidois mentioned it’s difficult to say that sugar works in place of salt when it comes to dipping bread into it. Therefore, he concludes that one must bring salt to the table as well.
