The Paschal Lamb
This is the Paschal Lamb. (Ok, actually, it's probably a chicken neck, but we'll get to that.)
In the days of the Temple, one important part of worship was the bringing of sacrifices. The Passover sacrifice each year consisted of a sheaf of the first grain harvested that spring, about seven pounds of flour mixed with fine olive oil, about a quart of wine, and one lamb, a year old, without defects.
But the symbol of the lamb goes back to just before the Exodus. The Bible said that the plague of the death of the first-born was carried out by the Angel of Death, who flew over all the houses and slew people within them. The Hebrews were told to mark the doorposts of their houses with the blood of lambs, so the Angel of Death would know not to hit their houses.
The symbol of the sacrifice of the lamb got a lot more involved in Christianity, but that's a whole other story.
And why do we have a chicken neck instead of the shankbone of the lamb? Some Jewish traditions insist that, because of the extreme sacredness of the symbol, we can't use a real one until, at least, the Temple is restored. Other Jewish traditions insist that, because of the extreme sacredness of the symbol. we must use a real one. Both opinions are considered valid. One reason that the Jewish people have survived is that we can handle these differences of opinion without breaking off into schisms, excommunications, and religious wars. Most of the time, anyway.
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