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Pesach - Louis
Contributed by JTL

  • TOP HAGGADAHS FOR 2023

Among all the herbal goodness that decorates our seder plate, there are two items that stand out. The shankbone and the egg come not from the plant but from the animal world. Especially conspicuous is the shank bone, which -  contrasted with the egg and other items of the seder plate that call to mind new life - is an item from a dead animal.

            But while death might seem out of place among all the symbols of spring, the inclusion of the shank bone fits the ancient practice of spring sacrifices. More specifically to the Jewish tradition, it recalls the Passover sacrifice practiced in the times of the Temple and commanded in the Torah:

“You shall say, ‘It is a Pesach sacrifice to the Lord who passed over the houses of the Children of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians and saved our houses.’ And the people bowed down and prostrated themselves.” (Shemot 12:27)

            Since contemporary Judaism no longer features animal sacrifices, the shank bone has come to serve as a symbol for the discontinued practice.

            Why did we make this sacrifice in the first place? Most obviously, it reminds us of the lambs blood that marked Jewish homes in Egypt and protected from the Angel of Death that took the life of Egyptian first borns. The Rambam saw it as a defiance of Egyptian mysticism which worshipped lambs; by killing them and putting their meat on our plates we affirm our rejection of their myths and our freedom from their influence.

            Rav Solovetchick views the shank bone as part of a larger thematic expression of the seder in which Pesach, matzah, and maror each represent three different characteristics common in freed slaves that the Jews needed to avoid. By sacrificing a lamb - and thus giving it away to G-d - we overcome the urge the materialistic selfishness that freed slaves, having been denied property rights for so long, often succumb to.

            But for many who find meaning in these interpretations of the Pesach offering and the shank bone that now stands in its place on the seder plate, there remains a discomfort with killing an animal in our celebration of freedom. This is perhaps best articulated on Peta’s (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) call for a more compassionate seder:

“It is odd to celebrate freedom if we still dine on the flesh of animals who spend their lives caged in cement stalls no bigger than their own bodies, never able to look up at the sky or feel grass beneath their feet.”

            Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to replace the shank bone and egg without sacrificing their symbolism. Even for those who take no issue with slaughtering animals there is a tradition of deviating from the shank bone. Many, like Chabad Chasidim, use a roasted chicken’s neck rather than the shank bone. This flexibility extends to removing meat altogether from the seder. In fact, the vegan alternatives for the lamb and egg are suggested in the Babylonian Talmud by Rabbi Huna who declared a red beet and rice as suitable substitutes for the typical Pesach and Chagigah.

            The red beet maintains the symbolism of the blood painted on Jewish homes; while egg alternatives - like an avocado - retain the shape and meaning of the egg. But most of all, both substitutes add to meaning of the seder by stating a continued commitment to freedom and justice for the most oppressed among G-d’s creations - human and nonhuman alike.

Sources:
haggadah Section: -- Cup #2 & Dayenu

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