Serious.
Without ass he couldn't even enter the temple, the holy.
As pascal lamb he had to be perfect, like Abraham after Genesis 17:1,
And Abram was ninety-nine years old, and God appeared to Abram, and He said to him, "I am the Almighty God; walk before Me and be perfect
Rashi:
“
and be perfect” -Now you are missing [control over] five organs: two eyes, two ears, and the male organ. I will add a letter to your name, and the numerical value of your letters [of your name] will be 248, corresponding to the number of your organs (Tan. Lech Lecha 16, Ned. 32b).
248 is also gematria of "chomer" -- donkey-burden, but also clay, the material God formed Adam from (dust of the ground + water from the "mist" or "fountain", the "ed", the "1-4 principle of the universe" of Genesis 2:6)
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