“Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke.” (Numbers 19: 2)
There was a countdown and build up to their announcement, which greatly aroused curiosity of prophecy watchers: After 2,000 years of mourning the destruction of the holy temple, “with great thanks to the Almighty,” the Temple Institute today in Jerusalem announced their project of raising biblically-required red heifers in Israel.
According to the Temple Institute’s press release at their website, “for the first time in 2000 years, the restoration of Biblical purity is within reach…the prerequisite for building the Holy Temple.” Their video (posted above) is a crowd fundraiser for the project to be carried out under strict rabbinical supervision.
According to the Bible, the ashes of a sacrificial red heifer are necessary for the final preparation of the sacred vessels to be used in the future Holy Temple, as well as the purification ceremony of the kohanim (Temple priests) who will serve in the Holy Temple.
The red heifer (Hebrew: פרה אדומה; parah adumah), also known as the “red cow,” was an animal brought to the priests as a sacrifice according to the Hebrew Bible, and its ashes were used for the ritual purification of a Tumat HaMet (“the impurity of death”), that is, an Israelite who had come into contact with a corpse.
The Book of Numbers stipulates that the cow must be (1) red in color, (2) without blemish, and (3) it must not have been used to perform work. The heifer is then ritually slaughtered (Numbers 19:3) and burned outside of the camp (Numbers 19:3–6). Prophetic symbols: cedar wood, hyssop, and wool or yarn dyed scarlet are added to the fire, and the remaining ashes are placed in a vessel containing pure water (Numbers 19:9).
To purify a person who has become ritually contaminated by contact with a corpse, water from the vessel is sprinkled on the person, using a bunch of hyssop, on the third and seventh day of the purification process (Numbers 19:18–19).
The priest who performs the ritual then becomes ritually unclean, and must bathe himself and his clothes in a ritual bath. He is deemed impure until evening.
There is a reference to a red heifer in Daniel 12:10. God tells Daniel that in the last days, “many shall be purified and made white,” which scholars take as a reference to the purification ritual of the Red Heifer. “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” (Isa 1:18, Num 19:6)
Christians believe that Jesus the Messiah fulfilled all the types and shadows prefigured in the red heifer concerning salvation and purity through his atoning death and blood at the Cross of Golgotha. However, even the New Testament teaches that in the last days prior to the Second Coming of Jesus the Messiah, the Jews will return to their homeland and rebuild their temple once again.
The following information is part of the Temple Institute’s press release:
What is a Red Heifer? Why Do We Need One?
The Red Heifer is a female cow, three years of age, with perfect consistency of a particular reddish hue, having not even two hairs of any other color. The heifer also may never be used for any type of labor, and must be totally blemish-free. The ordinance of the para aduma, the Red Heifer, is found in the Torah, in the book of Numbers Chapter 19, and elucidated in the teachings of the Sages of Israel. The process of purification through the Red Heifer is the only antidote to the state of impurity caused by death, and thus, intrinsically imperative for the reestablishment of purity.
What’s the Difference Between an Ordinary Red Cow, and a Proper Red Heifer?
Red cattle can be found throughout the world, and are not uncommon. However, raising a perfect red heifer in accordance with Biblical requirements for the fulfillment of the Numbers Ch. 19 commandment is a daunting task requiring advance planning, exacting preparation and constant supervision. In order for a heifer to be considered kosher for the Biblical use, it must literally be raised from birth under specific circumstances and in a controlled environment.
The Project Has Begun: A Change in Conception
In the past the people of Israel waited for the birth of a potential Red Heifer. But with Torah knowledge and advanced science, the Temple Institute has now begun to actively pursue this commandment. For this unprecedented project, the Temple Institute has joined forces with an experienced cattle rancher here in Israel. This expert in the science of animal husbandry, under the halachic supervision and guidance of the rabbis of the Temple Institute, is utilizing the technique of implanting the frozen embryos of Red Angus cattle in Israeli domestic cattle. The end result of this program will be the introduction of the Red Angus breed into Israel. This method, authorized and approved by Israel’s Ministry of Agriculture, has already proven successful with the birth of a number of male Red Angus. The location and other details of the cattle ranch will remain undisclosed to the general public during the initial stages of the project. The Temple Institute will release periodic progress updates.
Future stages of the purity restoration program will include:
~Expansion of the curriculum and faculty of the Temple Institute’s acclaimed Nezer HaKodesh Academy for Priestly Studies to include the training of prospective priests-in-training in all aspects of the precept of the Red Heifer;
~The identification and selection of kohanim (descendants of the priestly tribe of Aaron) whose state of purity enables them to attend to the preparation of the Red Heifer;
~The documentation and provision of the precise location on the Mount of Olives for the heifer’s preparation
The Orthodox Jews have been working for years by faith to honour the God of Israel by doing what they feel is incumbent upon them since God has graciously allowed their return to their homeland after the Holocaust and nearly 2,000 years of wandering the nations. However, it is a daily battle, and the spirit of Islam is not happy by their efforts of faith to change their fasting and mourning days into days of celebrating and thanksgiving for their return after such a long and painful exile. The following videos from the Temple Institute’s website is a sampling of the Islamic apartheid and resentment against their presence:
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