A number of people have asked me about the red heifer sacrifice that took place in Israel on July 1st, and so I decided to look into it. I had heard that it was just a “practice run”, and so I didn’t understand why some people were making such a big deal about it. Well, it turns out that those that actually conducted the red heifer sacrifice did not consider it to be a “practice run”. That definitely shocked me. Meanwhile, the Temple Institute is insisting that the ceremony on July 1st used “a disqualified heifer” and therefore could not be the real thing. So there is a debate about the legitimacy of the ceremony, but everyone agrees that a lot of emotions are being stirred up because of what just took place.
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Byron Stinson helped bring five red heifers from Texas to Israel in 2022, and he organized the sacrifice of one of those red heifers on a remote hilltop in northern Israel on July 1st at 6 PM.
Stinson told RNS about the details of the practice ritual, which was held at 6 p.m. local time July 1, and released photos and video of the ceremony. That video shows a flaming pyre on a remote hilltop with what looks like the animal carcass engulfed in flames. A rabbi led the ceremony after the heifer was driven there from Shiloh in the West Bank, where the selected red heifers have been kept.
Plans for the ritual have been years in the making. Stinson, who has a home in Israel and lives there part of the year, funded a search to find heifers that would fit the exacting requirements found in the biblical text. Those requirements include having no flaws or blemishes, even from the ear tags commonly used by ranchers in the United States.
I mentioned this “practice run” in a previous article. But to Stinson, it wasn’t a “practice run”.
On Facebook, Stinson claimed that “it was real and the first in 2000 years.”
This is the burning from July 1. It was not on the Mount of Olives and some Jewish leaders feel it does not pass all requirements they support. But it was real and the first in 2000 years. Some will say all you need is to follow the Torah. We did that. Others have a higher standard under the Oral Torah. Many will never agree. But the world is changing fast. And I believe this ceremony changed something in the world. So it should be recognized as the first in over 2000 years. Will there be more?
Yes.
Will everyone agree that those will be the “right” one.
No.
Many will continue to question and fight against the ceremony. I just think the world needs to know. The ceremony went perfect. With a perfect Priest. In a place outside of the camp. And, in the opinion of those I respect, we used a perfect red heifer.
According to Stinson, all of the requirements for a red heifer sacrifice that we actually find in the Bible were met.
But not all of the Jewish traditions about a red heifer sacrifice were satisfied.
So the Temple Institute and other Jewish authorities are never going to recognize the sacrifice that occurred on July 1st.
However, there are some Jewish voices that are embracing what just happened. For example, Adam King had a sample of the ashes of the red heifer that was just sacrificed sent to him, and he showed that sample off on Tim Pool’s podcast. King is claiming that people that have been sprinkled with the ashes of this red heifer have actually been healed.
I don’t know what to make of that.
Apparently the recent sacrifice produced 10 and a half gallons of red heifer ashes, and samples have supposedly been sent all over the world.
So nobody will ever be able to track all of the ashes down.
But the Temple Institute, which will actually be overseeing the future Temple in Jerusalem, says that all of the red heifers that had been brought to Israel ended up being disqualified and thus the ceremony that took place on July 1st was just a “test run”. In a lengthy Facebook post, the Temple Institute detailed precisely what they believe will be necessary for a legitimate red heifer sacrifice.
Our longtime supporters are certainly aware that the Institute’s efforts to raise or discover a red heifer suitable for the purpose of achieving the ashes of the red heifer go back more than two decades. We have forged deep connections with cattle growers in the United States, both professionally and personally. We have worked with cattle growers in Israel. We have raised red heifer candidates here in Israel and flown over red heifer candidates from Texas. The halachot concerning the eligibility of a potential red heifer are very strict and unfortunately all our efforts so far have been frustrated by the appearance of more than one non-red hair on all our potential candidates. Nevertheless, our efforts continue.
Attaining a suitable red heifer, however, is only one aspect of the work of achieving the longed for purifying ashes. Once a viable red heifer has been achieved it needs to be slaughtered and burned into ashes. Simply to create a fire that will burn at a temperature capable of converting the heifer into ashes is a task that has required much research and experimentation.
Kohanim who are free of the impurity of tamei met must be located, for only kohanim enjoying such a status can be involved in creating the ashes. This requires kohanim who were home-birthed and have never stepped inside a hospital or cemetery, where the impurity of tamei met is a given. The Institute has successfully located and brought on board eligible kohanim.
Pure waters from the Shiloach spring located at the foot of the City of David must be collected and cedar wood, hyssop and wool dyed red with the tola’at shani insect must also be acquired and added to the ashes. Fortunately all these elements are readily attainable.
The actual burning of the heifer must take place on the Mount of Olives at a vantage point from which the kohen performing the ceremony can see into the great entrance of the Temple Sanctuary, (or, at least where it stood).All throughout the Institute’s continuing efforts, tremendous research has formed the basis for every step forward we have taken. Rabbi Azarya arial of the Temple Institute has devoted years of his life researching and overseeing all these aspects.
Recently a groundbreaking test run was taken using a disqualified heifer. The experience better prepares us for the ultimate performance of the ceremony with a kosher heifer.
I am sure that there will be a lot of debate about the ceremony that took place on July 1st for a long time to come.
And I am sure that the Temple Institute will eventually conduct their own sacrifice when they feel that they have found a suitable candidate.
But that is not what I am focusing on.
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Personally, I am focusing on all of the very clear signs of the end times that are literally being fulfilled right in front of our eyes.
God has told us history in advance, and the Bible has a tremendous amount to say about the days that we are currently living in.
Michael Snyder’s new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.
