'Almost everything is ready for the Third Temple,' claims Israeli TV report about red heifers brought to Israel last year
Arrival of five red heifers continues to cause excitement and consternation in the Jewish state
Israel's TV Channel 12 news released an investigative report about the five red heifers that were brought to the Jewish state last September and the supposed “funneling” of government funds to construct the Third Temple.
Israeli journalist Omri Maniv, who has posted to social media multiple times about the red heifers and their meaning, conducted the investigation.
Last month, the journalist tweeted about an experiment conducted by Bar Ilan University Prof. Zohar Amar who attempted to determine how many people could be ritually purified by one red heifer.
In the study, Prof. Amar said that one red heifer would provide enough ashes to purify 660 billion purifications.
Maniv argued that the government has shifted funds from other accounts for the purpose of preparing for the purification rituals and possibly the Third Temple. Many rabbis have forbidden their followers from going up to the Temple Mount because they are not in a state of ritual purity.
He also argues that the funds are being shifted quietly to not raise tensions internally and with the Arab population.
Just two weeks ago, near the site of the biblical Shiloh, where the Tabernacle was kept during the time of the judges, a group of Jews descended from the tribe of Levi and the priestly families, enacted a practice run of the purification ceremony.
The event occurred at a site called “Ancient Shiloh” affiliated with the Temple Institute, and contained explanations of the priestly functions, including sacrifice. The event also featured a “Temple banquet” containing foods from the Second Temple and biblical periods.
The highlight of the event was the presentation of one of the five red heifers.
“We are yearning for the Temple, and suddenly there is a red heifer here, and we understand what that means…something is about to happen," stated Kobi Mamo, CEO of Ancient Shiloh.
According to the Book of Numbers, the Tabernacle and the Temple were purified with the ashes of a red heifer.
The Torah commands that a red heifer be without spot or blemish, and never have worn a yoke. Rabbinic law gives several additional stipulations to the requirements of the red heifer, or calf, such as being at least two years of age and having no white hairs.
The oldest of the red heifers brought from Texas last year is just months away from being the required age to sacrifice for the purification ritual.
The use of red heifers for purification has caused consternation for some Palestinians as well as secular Jews.
On the Hamas-owned “Al-Aqsa” program, Dr. Ahmad Shihab said the heifers were proof that “the Israeli government has a plan to cause a religious war in the region, and the settlers state religious claims regarding the Jews' right to al-Aqsa mosque.”
The Palestinian News Network also ran a story last week accusing the Israeli government of plotting with settlers to reconstruct the third Temple and “storm Al-Aqsa.”
Listen to an October 2022 podcast on the topic, "Do Jews Need the Third Temple to Receive Atonement From Sin?" with ALL ISRAEL NEWS Editor-in-Chief Joel Rosenberg.
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The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
