Breaking News: Temple Institute Announces Efforts to Raise a Pure Red Heifer in Israel

The Temple Institute announces plans to raise
a pure red heifer in Israel.
(Image source: The Temple Institute newsletter.)

Last week a friend shared with me a notice that The Temple Institute in Jerusalem was planning a major announcement on July 12th.

Here, in part, is the announcement that came via email:

Tammuz 25, 5775/July 12, 2015

After 2,000 years, with great thanks to the Almighty, we are pleased to announce: 

The Temple Institute is raising red heifers in Israel. For the first time in 2000 years, the restoration of Biblical purity is within reach... the prerequisite for building the Holy Temple. Click HERE to watch this video and learn how to participate in this historic project.  

The future is in our hands!

 Blessings from the holy city of Jerusalem,
 Rabbi Chaim Richman
The Temple Institute

The announcement included a fundraising link to raise the funds needed to accomplish this goal. More information is given on the fundraiser page. Here are a few pieces of information I found interesting:

What is a Red Heifer? 

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... 

Here's a bit more info:

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. 

And finally this is interesting because it differs from what I've always heard:

Myths:

• The appearance of a Red Heifer is miraculous...
• A Red Heifer cannot be prepared without first obtaining the ashes of the original Red Heifer 

Facts: 

• There is nothing miraculous about the birth of a red cow; they exist in plenty. But raising and preparing a heifer to be a potential candidate for fulfilling the Biblical commandment requires know-how:  halachic, scientific and animal husbandry expertise,  The Temple Institute's partnership with an expert Israeli cattleman represents the perfect synthesis of Torah knowledge and scientific expertise... and faith. A true religious-Zionist enterprise! ...
• There is no halachic prerequisite that requires the original ashes

Finally, here is the short video included with the announcement:

I've written on this blog my understanding from what I've been taught about the red heifer in these Related Posts: 

• February 12, 2015: Check out this Red Heifer born in Texas. Is it connected to Bible Prophecy? – Video Post

• April 18, 2015: Did the "Dig" TV Show Get it Right? - The Bible Prophecy of the Red Heifer

Tweetables:

Temple Institute announces plans to raise a #RedHeifer in #Israel. #Prophecy (Tweet that!)

Experts say ashes of original #RedHeifer are not required to purify the #Temple in Jerusalem! #EndTimes (Tweet that!) 

Did the "Dig" TV Show Get it Right? - The Bible Prophecy of the Red Heifer

"Dig Panel at Comic-Con 2014" by chrisjortiz - IMG_9185.
Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons  

This week we've been looking at some intriguing topics brought up by the TV show Dig. In the first episode, as a matter of fact if I remember right it was the first scene of the first episode, we saw traditional Jewish men arriving at a snowy farm in Canada to inspect a newly born calf.

Again, I thought it was intriguing that the folks behind the TV show Dig portrayed the red heifer needed to fulfill Bible prophecy. (Tweet that!)

A heifer is defined as:

A young female cow; especially: one that has not had a calf (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

I previously wrote a little bit about the red heifer in the Bible in my article:

• Check Out this Red Heifer Born in Texas. Is it connected to Bible Prophecy? – Video Post

I wanted to revisit the topic and give more information. Every few years I hear of a lot of excitement about another red calf that has been born followed by flurry of activity by Jewish authorities. (Tweet that!) Jewish authorities need to inspect any such calf to see whether the calf qualifies as being red enough (limited number of other-colored hairs) to be the red heifer needed for the ceremony to purify the rebuilt Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. (Tweet that!)

Just this past week a new article emerged talking about another red heifer which might be THE red heifer. (Tweet that!) The article sums up the information so well I'll let you read it rather than try to recap it here:

• Times of Israel: A Passover sign from God?

My question is, if this heifer is two years old, as this article says, why are we just now hearing about it? (Tweet that!)

Here's another article with the same title on a different blog:

• Jewish Voice Blog: A Passover sign from God?

Again, the TV show Dig has opened an opportunity to talk about some of the details that need to occur in order for Bible prophecies to be fulfilled.

Related Articles:

• Did the "Dig" TV Show Get it Right? – Training Temple Priests in Israel to Fulfill Bible Prophecy

• Did the "Dig" TV Show Get it Right? – Tunnels Under the Temple Mount in Bible Prophecy

• February 12, 2015: Check out this Red Heifer born in Texas.Is it connected to Bible Prophecy? – Video Post

Did the "Dig" TV Show Get it Right? - Tunnels Under the Temple Mount in Bible Prophecy

"Dig Panel at Comic-Con 2014" by chrisjortiz - IMG_9185. 
Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons  

In the previous post, Did the "Dig" TV Show Get it Right? – Training Temple Priests in Israel to Fulfill Bible Prophecy, I gave an introduction to the TV show Dig and some of the little known pieces of information about Bible prophecy portrayed in the show. (Tweet that!)

Another tidbit of information is about the extensive network of tunnels that exist under the Temple Mount. (Tweet that!) Some of the scenes in the show take place in these tunnels.

I wrote an article about the Temple Mount tunnels previously on this blog here:

A Unique Glimpse: Tunnels Under the Temple Mount (May 27, 2014)

One very interesting belief about these tunnels is that this may be where the currently-missing Ark of the Covenant is located. (Tweet that!) Here is a portion of an article on the Temple Institute's site titled "Israeli Institute Prepares Priests for Jerusalem's Third Temple" (April 9, 2014):

Everything is ready, then, except two additional, small matters. The easy one, you'd be surprised, is the Ark of the Covenant. "The Second Temple didn't have an ark, either," Segel reminds me, and Friedman adds, "There are 10 studies about the location of the Ark of the Covenant. We read them and studied all of them, and reached the conclusion that the right answer is that it's buried in the tunnels under the Temple Mount. When the day comes, we will get to it."

(Tweet that!)

Image from IMDb.com 

I haven't been able to determine if the scenes portrayed in the tunnels were actually filmed in the tunnels under Jerusalem's Temple Mount (Tweet that!), but if so, it was very fun and intriguing to see some of these tunnels.

Related Article:

• Did the "Dig" TV Show Get it Right? – Training Temple Priests in Israel to Fulfill Bible Prophecy

Did the "Dig" TV Show Get it Right? – Training Temple Priests in Israel to Fulfill Bible Prophecy

"Dig Panel at Comic-Con 2014" by chrisjortiz - IMG_9185. 
Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons  

Have you been watching the new TV show Dig? It airs on the USA Network and the first episode ran March 5, 2015.

I was incredibly intrigued because the previews showed glimpses of Old Jerusalem.  So of course I had to watch and check it out.

Here is the recap of what the show is about from IMDb.com:

Peter, an FBI agent stationed in Jerusalem who, while investigating a murder of a young female archaeologist, uncovers a conspiracy 2000 years in the making.

I can't figure out why the United States Federal Bureau of Investigations, which I though investigated federal crimes here on U.S. soil, would have an agent or an office in Jerusalem, Israel. Don't think he'd have any jurisdiction in real life. Don't think he'd actually be "stationed" there in real life. But anyway, here at my house we watched the first episodes – I believe it was two and a half episodes.*

The opening of the pilot had me thrilled because the show started with what I thought might be little-known facts about the Bible even among Christians (Tweet that!), interesting tidbits that I've run across in my studies. For example these three items were portrayed:

• The training of priests from boyhood in a special location and their feet are not allowed to touch the ground. Ever.

• The extensive tunnels beneath the Temple Mount.

• And the red heifer.

These are things that I believe most people don't know about (especially #1 and #3). I think even most Christians who study the Bible faithfully may not know much about these details. (Tweet that!) So it caused me to wonder who is behind this TV show? It made me want to research that, which I haven't done yet. But I thought it would be interesting to talk a bit about these three items here on the blog, so we're doing that this week in this post and the next two.

I was amazed that the creators of the show had in place the training of a special priest who has been raised from birth to perform a certain function (not yet revealed on the show).  I had heard years ago that there is a school in Jerusalem that is training young boys to be priests and perform all the duties of the Jewish Temple (Tweet that!), should it be rebuilt or when it is rebuilt.

As you can imagine, a lot of training that would need to be done in order to properly perform all the sacrifices and ceremonies properly. These are jobs that have not been performed since 70 A.D. when the Herod's Temple (the Second Temple) was destroyed. (Tweet that!)

I also heard at that time years ago that for at least some of these young boys, and I'm not clear if this was all of them or just certain positions such as, perhaps, the High Priest, that these boys were never to allow their feet to touch the ground. They were to keep themselves that holy. I remember finding and reading an article about it at the time which I wanted to share with you here, but I was unable to find it. Perhaps that is now controversial as it is made to be considered abusive as it is portrayed in the TV show.

As a matter of fact, in the first episode one of the boys so longed to be outside and to walk on grass that he did, and then this young child was ruthlessly shot in the head by the weird, cult-ish, evil, homicidal "Christians." It was extremely sick how Christians are portrayed on the show, which unfortunately is not unusual for Hollywood. But no worries, they have another boy to take the first one’s place – an identical boy, no doubt a clone.

Anyway, back to real life: Here is one article I found about the training of priests to serve in the rebuilt Temple. (It does not mention the restriction from touching the ground though.)

• Hanukkah at Temple Institute: Working to Rebuild the Temple (Nov 25, 2013)

Image from IMDb.com 

At any rate, whoever is behind this TV show has done some deep research which I find fascinating. It's just too bad they are doing so much ugly with it.

*As I said, we watched two and half episodes. I'm pretty sure it was the third episode that opened with a sex scene (not the first one in the series) that was more graphic than we care to watch – between the main character/FBI Agent (Jason Isaacs) and his boss (Anne Heche). We sat through that reluctantly, but later in the same episode there was a short scene in a gay bar (yeah, in Jerusalem) followed by a scene where two men were ripping their clothes off and we didn't stick around to watch any more of that.

So we're done with the TV show Dig at my house and I can't recommend that you watch it. But it opened up a good opportunity to discuss some little known information about Bible prophecy of the rebuilt Temple. (Tweet that!) We'll talk about it more in the next post.

Check out this Red Heifer born in Texas. Is it connected to Bible Prophecy? – Video Post

Calf born  on (or around) September 20, 2014
 in Pennsylvania

Okay, today's video is going to be fun. (Tweet that!) I know some people are going to laugh and mock this one. But still…

Check out these two calves that have been born in September 2014. The black and white one was born on or around September 20, 2014.

The red calf was born on September 25, 2014, which was the first day of the Jewish New Year, that's day #1 of the Shemitah year. (Tweet that!)

This video is an interview with the owners of the red calf by the Jim Bakker Show and discusses why these calves may hold significant meaning and might be connected to Bible prophecy.

The video mentions Genesis 41 where Joseph interprets Pharaoh's dream of seven healthy cows born followed by seven sickly cows. (Tweet that!)

Red calf born day one of the Shemitah year,
the Jewish New Year,
September 25, 2014.

When I saw the title for this video, I thought it would be something different. Every so often I hear of the Red Heifer and rumors that the one prophesied in the Bible may have been born. If you don't know about this, there is a need for a perfect Red Heifer in order to open and dedicate the rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem. (Tweet that!) But "perfect" means it must have only a small number of hairs of a different color. With a large white "7" on its forehead, I knew this calf couldn't possibly be that one. (We should talk about that prophecy another time.) 

So I thought that's what this video was about when I clicked on it. Boy was I surprised. It was something quite different. 

But I still thought this video was fun and interesting as it talks about these two calves born recently, on or near a significant date connected to Bible prophecy, with the number 7 unmistakably on their foreheads. (Tweet that!) See what you think.

Jim Bakker Show 

"Mystery of the Red Heifer"

runs 17 minutes