The Temple Institute, an organization in Israel, announced on Tuesday that red heifers brought from Texas by the organization Boneh Israel, in partnership with Jews and Christians, are not suitable for the purification ceremony described in the Bible
The statement said that the three weeks of mourning for the destruction of the two Holy Temples in Jerusalem have ended, but the Temple Institute’s work to rebuild the Temple and resume religious services continues.
For over 20 years, the organization has been searching for a red heifer that meets biblical requirements.
This animal must be a completely red female cow, with no more than one non-red hair on its entire body.
In the Bible, “red” includes shades such as brown but excludes black.
All hairs must be the same color, the animal must be two years and one month old, free of defects such as ear piercings, and must never have carried weight.
In September 2022, Boneh Israel found five candidates in Texas and brought them to Israel.
However, all were disqualified for having more than one non-red hair.
“The rules for a red heifer are very strict, and unfortunately, all our efforts so far have been thwarted by non-red hairs,” the Institute explained.
Even so, the organization said it will continue trying.
Besides finding a suitable heifer, the purification process is complex.
The cow must be sacrificed and burned to ash, which requires a bonfire capable of reaching very high temperatures-a challenge that has required extensive research.
Priests (kohanim) who have never been in contact with the impurity of a dead body (tamei met) must perform the ceremony.
This means finding home-born kohanim who have never entered hospitals or cemeteries.
The Institute has already located priests who meet these criteria.
Just posted on The Temple Institute”s Facebook page”?
? MissWeebeastie “”””? (@Weebeastie6) August 5, 2025
3 WEEK DIARY: WORK OF THE TEMPLE INSTITUTE: THE RED HEIFER
The three weeks of intensified focus and adoption of customs of mourning over the destruction of the two Holy Temples in Jerusalem have ended. But our recap of? pic.twitter.com/WOoXQPIkxk
Other necessary items include pure water from the Shiloach spring in the City of David, cedar wood, hyssop (a plant), and wool dyed red with an insect called tola’at shani.
Fortunately, these materials are readily available.
The burning of the heifer must take place on the Mount of Olives, in a location where the priest can see the entrance to the Temple Sanctuary (or where it once stood).
Recently, the Institute conducted a test burning of one of the disqualified Texas heifers.
“This experience better prepares us for the ceremony with a kosher heifer,” the organization stated.
The Institute emphasized that finding the purifying ashes of the red heifer will be a major step toward rebuilding the Temple and resuming rituals, but it faces strong opposition, including from Israel’s enemies and even from some within the country itself.
An example of this opposition came from Abu Obeida, military spokesman for the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas.
In a television appearance on the 100th day of the Israel-Gaza war, he stated that the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, dubbed the “Flood of Al Aqsa,” was motivated by the arrival of red heifers in Israel.
He accused Israel of planning to destroy the Al Aqsa Mosque to build the Temple.
The Institute explained that it is refraining from disclosing too many details about its work due to opposition and also because it has not yet found a suitable heifer, despite all its efforts.
Some supporters expressed frustration, as there are many breeds of red cattle in the world, and thousands of potential heifers are born each year.
The Institute acknowledged that with a larger budget, it could expand its efforts and perhaps find a heifer more quickly.
Still, the organization maintains faith that a suitable heifer will be found “when God sees fit.” In the meantime, the work continues with determination.
Published in 08/07/2025 09h12
Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption.
Reference article:
| Geoprocessing Drone Systems HPC |
| ERP and CRM Systems Mobile Systems AI |