The Red Heifer

Information on the Red Heifer from the Temple Institute in Jerusalem. The Red Heifer

The Hamas attack on Israel October 7, 2023 which has begun the current Middle East conflict was claimed to have been started because Red Heifers were given to Israel for the purpose of re-initiating the Jewish sacrifices which have ceased since the 2nd Temple was destroyed in the year 70 AD.

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Question asked using AI:

How many red heifers were slain in the Tanakh (The Old Testament)?

Answer:

In the Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible), the specific number of red heifers sacrificed according to the biblical instructions is not explicitly stated. However, the most well-known instance is the one associated with Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, as described in Numbers 19. This event marks the establishment of the ritual for purification from impurity related to death.

The red heifer sacrifice was a rare and highly specific ritual, required only when necessary for the purification purposes outlined in the Torah. The Mishnah, a Jewish text containing oral traditions, mentions that nine red heifers were prepared from the time of Moses until the Second Temple period:

– One by Moses (as per the narrative in Numbers).
– Seven more during the time of the First Temple.
– The ninth was prepared by the priest Elazar ben Arach, just before the destruction of the Second Temple.

Additionally, it is believed by some that a tenth red heifer will be needed in the Messianic era, according to Jewish eschatology. However, this is a matter of future prophecy and not an historical event recorded in the Tanakh.