The Red Heifer

Before you can build a Temple or conduct Temple Services, you have to cleanse the area of the Temple from corpse impurity as described in Bamidbar (Numbers) 19. Not only will the Temple Mount have to be cleansed but also all who would participate in the services, including the kohanim (priests) Levites, and Jews entering within the Inner courtyards. The Ceremony takes seven days. The process of how this was and will be accomplished is described for us in Tractate Parah from the Mishnah as well as a corresponding Tractate Parah in the Tosefta, There are many difficulties in securing a Red Heifer, in Hebrew known as the Parah Adumah. First the heifer must be completely red, with careful inspection of even the roots of the hair inspected. In addition the cow must be free of blemishes or scars of any type. The handling of the cow must also be done with extreme care as it is very easy to disqualify the cow.

In the past ashes from previous red heifers were mixed together with a newly slain cow giving a ready supply of ashes to cleanse those requiring it. The kohanim participating in the ceremony must be free from corpse impurity. In order to accomplish this the participating kohanim were sprinkled with the available ashes. Following their sprinkling through the seven days, then they were sequestered within the Azarah in a chamber within the Beit haNtzotz (House of the Spark or Flame) known as the Beit Even (House of Stone) for an additional seven days. However, if a time arose, such as today, where the ashes of the previous heifers was not available, provision was made where women who were kohanim and pregnant would go to a house within Jerusalem, built over bedrock and arches, give birth and remain in this house until the children were ole enough to conduct the ceremony and a qualified red heifer was available.

The ceremony of the slaughtering and burning of the cow was conducted on Har haMishchah (Mount of Anointing) with a ramp (kevesh) leading from the main eastern gate (Shaar Mizrachi alav Shushan haBirah – The Eastern gate on which was depicted the Palace of Susa) to ehe location where the Heifer was to be slain. Their was a mikvah at the location as well as a room where one third of the ashes were stored. The cow crossed the ramp in front of the participating kohanim and elders of Jerusalem (Sanhedrin Members) to the location. A special pyre of wood, built like a tower (migdal) was constructed. The cow was slain, laid on the pyre with its body south to north, the head to the south and the face to the west (in the direction of the Holy of Holies). The kohen who slaughtered her stood to the east facing the west. Not only did he slaughter the heifer but was required to catch her blood. He takes the blood and faces the Temple. He is required to see the Great Gate (within the Ulam – Porch) as this is the entrance to the Heical/haKodesh (the middle room of the Temple) which was also the ohel Moed (Tent of Meeting). Using his right index finger he must dip, pop his blood soaked finger like a whip seven times towards the Ohel Moed. He must out loud count each time he whips his finger. The cow is then burnt. When the cow burst open from the fire, the kohen will toss a cedar stick wrapped with shani tolat (crimson) cloth and hyssop into the carcass of the cow, When all is burnt, other kohanim will gather the ashes, pounding the bones into dust, and collect them into a vessel made from the dung of the cow. The kohen who slaughtered and burned the heifer, was initially clean from the ceremony has now become unclean and must go to the mikvah, immerse and wait until the sun sets before he is clean again.

Several young kohanim free from corpse impurity were required to draw water for the ceremony from the Shiloach Pool at the bottom of the City of David. These young priests (at least eight years old) rode upon large doors on the backs of oxen to the pool. There they gathered the water and made the climb on the backs of the oxen to the Temple Mount. A stone pot was filled with this water, a handful of ashes were dropped on top of the water and a pine cone was lowered into the bottom of the pot. A rope was tied to the pine cone on one end while the other end was tied to a stick. The stick was placed between the horns of a ram. The ram was swatted causing him to jump, jerking his head and pulling the pine cone out of the pot, spilling water with ashes on the floor of the Temple. This ceremony required seven days. The first day a declaration was made with water spilt on the third and seventh days.

An individual who needed to be cleansed repeated the seven day process of the sprinkling described above. This is only a brief summary of the ceremony of the Red Heifer.