When will Israel sacrifice the red heifers and what will happen afterwards ?
A number of religious Israelis have been seen engaging in the ceremonial practice of the red heifer, a ceremony that symbolizes the imminent construction of a new Jewish temple on the grounds of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
In Jewish tradition , the ritual purification required for the construction of a third temple in Jerusalem necessitates the use of ashes from a fully red heifer cow.
According to extremist Jewish groups, the temple should be built on the elevated hill in Jerusalem's Old City called the ‘’Temple Mount’’, where the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock shrine currently exist.
There are individuals who hold the belief that this event will mark the coming of the messiah and potentially the end of the world.
"Temple worshipers are now practising the mitzvah [religious duty] of a red cow in front of the Temple Mount, which will enable the return of purity and the observance of all the temple mitzvahs," Journalist Yinon Magal posted, accompanied by a photograph of activists affiliated with the Temple Institute.
Religious Israeli settlers engage in the red heifer ritual with a replica cow in the vicinity of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
Five red heifers were transported from a Texas ranch to Israel in 2022 and are currently housed in an archaeological park adjacent to Shilo, an illegal Israeli settlement in close proximity to the Palestinian city of Nablus.
The Temple Institute acquired the heifers with the intention of utilizing them in a ceremonial practice. This came after an extensive quest to find cows that were completely devoid of ‘’all imperfections’’, including any stray white or black hairs.
Advocates argue that the Jewish people's future killing of the red heifers on the Mount of Olives will enable their purification, thereby enabling them to carry out rituals and worship at the site of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
A study conducted by a professor at Bar Ilan University approximated that the ashes of a single cow might be transformed into a sufficient amount of cleansing water for 660 billion purifications.
The cow being practiced upon in Magal's image does not seem to be one of the five red heifers from Shilo. Instead, it appears to be a cutout.
The Mount of Olives, which is traditionally used for the rite, can be observed in the backdrop, situated on the opposite side of Al-Aqsa Mosque. This indicates that the practice run took place within the Old City.
The status quo in Jerusalem has long maintained that Jewish prayer is prohibited on the elevated area in the occupied region of East Jerusalem.
It is believed that the site is the place where two ancient Jewish temples were situated. Jewish individuals are authorized to engage in prayer at the Western Wall, a structure that spans one side of the hill and is regarded to be the last remaining section of the Second Jewish Temple, which was demolished by the Romans in 70 CE.
Non-Muslims have been restricted from entering the mosque since the Ottoman Empire created the status quo in 1757, which designated Jerusalem's sacred sites to specific religious groups.
Since 1921, the Chief Rabbinate of Jerusalem has issued an official prohibition on Jews entering Al-Aqsa compound( the ‘’Temple Mount’’). The ruling states that Jews are prohibited from entering the site unless it is “ritually clean”, which can only be achieved by having the ashes of a red heifer.
In the last century, religious Zionist organizations, such as the Temple Institute, have supported the idea of Jewish worship being allowed at Al-Aqsa. Some individuals within these groups have even proposed the demolition of the mosque and the subsequent ‘’rebuilding of the temple.’’