Arabic → English transcript

The birth of a red heifer in Galilee

is news that may seem ordinary at first glance,

but the Temple Institute in Israel

describes it as a divine sign

linked to the ongoing war

on the northern front.

According to what the Institute announced,

this heifer was born

on a dairy farm in Galilee,

and they say it fully matches

the biblical specifications required to perform

purification rituals.

Why does a heifer receive all this attention?

According to the beliefs adopted by

the so-called Temple groups,

the red heifer is not just a rare animal,

but is considered an essential condition

for purification before ascending

to what they call the Temple Mount,

meaning entering Al-Aqsa Mosque,

and then destroying it

to build the alleged Third Temple.

Over the past years,

the Institute has announced more than once

the discovery of heifers of which it was said

that they meet the required conditions.

The Temple groups also imported

five red heifers from the United States

in 2022,

but the controversy over whether they meet the religious conditions

has continued since.

But the most important question is...

How did the birth of a cow turn into an event that goes beyond the religious dimension

to reach the controversy over Al-Aqsa Mosque?

This question and others

I present to the Professor of Jerusalem Studies,

Dr. Abdullah Marouf.

Dr. Abdullah, welcome, Doctor.

Let's start with the first question.

What makes this red heifer so important

to the Temple groups?

For them, this cow is

the divine sign awaited for 2,000 years

for the process of so-called purification from the impurity of the dead.

The impurity of the dead means a special kind of impurity that occurs when touching a corpse.

Therefore, the existence of this red heifer means it is possible

to perform the purification ritual with its ashes,

through which all Jews can enter the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.

We are talking here about 1.3 million Haredim

who adhere to this fatwa.

Now, regarding the Christian groups,

specifically Evangelical Christians,

these groups believe that the very existence of the cow

is a sign of the imminent descent of the awaited Messiah.

Well, Doctor, this cow, which they consider a religious symbol,

how do we connect it to the ongoing controversy surrounding Al-Aqsa Mosque?

I mean, the dispute regarding entering the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque

is an old dispute between extremist groups and the traditional rabbinate.

The traditional rabbinate of Israel still adheres to this day

to the traditional ruling stating that no Jew is allowed to enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque area.

The extremist Temple groups have, of course, established their own Sanhedrin council,

or a new council of senior rabbis, composed of a number of West Bank rabbis,

and they went against this ruling, adopting a new theory that says

they are the great hand of God on this earth and are only executing the Lord's will.

Consequently, this has created an internal conflict among religious groups in Israel.

This prompts the question of what we expect to happen inside Israel in the coming period

after the birth and identification of this cow.

The farmer where this cow was born pierced its ear.

According to Jewish law, this means it is no longer suitable.

Therefore, a meeting has now taken place between several rabbis actually belonging to the official rabbinate

to monitor the hole in this cow's ear and inspect all of its hairs,

to ensure that this hole heals on its own and that all of its hair remains red.

And if we assume that this happened and they carried out this process,

this would necessarily mean that 1.3 million Haredim will storm Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Thank you, Dr. Abdullah, for these answers.

And the question for you now, our viewers:

Do you think the interest in the red heifer stems solely from a religious belief,

or has its symbolism also become linked to the ongoing debate over the future of Al-Aqsa Mosque?