avatarCindy Steinberg (she/her)

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Holy Cow: Christian Nationalists Think the Red Heifer Ritual Will Bring About Armageddon

Photo by Steward Masweneng on Unsplash

As a Jew, I’ve gotten used to being blamed for everything. Literally everything. Marxism, atheism, inflation, abortion, and even the atom bomb.

Most of these conspiracies have Christian roots, stemming from the original antisemitic conspiracy, that we killed Jesus. But Christian nationalists have used their own holiday to come up with yet another thing Jews are guilty of: the end of the world.

Today, as millions of people celebrate Easter by hunting for colorful eggs, Jews gather in Israel for an ancient holy practice in their most holiest of places, the Temple Mount.

A place shared with their Muslim cousins, where it is said that their prophet, Mohammed, ascended to Heaven. And the site where the Hebrew temple once stood, before it was destroyed by the original colonizers, the Romans.

But today is unlike any other day in over two thousand years. Because right now an ancient rite is being practiced once more, perhaps out of desperation as much as hope. I’m talking about the sacrifice of the Red Heifer.

Being an atheist myself, I’ve never put much stock in superstitions. But growing up in a Jewish household, religion was as much a part of my identity as pasta is to Italians or ikigai is to the Japanese.

Having had our entire culture stolen from us over and over again for thousands of years, persecution has become the only culture we really have left. To connect with each other over what makes us Jewish, our elders turn to the religion which tells us about our heroes, Moses, Isaac, Abraham, etc.

Perhaps in keeping with this tradition of unity through shared mythology, the rabbis in Jerusalem are preparing to sacrifice four red heifers on what Christians call Easter, but which Jews know to be “Pesach,” or Passover.

But what is the Red Heifer Sacrifice about?

Israel has imported five rare cows from Texas, believed by some to hold the “key to fulfilling ancient biblical prophecy.” One of which has been found unsuitable, while the other four have been cared for, groomed and protected with meticulous discipline. Reportedly, a massive altar has been prepared in Jerusalem for the ritual, which dates back to the time of Moses.

The Temple Institute’s efforts to fulfil biblical prophecy have also sparked political tensions in the occupied West Bank. These red heifers, believed necessary for rebuilding the Third Temple in Jerusalem, are seen as a provocative symbol by Muslims worldwide including the Palestinians.

Partly because the proposed location for the third temple, the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City, is also home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock shrine, two of the holiest sites in Islam.

Palestinians claim that the sacrifice indicates Israel’s intent to destroy the two Muslim shrines and begin construction of the Third Temple.

According to Jewish tradition, a perfectly red (no presence of any other colors) heifer cow is required for purification before the Third Temple can be built, in preparation for the coming of the Messiah.

The red heifers took years to find. Israel hired an American rancher to look for the rare cows, which are not just rare due to their coloring, but also because of the requirements of the ritual. The cows can never have been yoked or used for work, or leaned on by a person, cannot have any blemishes or markings, and must be younger than three years old.

In Jewish tradition, the Red Heifer sacrifice is detailed in the Torah, as well as the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. According to the text, a red heifer cow, “without blemish,” was sacrificed and its ashes were used in purification rituals of Jews.

The ashes were used to cleanse a person from ritual impurity, particularly those who had come into contact with a corpse. The Red Heifer is a symbol of purity and the restoration of ritual cleanliness in the Jewish faith.

The Christian Apocalypse Conspiracy

The Book of Numbers in the Bible (based on the Torah) prescribes specific instructions for the sacrifice of the Red Heifer and the use of its ashes in purification rituals.

This ritual is seen as a foreshadowing of the ultimate purification through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ in Christian theology.

Numerous prophecies in the Hebrew Bible, particularly in the books of Ezekiel and Daniel, speak of the rebuilding of the Temple and its central role in what Christians call the end times.

“Speak unto the children of Israel,” the Lord commanded, “that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came a yoke.” The cow will be given to a priest to slay, the Lord continued, and burned on a pyre of cedar, hyssop, and a strand of scarlet thread. Then the ashes of the heifer will be mixed with water and used to purify those who have been exposed to death. Anyone who fails to be purified “shall be cut off from among the congregation, because he hath defiled the sanctuary of the Lord.”

Many Christians interpret these prophecies allegorically, believing that the Third Temple symbolizes the spiritual dwelling place of God within believers and that its reconstruction will mark the second coming of Christ.

Naturally, fascists have latched onto doomsday predictions, claiming that Israel is about to start a war with the entire Middle East that will result in Armageddon.

Such ridiculous accusations have been made before, and they ended with the systematic genocide of six million Jews in Europe.

Red Heifer
Israel
Israel Palestine Conflict
Islam
Christian Nationalism
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