Revealing the Secrets of the Parah Adumah

This Shabbat is Shabbat Parah. It is the third of four special Shabbats begiining with Shekalim, Zachor, this week parah and then HaChodesh. Explain each    Yesterday morning we were discussing the Keli Yakar - R Shlomo Ephraim ben Aaron Luntschitz b’1550 - served as the Rabbi of Prague from 1604 to 1619 and is buried next to the Maharal who passed away ten years prior – and his comments on the Red Heifer   Adinah then sent me an article by CBS news and I looked to see who else is reporting on the same. We have all seen stories of Red Heifers – apparently there is a farm in Texas …  In September 2022, five red heifers were flown from the state of Texas to the land of Israel. Farm owned by a Christian who raises Red Angus looking for the Parah Adumah –  Since that time, one of them has been disqualified, but the other four continue to be candidates for a red heifer sacrifice.  As I discussed last week, there was 'a practice run of the purification ceremony' in 2023. But an official ceremony must be conducted before the heifers get too old to be used for such a sacrifice.  So will a red heifer be sacrificed in Israel in 2024? Accordingto CBS News, a 'massive altar' has already been constructed.  I was absolutely floored when I first saw that. A red heifer sacrifice would need to happen on the Mount of Olives, and the land where the sacrifice would take place is owned by Rabbi Yitshak Mamo.  According to those working on the project, the ceremony of the red heifer needs to be performed on the Mount of Olives, and in a place that would have looked directly into where the Temple stood. The land directly east of the Temple Mount, purchased 12 years ago, meets both of those standards. Rabbi Yitshak Mamo owns that land on the Mount of Olives. R' Mamo is with Uvne Yerusalim, a group that preserves Israel's history and works to educate future generations.  Concerning the specifics of the land, he told CBN News, 'It had to be exactly at the front of the place that the priest that made this ceremony can see the Holy of the Holy Place.'  But the clock is ticking. If the heifers get too old, they will no longer qualify.