From: 	 heb_roots_chr@mail.geocities.com
Sent: 	 Wednesday, September 24, 1997 11:05 PM
To: 	 Hebraic Heritage Newsgroup
Subject: How Now Red Cow

To:            heb_roots_chr@geocities.com
Subject:       Red Cow Appears
From:          (Elizabeth Saez)

News - Moment Magazine (October 1997) pg. 35
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                            How Now Red Cow

The Israelis have a little less than two years in which to figure
out what to do about Melody, the red cow.

Red cows are not exactly business as usual in the Holy Land.
According to those who keep track of such things, the las red 
cow anyone can remember was born 2,000 years ago.

Even more important, some of the Orthodox community regard
Melody's appearance as signaling the coming of the Messiah.

This all has something to do with the so-called laws of the red
cow, which appear in Numbers, and which are so complicated 
and poorly understood that Solomon himself, wisest of them all, 
supposedly threw up his hands, declaring that "I said I would be 
wise, but is is far from me."

Later Rashi declared primly that it was not for us to question
the laws, and that if we were having trouble it was our fault, not His.
Be that as it may, according to Numbers 19:22, the ashes of a red
cow, when slaughtered by a high priest at age three, were used as
purification during the Second Temple period. Presumably, the appearance
of a red cow now means purification potential for the entire nation is
not far behind.

At least, that's what some think. Gershon Solomon, founder of a
group dedicated to building a Third Temple on the site of the Temple
Mount, has hailed the rosy bovine as "yet another sigh that Jews will
achieve redemption."

Of course, Melody's not really red - she's more of a dark auburn.
Worse than that, according to some rabbis, she has a few white hairs -
according to the law, a red cow must be a completely red cow to qualify.

Still, there's no question she's making people nervous.
Meanwhile, Melody continues to graze and chew her cud at 
Kfar Hassidim, the moshav in the northern Israel where she was 
born, keeping her secrets to herself. 

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