Second Red Heifer Calf Born in Golan Heights Ahead of Tisha B'Av Sparks Halachic Debate

The National Institute for the Study of the Red Heifer announced the birth of a second red heifer calf in the Golan Heights shortly before Tisha B'Av. This calf was born in the herd of Shay Gevaon, the institute's herdsman, who also discovered the previous red heifer about a month and a half ago near the Hukkat site. The new calf was born without an ear tag, a detail that may impact its halachic status. Gevaon noted increased interest across diverse Jewish communities in Israel and abroad, calling this a historic period for the topic of the red heifer and the restoration of purity in Israel.

In parallel, two additional red heifers were inseminated in ancient Shiloh this week, with hopes to eventually establish a herd of red heifers. The timing of the birth near Tisha B'Av adds symbolic significance for the institute. However, the calf’s birth as a twin to a male calf raises a complex halachic issue known as "freemartin," where shared blood circulation between twins can cause infertility in the female calf. This condition, which affects about 98% of such cases, may disqualify the calf from fulfilling the red heifer commandment.

Rabbi Azaria Ariel, head of the institute’s Beit Midrash, explained that the question is whether an internal congenital defect, invisible externally, invalidates the calf’s ritual purity. The decision will be made collectively by the institute’s rabbinical court of about 20 rabbis and later reviewed by leading halachic authorities. Meanwhile, the first red heifer is still under examination; it was tagged shortly after birth, but the mark has mostly healed. The institute aims to publish a comprehensive four-volume halachic study titled "The Red Heifer According to Halacha" within a year, summarizing a decade of research.