Living Torah Archives

In Temple times, Jews from far and wide would make the annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem to celebrate the festival of Sukkos. The last of them would return home some two weeks after the festival on the seventh of Cheshvan, and the prayer for rain was delayed until then.

In Temple times, the seventh day of the month of Cheshvan meant that the festivals of the month of Tishrei were well and truly behind us. It was the date that the last of the pilgrims would return home from Jerusalem.

While discussing the laws of the Red Heifer, Maimonides goes on to detail by whom each of them were ministered. Maimonides writes that the tenth and final Red Heifer will be ministered by Moshiach, “may he be revealed speedily – Amen, so may it be God’s will.”