The priest came down from the altar and lit the fire. The heifer was placed on the fire. The priest picked up the three ingredients required by the Bible to throw into the fire: cedar wood, hyssop, and wool dyed with scarlet.
Lifting each item, the priest faced the people assembled there, and asked out loud:
"This cedar? This cedar? This cedar?"
"This hyssop? This hyssop? This hyssop?"
"This crimson dye? This crimson dye? This crimson dye?"
Each time he asked the question, the people would shout: "Yes! Yes! Yes!"
This was done because there are many different types of cedar, hyssop, and crimson dye. There are seven different varieties of the cedar tree alone! There are four species of hyssop, and the scarlet dye used for the red heifer was obtained from a particular type of worm, though it can be produced from other sources as well. It was important to publically confirm that the types used by the priest were the types required by Scripture.
He wrapped the hyssop together with the cedar inside the crimson wool, and threw it into the belly of the heifer - as it is written, "and he shall throw it into the fire of the heifer." |
