Temple Institute Says Red Heifer Burning Was Only an Exercise and Its Ashes Are Invalid

In a statement responding to claims online, the Temple Institute said the July red heifer burning in Samaria was "only an exercise" and that "all of the ashes are completely ineligible", because the heifer was defective, the priest's garments were not consecrated and valid ashes can only be made on the Mount of Olives. It said ash samples were collected by people who were ritually impure, and that four red heifers remain under observation at Shiloh. The nascent Sanhedrin said it relied completely on the Institute's statement.