Revisiting the Return: Ezra-Nehemiah through a Modern Lens
Ezra-Nehemiah is a sefer that describes a particularly confusing time period in the larger context of Tanakh. Prophetic guidance is dissipating and the Jewish nation must learn to rely on their own intuition in order to be redeemed from exile. In her new book “Ezra-Nehemiah: Retrograde Revolution,” Yael Leibowitz analyzes the choices that leaders make in order to preserve the culture of a changing Jewish society that struggles with returning to its homeland.
Ezra, Nehemiah and Haggai contribute to the Jewish people’s return to Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the Temple. They guide the nation to take meaningful action in the face of poverty, famine and uncertainty. These sefarim are the last ones that take place on the timeline of Tanakh, and they conclude Tanakh on a hopeful note. Despite the troubles of exile, the Jewish people return to the land and rebuild, albeit on a much smaller scale. Leibowitz’s work is valuable as a companion book, as it provides further context and thoughtful analysis of the sefer.
A key point to which Leibowitz returns throughout her book is that the sefer of Ezra-Nehemiah focuses on the people in Israel rather than those who stayed behind in the Diaspora. While the text does not blame them for staying back, they are not central to the story. Rather, the sefer is about the failings and resilience of the people who did decide to return, despite having no money and no Temple.
One notable feature of this generation is that Judaism develops rapidly to adapt to their needs. Leibowitz contextualizes these religious developments by explaining that the Jews of this time are in a moment of crisis; they are stuck in a city over which they do not have sovereignty, and they have no direct guidance for how to proceed, whether it be from a king or a prophet. In order to adjust to this new reality, the leaders put new edicts and barriers around their community and practices in order to maintain their faith and culture. For example, they institute new rules regarding Shabbos and marriage in order to protect the sanctity of these religious institutions in a world without prophetic guidance.
While Leibowitz’s book focuses on the past, her contextualization of Ezra-Nehemiah helps the reader realize that there are stark parallels between the Second Temple period and the present. The time period of Ezra-Nehemiah is defined by a lack of prophecy, a splitting of the nation as some return to Israel and the numerous issues of outside influence that arise in the Diaspora. All of these themes are relevant to a contemporary audience.
The people of Ezra and Nehemiah’s generation didn’t have prophets, so they learned to look back to the story of the Jews returning to Israel and the laws in the Torah to guide them. This skill is something that has carried Jews throughout various exiles; as a generation that is also bereft of prophets, we too look back to ancient texts for guidance. In addition to the five books of the Torah, we are equipped with texts like Ezra-Nehemiah and others of that generation which describe the complex issues, feelings and responses of Jews in the Diaspora.
The sefer of Ezra-Nehemiah, along with Leibowitz’s interpretation of it, gives us room to forgive ourselves for our conflicting thoughts. Leibowitz helps the reader understand that we are not the only generation in Jewish history to feel that we have to adapt to preserve our culture nor are we the only generation to have the resilience to combat those who would stand against us in a time when our future is not projected to us by prophets.
For anyone who wants to read Ezra-Nehemiah and understand its context and its contemporary relevance, this book is for you.
Editor’s Note: Updated on March 19 for accuracy.
Photo Caption: Ezra-Nehemia: Retrograde Revolution
Photo Credit: Shayna Rose
