Shivat Tzion: Ezra, Nehemiah, and the Challenges of Restoring a Nation

In this course, we will learn about the period of the Return to Zion through a study of the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, and through the study of selected prophecies from the books of Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. This period of the return to Zion from the Babylonian exile is characterized by a wide range of challenges. The returnees strove to rebuild the Temple and reestablish Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel, but were forced to deal with opposition from enemies, as well as internal challenges such as intermarriage, economic hardship, and social tensions between different groups.

We will learn about this critical biblical period and its challenges, and about the political and spiritual leaders who led the people in the process of renewal and consolidation in the Land. We will deepen our study by combining archaeological research from Israel and Babylon.

We will also examine similarities between the biblical Return to Zion and the Return to Zion of our generation. These similarities raise existential questions which Jews were forced to confront in ancient times, that we continue to grapple with today.

Commencing on October 26, 2025, this Master's level course comprises 12 asynchronous units and 2 Zoom lessons. It can be taken as an accredited course toward the Herzog International Master's degree in Teaching Tanakh & Parshanut, and it also qualifies for 3 credits toward our Tanakh Teaching Certificate Program.