The Jewish Return to Zion
* school jewishstudies1. Background
- Cyrus the Great issued a decree allowing the Jews to return to Israel.
- Their return occurred in three main phases.
1.1. First Phase of Return (538 BCE)
- Jehoiachin, Sheshbazzar, Zerubbabel, and the priest Jeshua led a small group back to Jerusalem.
- They brought with them the temple vessels, restored the temple foundations, and resumed sacrificial worship.
- This initial return laid the foundation for future waves of immigration.
- This event may reflect Ezekiel’s Prophecy of the Dry Bones (see: Ezekiel), symbolizing the spiritual restoration of Jerusalem.
1.2. TODO Second Phase of Return (522 BCE) DRAFT
- During the reign of Darius I, another group of about 42,000 Jews returned to the Land of Israel.
1.3. TODO Third Phase of Return (458 BCE) DRAFT
-TODO: section on the samaritans
- The final major return was led by Ezra (458 BCE) and Nehemiah (445 BCE).
- Ezra led a spiritual revival and restored the centrality of the Torah.
- He established the tradition of public weekly Torah readings.
- Before Ezra, temple worship had been the primary religious focus; afterward, Torah study became accessible to all Jews, not only priests.
- Nehemiah rebuilt Jerusalem’s walls, providing the returning community with security and stability.
2. Elsewhere
2.1. References
2.2. In my garden
Notes that link to this note (AKA backlinks).