e-TiM: Online Program
e-TiM: From King Cyrus to Lord Balfour: The Biblical Texts of the Temple Period

Topics to be Discussed 

Part 1: Introduction: The Biblical definition of a 'Messianic' time period ( "reishit tzmichat geulateinu"): The famous Cyrus Declaration- and its historic and prophetic setting, including an brief overview of the Biblical books that discuss the time period of Ezra, Chagai & Zecharya

Part 2: Yeshayahu chapters 40-48: Who's the prophet and who's the audience? Can an Orthodox Jew entertain the possibility of more than one Isaiah, and can a Relgious Zionist deny it?

Part 3: Yirmiyahu's prophecy of "the 70 years" and its ramifications during the time period of "Shivat Tzion"

Part 4: The book of Ezra--why it is often misunderstood (and rarely studied). And why it should become part of the core-curriculum in our Jewish Education

Part 5: Is the Jewish year really 5781? How the Biblical books of shivat tzion became its source (and the reason for the controversy)

Part 6: The book of Chagai, and the Biblical roots of how and when we celebrate Chanuka

Part 7: From the concept of 'House for God' in Sefer Breishit, to the desire to rebuild the Temple in Sefer Zecharya

Part 8: How the book of Chronicles 'sets the stage' for understanding the prophetic purpose of the book of Ezra

Part 9: Zecharya chapters 1-6: The vision of the Menorah and the special relevance of the Haftara for Chanuka, as well as exploring it as the symbol of the modern state of Israel

Part 10: Zecharya chapters 7 & 8:  the reason for the 'Four Fasts' commemorating Jerusalem's destruction

Part 11: Chapter 6 & 7 in Sefer Ezra in Light of Chapter 7 & 8 in Sefer Zecharya

Part 12: The 'missing years' of the Second Temple Period & their 'prophetic' Purpose

Part 13: Ezra’s Aliyah, what he found and what he accomplished [Ezra chapters 7-10] :

Part 14: Nechemya’s Aliyah, what he found and what he accomplished

Part 16: Who was Achashverosh of Megillat Esther, and why it makes a difference

Feb. 7, Part 17: Megillat Esther and its Prophetic Purpose

Feb. 14, Part 18: Was Amalek Still Around in the Second Temple Period?

Feb.  21, Part 19: Re-examining Megillat Esther & Shushan Purim in Light of Zecharya

Feb. 28, Part 20: Was the Holy Land "Holy" During the Time of Ezra-Nechemya?

March 7, Part 21: The ‘New Deal’ in Nechemya, Chapters 8 through 10

March 14, Part 22: “V’hi sh’amda…”: The evolving concept of ‘redemption’ as reflected in our Haggadah

March 21, Part 23: Re-examining “Arami Oved Avi” & MAGID in light of our study

 

Classes of e-TiM: From King Cyrus to Lord Balfour: The Biblical Texts of the Temple Period

Source Material

Meet the speaker

Rabbi Menachem Leibtag

Rabbi Menachem Leibtag, an internationally acclaimed bible scholar and pioneer of Jewish Education on the internet, is well known in the Jewish community for his essays on the weekly Bible portion.  His vibrant thematic-analytical approach blends the methods of modern academic scholarship with traditional Jewish approaches to the Biblical text. He is best known for his ability to teach students how to study rather than simply read Biblical passages. As his essays focus on meta-themes in the Bible, his readership

Rabbi Menachem Leibtag bio & resources