Major topics taught in this course include:  Overview of the Book of Ezra; Cycles of Exile and Redemption; Causes of Destruction; The Sabbatical Year; Cyrus Permits Reconstruction; The Exodus from Egypt and the Return with Ezra; For Lack of Repentance; Remaining in the Diaspora; Reconstruction of the Altar; Sanctity of the Temple Mount; The First and Second Temples; The Commandment to Build the Temple; The Samaritans in Judea; Non-Jewish Participation in the Construction of the Temple; Hebrew and Assyrian Script; Significance of the Temple; Prophecy and Idol Worship; The Divine Presence Dwells Among Man; Dedication of the Second Temple; The Hebrew Months; Ten Tribes and Twelve Tribes; The Jewish People as One; Ezra the Scribe; The Men of the Great Assembly; Lineage; Intermarriage and Jewish Education. Topics may vary. Methods of instruction include lecture, discussion, and textual preparation.