Yael Leibowitz’s masterful study of Ezra-Nehemiah is exceptional in a number of ways, but perhaps none is more impressive than its relevance and value to the full range of students and scholars
of the Bible. It is thoroughly researched, drawing on an extensive range of scholarly sources and offering new directions for study in the footnotes. It is written in an engaging, dynamic voice that draws the reader into its analysis, and it focuses on ideas of enduring meaning that emerge from Ezra-Nehemiah. These qualities contribute to a work that is scholarly as well as meaningful, penetrating as well as accessible.
In addition to scholarly research, the book draws heavily on intertextual analysis to identify the unique themes and concerns of Ezra-Nehemiah. Through comparison and contrast to other biblical works, particularly Second Temple texts, it analyzes such phenomena as Ezra-Nehemiah’s distinctive lack of interest in the reestablishment of the Davidic monarchy and its strikingly realistic portrayal of both the Jewish past and the Jewish future with all of their imperfections. These qualities contribute to the unique historical voice of Ezra-Nehemiah, which reimagines models of Jewish governance and “sees the times its audience is living through as another point on the continuum of Israel’s imperfect history” (p. 116). In doing so, it impresses upon its readers their responsibility for making the most of the moment’s potential amidst all of its challenges. Leibowitz’s intertextual analysis deepens understanding of both the particular perspective of Ezra-Nehemiah and other voices within the biblical canon.
The distinct challenges faced by Ezra and Nehemiah–for example, building and leading community during a time when Jews live in both the land of Israel and the Diaspora–are explored and explicitly related to contemporary Jewish experience. Similarly, Ezra and Nehemiah’s approaches of strengthening commitment to Torah study and covenant on a national, communal level, as well as maintaining solidarity between Jewry in Israel and the Diaspora, retain their eternal relevance.
Yael Leibowitz’s Ezra-Nehemiah is a profound, elegant study which offers the reader deep exposure to these biblical works while also exploring their themes in the broader context of the biblical canon. Furthermore, its analysis leaves its readers with new ideas and insights into the nature, challenges, and opportunities of Jewish identity and community building that are rooted in antiquity but equally compelling and illuminating for our own times.
