Hanukkah reaffirms the ideals of Judaism and commemorates in particular the rededication of the Second Temple of Jerusalem by the lighting of candles on each day of the festival.

The destruction of the Second Temple brought about a dramatic change in Judaism. Rabbinic Judaism built upon Jewish tradition while adjusting to new realities. Temple ritual was replaced with prayer service in synagogues which built upon practices of Jews in the Diaspora dating back to the Babylonian exile.

The time of the Second Temple is divided into different periods: the Persian period (586-332 BC); the Hellenistic period (332-63 BC); and the Roman period (63 BC-AD 324).

Selected themes-such as creation, revelation, covenant, law, suffering, messianic expectation – are traced through the diverse parts of the Bible (Pentateuch, Prophetic Writings, and Wisdom Literature) as well as in early Jewish texts.

The theme of the epistle is the doctrine of the person of Christ and his role as mediator between God and humanity.

The great biblical themes are about God, his revealed works of creation, provision, judgment, deliverance, his covenant, and his promises. The Bible sees what happens to mankind in the light of God’s nature, righteousness, faithfulness, mercy, and love.

For each phase of life–from childhood and adolescence to adulthood and the advanced years the book traces the origin and development of specific rites associated with the events of birth, circumcision, and schooling; bar and bat mitzvah and confirmation; engagement, betrothal, and marriage; and aging, dying, and …

Kosher meat comes from animals that have split hooves — like cows, sheep, and goats — and chew their cud. When these types of animals eat, partially digested food (cud) returns from the stomach for them to chew again. Pigs, for example, have split hooves, but they don’t chew their cud. So pork isn’t kosher.