In the concluding chapter of his book, Nehemiah relates how upon return to Jerusalem from Susa he finds all of his reforms unraveling. He understandably gets angry with the people as he tries to put things back together.

The first Chanukah is celebrated, as the Nehemiah leads a double parade around Jerusalem to rededicate the newly rebuilt and repopulated city.

The people repopulate Jerusalem and the towns of the Judean countryside. The tribes of Benjamin and Judah, the Levites and the priests spread out across the land.

The "Men of the Great Assembly" set out the constitution which created what is now known as Rabbinic Judaism. They all agreed to to follow God's Torah, and enacted a wide range of legislation to preserve and protect the sanctity of the relationship between the Jewish people and God.

The people conclude their prayer before God, and the foundation and structure of Jewish prayer is set for generations to come.

After celebrating the holidays, the people return to their sadness. They mourn all of the years they and their ancestors ignored the Torah of God. They study, they learn, and then they turn to God with a new covenant. They begin by remembering all of God's greatness, and their own shortcomings.

In this beautiful chapter Ezra teaches the people the Torah, and they learn to celebrate Rosh HaShanah and Sukkot together.

Nehemiah completes the walls of the city, and finds the city to be sparsely populated and lacking housing. He begins a full census review to determine the families presents, where they live, and their numbers. The chapter ends as the month of the high holidays approaches, and its time for the people to gather in Jerusalem.

Nehemiah has to contend with enemy spies, and all sorts of creative but evil plans to weaken his leadership. They will stop at nothing to break his will and ruin his ability to lead, but Nehemiah outsmarts them and doesn't fall for their tricks.

In one of the most powerful and instructive chapters of Nehemiah, we read of the economic inequality that plagued the people of Judah, and Nehemiah's response. We learn of economic justice, how respect for God leads to doing the right thing, and how these issues issues can only be addressed through honest and transparent leadership.