Faith and teachings were very important in ancient Israel. It was imperative to teachers that all who sought out faith learned in one uniform system. In order to properly understand and interpret the texts and teachings of the Torah, the methods to which it was taught had to be unwavering and exactly the same in order for the Jewish community to flourish.
Rituals can be an imperative portion of learning a religion. For example, Catholics rigorously follow rituals in mass such as songs, prayers, and the act of receiving communion. In the scripture Nehemiah 8, the Jewish community follows certain rituals just as in any other religion. One in particular would be the reading of the Torah to the Jewish followers following their return from exile in Babylon and the rebuilding of the wall in Jerusalem.
The reason for this ritual was to integrate the people back into their faith in a controlled setting where they could all be taught the same traditions. The purpose was to circulate the Torah to the entire nation of Jews at the same period of time once the exile ended.
Once the Israelites became settled after the exile, it was very important to bestow the faith upon them and it was very important that they learned the Torah, whereas pre-exilic Judah had already been devout. Throughout both periods of time however, interpreting the sacred text and teachings was a vital asset to the community’s way of living. The Israelites became the new Jewish community and played a dynamic role in the rebuilding of religious life in post-exilic Judah.
The indications that the Torah is in the process of becoming the new sacred text of the Jewish community is the fact that it was being used as a unifying method to teach the whole community. The purpose of reading it to the followers at that specific time was to show the crowd that the Torah should now be their centerpiece as a religious