I am a chapter of the Old Testament,
Filled with tales of exiles and conquests in the Levant.
I recount the story of a ruler named Zerubbabel,
Who led his people to build a temple, brick by brick and gravel by gravel.
My opening words are a genealogy,
Tracing the lineages of those who returned from captivity.
I describe the return of the exiles from Babylon,
Including all the instruments stolen years before they were gone.
I narrate how the temple again took form,
Despite opposition from foes who sought to have it mourn.
I tell the story of Ezra, a scribe and priest,
Who taught again the Law to the people in the east.
I am often read during the Jewish festival of Sukkot,
And my words remind those who take refuge in a temporary structure,
That life is provisional too,
And that the few can rebuild with the help of the New.
What am I?