Why was the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem such a pivotal point in Jewish history? How did Judaism adapt its worship and rituals to a time when it no longer has a temple or a priesthood? What innovations or new elements of Judaism were instituted in the post-Temple period and why?

The destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem was a pivotal point in Jewish history because it not only started the diaspora as Romans forced Jews to leave Jerusalem, but the Temple had been the center of Jewish worship. Without the Temple and priests, Judaism had to adapt its systems of rituals. The biggest adaptation was replacing sacrifice, which was central to Jewish worship at the time, as it was throughout most of the ancient world in that part of the world. A key difference, however, between Judaism and other religions in the Ancient World was that sacrifices were conducted only at the Temple in Judaism, while other religions generally had multiple sacrificial sites.

The Temple was therefore the center of worship and focus. Each year, Jews were required to make pilgrimage to the Temple on the holiest holidays and bring with them items to sacrifice. The sacrifice was required to reflect the financial capability or wealth of the person making the pilgrimage and offering sacrifice. For instance, a wealthy landowner was required to bring an animal that was valuable, perhaps a cow as an example, but a poor person who could not afford to part with a cow could bring wheat to the Temple and the priests would offer up the wheat in sacrifice. Following the sacrifice, the pilgrims and the priests would partake in the sacrificial offering.

Without the Temple to conduct sacrifices, Judaism had to find a foundational way to maintain worship and to replace the system and ritual that had accompanied the act of sacrifice. What developed over time was a system of prayer. Following the destruction of the Temple, commemorated each year on the Jewish calendar, Judaism constructed prayer rituals to offer thanks to G-d, in much the same way that sacrifices had before. Prayer ritual also includes supplication to and praise of G-d.

Why was the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem such a pivotal point in Jewish history? After its destruction, which elements of Judaism could be continued essentially as is, which had to be altered greatly, and which had to be discontinued?

The destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem was such a pivotal moment in Jewish history because it attests to their history of marginalization and resilience. The First Temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylonia around 587 BCE. Instead of despairing, Jews took this as a sign of their power. Following a period of exile, the Jews came back to Jerusalem in 538 BCE and went to work on another mighty Temple.

This Second Temple was violated and desecrated by various outside rulers. Once again, the Jews were pressured to disavow their values. Staying strong, the Jews held fast to their principles. They refused to go along with the deification of Alexander the Great, and they did not sit back and do nothing as a sacrilegious statue of Zeus was built in the Second Temple. In fact, the presence of Zeus ignited a rebellion, which became the basis for the Jewish holiday known as Hanukkah.

Another rebellion against Rome would occur in 66 CE. This time, the Second Temple would be destroyed. All that remained was the Western Wall, which is an important prayer site for Jews to this day.

After the destruction, some elements of Judaism have been sidelined. These include animal sacrifice. Certain sects of Judaism believe that an iteration of animal sacrifice will return once the Temple is rebuilt. Others see the destruction of the Second Temple as a sign from God. They think it’s God’s way of telling Jews that they should focus on prayer and not on sacrifice.

After the destruction of the Temple, which elements of Judaism could be continued essentially as is, which had to be altered greatly, and which had to be discontinued? What innovations or new elements of Judaism were instituted in the post-Temple period and why?

After the destruction of the Temple, some elements of Judaism could be continued essentially as before, such as the laws around the earth and its bounty. The culture in which Judaism originally developed evolved from one that was based on a nomadic people to an agrarian model. Thus, the many laws around agricultural practices, such as rotating crops and allowing the lands to rest each jubilee period that occurred every 50 years could continue essentially unaltered. In addition, the laws around giving and social justice and support, including those that related to the agrarian culture, could also continue in pretty much the same ways. For example, Judaism taught that each landowner had to harvest the crops and reap the produce but leave the corners of the land untouched:

When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. (Leviticus 19:9–11)

This measure was meant to assist poorer people who could not afford to own land and depended on the charity of others for their sustenance. Thus, the corners of the land were intended for charity and not for the landowner's proprietary use. This practice stayed the same even without the Temple.

A crucial practice that had to be discontinued was that of sacrifice, as sacrifice was conducted exclusively at the Temple by the priests. Innovations or new elements of Judaism that were instituted in the post-Temple period revolve around law and ritual or prayer, the reason being that there was no longer a central site for sacrifice.

Practices that had to be altered greatly revolve around certain holidays and their celebration. Sacrifices were elevated during certain most holy times when Jews from all parts of the region were expected to make pilgrimage to Jerusalem to participate in the rituals. Nevertheless, while the practice of sacrifice itself had to end without the Temple, many of the rules around sacrifice altered to produce holidays that continued to be celebrated by all. Thus, sacrifice was replaced over time by liturgy, or prayer, and pilgrimages were replaced by holidays. Festive holidays that were known as pilgrim festivals while the Temple stood because people were expected to travel to the Temple in Jerusalem to celebrate them were Sukkot , Passover, and Shavuot. These holidays are still celebrated in modern Judaism.