The destruction of the First Temple marked a new era in Jewish history. With foreign empires dominating them, the Jews faced severe times, and without prophets, they turned to Torah scholars for leadership. From Greek rule to the Hasmonean revolution, from Hasmonean corruption to Roman rule, Rabbi Wein paints a clear picture of how the destruction of the First Temple set the stage for the destruction of the Second. And through it all shines the wisdom of the Rabbis, who, in codifying the Mishnah and Talmud, were able to insure Jewish survival.