Though dwarfed by his teacher Ezra Ha Sofer, the prophet Nechemia was unquestionably pivotal in leading the Jewish people back to the Land of Israel after the first exile. Dealing with an unwilling people who had backslid in their adherence to Torah, Nechemia had the thankless task of re-establishing such basic observances as Shabbos and shemittah. For this he earned enemies on all sides, but an examination of his life places him as one of the greatest leaders in all of Jewish history.