The victory of the Maccabees installed the Hasmonean family as the new rulers of the Jewish people, but the heroism of the early generation did not last for long. Beginning with the rule of the righteous Shimon Ha Maccabee and ending with the tragic and corrupt Yochanan Hyrkanus, Rabbi Wein sheds light on the forces that caused the precipitous descent of the Hasmonean dynasty.

• the tragic fate of Judah Maccabee and his brothers
• the dual of Simon Maccabee - king and Kohain Gadol
• the alliance with Rome and what it meant for the Jews
• the split between the Sadducees and Pharisees, rebels vs. traditionalists