The destruction of the First Temple (586 B.C.E.), destruction of the Second Temple (70 C.E.), and the defeat of the Bar Kokhba (132-135 C.E.) are discussed in great detail in the covenantal theology of the Torah and Scripture. In this new work, Jacob Neusner uses extensive textual evidence to explore the importance of the second temple's destruction and the aforementioned events in the creation of Rabbinic Judaism. Neusner ultimately proposes that the destruction of the second temple merely reinforced the existing theological system, which posed the following choice: keep the Torah and prosper, or rebel against the Torah and suffer God's wrath. This detailed analysis is an important new exploration into the foundations of Rabbinic Judaism.

"He [Neusner] has gathered an impressive sourcebook that, along with his pointed and even poignant commentary, at times reads like a new addition to the rabbinic canon... his study gives us greater insight into the profound depths of their biblical worldview. Further, he helps us to see how, in their interpretations and applications of Scripture, the Word of God continued to live, instruct, and make claims upon the people of God." - Letter and Spirit