At first, the chamber to which the High Priest was sequestered before Yom Kippur was called “The chamber of the nobles,” but later, it became known as "The chamber of the administrators." This was because the High Priests of the first Temple were of greater stature.
In fact, during the 410 years of the First Temple, there were a total of eighteen High Priests, which makes for 22 years in service on average. However, during the Second Temple, when they would buy High Priesthood with money, there were 300 of them during the 420 years of the Temple. If you subtract the forty years of service of Shimon the Righteous, eighty of Yochanan the Great, ten of Rabbi Ishmael, and eleven of Elazar ben Charsom, you will see that the majority of the High Priests did not live out one year of their service.
During the First Temple, bloodshed, immorality, and idol worship were abundant, yet only the Temple's roof was destroyed, and that only for seventy years. However, during the Second Temple, when ostensibly they were learning Torah and doing good deeds, the Temple was razed to the ground and is still not rebuilt. Why is that? – Because they slandered each other in secret and transgressed in secret. However, Resh Lakish presents another view: the later generations are greater because they still learn Torah with all the hardships.
Art: Gossip at the stile By Valentin Walter Bromley
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