Talmud Yerushalmi Sanhedrin 10, Halacha 2 (page 28, Tor 2)
ר"ש בן יוחי שלשה עשר עגלים עשו ישראל ואחד דימוסיא לכולן ומה טעמא ויאמרו אלה אלהיך ישראל הרי לשנים עשר שבטים זה אלהיך הרי דימוסיא אחת לכולן וכי מה עשה אחאב כתיב ויהי הנקל לכתו בחטאות ירבעם בן נבט והלא קולותיו של אחאב הם כחומרותיו של ירבעם ולמה נמנה ירבעם תחילה שהוא התחיל בקלקלה תחילה
Rabbi Shimon Ben Yochai said: Israel made twelve calves, and a public one for all. What is the meaning of this? They said: "This is your God, Israel." That is, to the twelve tribes (they said): "This is your God." That is, the public one is for all. And what did Achav do? He got used to doing the sins of Yerovam ben Nevat. And see, the small sins of Achav are as the worst sins of Yerovam. Why then is Yerovam (in Scripture) regarded as the primary (sinner)? Because he started the corruption.
The Sin of the right is to go against HaShem in a religious fashion. The danger looms when Am Yisrael is divided. To illustrate this, the Talmud mentions Achav. His Avodah Zarah originated from Yerovam, the first king of Yisrael after the split between Yehudah and Yisrael. Reuniting does not automatically solve the problem. Achav brought great unity between Yehudah and Yisrael (Melachim Aleph 22). Yet, Achav's smaller sins equal Yerovam's worst sins. If the uniting groups keep serving false doctrines, their unison will create the most vicious falsehood. This is how Chet HaEgel came about.
In all humility, because of the seriousness of the matter I feel I must apply this to a disaster that is happening in our days - the disaster that was caused by a psak of Rav Ovadia Yosef. A psak regarding the most urgent national matter the State of Israel is facing. Can we give away parts of Eretz Yisrael to achieve peace? Rav Ovadia understood that he could not decide alone. If Sanhedrin had existed, a majority would been needed to decide. And so, Rav Yosef consulted with numerous gedolim. The majority of those consulted agreed with Rav Yosef that we can give away parts of Eretz Yisrael. Rav Yosef is a gaon in Halacha, who is served by a phenomenal memory and wide view of opinions. He spent more time on this psak than on any other. He worked literally years to get this one right. How can it be that disaster was the result?
The consultations of Rav Yosef did not represent what would have been a vote in Sanhedrin. The disaster was foreseen by many. By many simple people and by very many learned people. The latter's Da'at Torah was discarded because Am Yisrael is divided. Rav Yosef was going with the majority of his section of the Nation only.
מה
