Study Sanhedrin folio 102A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
ואף אחיה השילוני טעה וחתם, דהא יהוא צדיקא רבה הוה, שנאמר: ״ויאמר ה׳ אל יהוא יען אשר הטיבת לעשות הישר בעיני ככל אשר בלבבי עשית לבית אחאב בני רבעים ישבו לך על כסא ישראל״, וכתיב: ״ויהוא לא שמר ללכת בתורת ה׳ אלהי ישראל בכל לבבו לא סר מעל חטאות ירבעם אשר החטיא את ישראל״.
And even Ahijah the Shilonite erred in this matter and signed that he would accept all of Jeroboam’s pronouncements. And generations later this caused Jehu to sin. The Talmud explains: As Jehu was an extremely righteous person. As it is stated: “And YHWH said to Jehu: Because you have done well, to perform what is right in My eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in My heart, your children of the 4th generation should sit on the throne of Israel” (II Kings 10:30). And it is written: “But Jehu took no care to walk in the Torah of YHWH, God of Israel, with all his heart; he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, who made Israel sin” (II Kings 10:31).
מאי גרמא ליה? אמר אביי: ברית כרותה לשפתים, שנאמר ״אחאב עבד את הבעל מעט יהוא יעבדנו הרבה״. רבא אמר: חותמו של אחיה השילוני ראה, וטעה.
What caused Jehu to do so? Abaye says: A covenant is made with the lips, as it is stated that Jehu said cunningly in an attempt to entrap the priests of the Baal: “Ahab worshipped Baal a little, but Jehu should serve him much” (II Kings 10:18). Although it was not his intention, once the statement escaped his lips he began following the path to its fulfillment. Rava says: He saw the seal of Ahijah the Shilonite on the coronation document of Jeroboam and he erred and believed that it was permitted to act as Jeroboam did.
דכתיב: ״ושחטה שטים העמיקו ואני מוסר לכלם״. אמר רבי יוחנן: אמר הקדוש ברוך הוא, הם העמיקו משלי. אני אמרתי: כל שאינו עולה לרגל עובר בעשה, והם אמרו: כל העולה לרגל ידקר בחרב.
The Talmud continues its discussion of Jeroboam. With regard to that which is written: “And the apostates are deep in slaughter and I am rejected by them all” (Hosea 5:2), R' Yoḥanan says that God says: They issued decrees that are more profound and more extreme than my own. I said: Anyone who does not ascend to Jerusalem for the pilgrimage Festival violates a positive mitzva, and they said: Anyone who ascends to Jerusalem for the pilgrimage Festival will be stabbed with the sword. In that way, Jeroboam successfully prevented the residents of the kingdom of Israel from ascending to Jerusalem.