Halakhah su II Samuele 24:9

4. Rabbi Goren further contends that a census of the population of the State of Israel may constitute a counting of "all of Israel" which he argues (without citing the second analysis presented by Ramban, Numbers 1:3) is forbidden under all circumstances, With regard to an entirely different matter, Rambam, Hilkhot Shegagot 13:2, basing himself upon Horiyot 3a, declares that the halakhic concept of a "community" is limited to Jews who reside in Israel. This point is made by Rabbi A. I. Kook, Mishpat Kohen, no. 143, p. 308, and by other authorities with regard to other facets of Halakhah, but is the subject of considerable dispute.³³See R. Ovadiah Yosef, Yabi‘a Omer, VI, Oraḥ Ḥayyim, no. 41, and Contemporary Halakhic Problems, II, 180. Parenthetically, it should be noted that counting the majority of the Jewish people is tantamount to a census of the entire community of Israel. See Ẓiẓ Eli’ezer, VII, no. 3, sec. 24. This is evident from the categorization of the census conducted by Joab as a violation of the prohibition despite the fact that Joab excluded the tribes of Levi and Benjamin and hence his census involved only ten tribes. See Rashi and Redak, II Samuel 24:9 and Marharit, Ẓafnat Pa’aneaḥ, Ki Tissa, derush 1. Ẓiẓ Eli’ezer, VII, no. 3, secs. 20 and 37, maintains that, for purposes of this prohibition, the counting of inhabitants of an entire city and, a fortiori, of an entire country, constitutes the counting of an entire “community.” Naḥal Eitan 6:10, sec. 7, opines that the counting of any specific class of individuals, e.g., potential conscripts for military service, is similarly encompassed within the ambit of this prohibition.
The counting of the population of local areas and subsequent tabulation of the population of the entire community on the basis of those figures is forbidden according to all authorities. Indeed, as recorded by Yalkut Shim’oni, II Samuel 24, Joab conducted his census by means of compiling the aggregate tabulation of family groups.
Ẓiẓ Eli’ezer, VII, no. 3, sec. 2, declares that, even in the event that figures for specific groups or areas have already been obtained, it is forbidden to tabulate the total population by combining the previously ascertained figures.