Midrash su I Re 12:29

And so you find that Israel did everything that he had said to them in the days of the judges, as stated (in Jud. 10:6): <AGAIN THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL DID WHAT WAS EVIL IN THE EYES OF THE LORD> AND SERVED THE BAALS AND THE ASTARTES. So also Jeroboam, as stated (in I Kings 12:28–29): SO THE KING TOOK COUNSEL AND MADE TWO CALVES OF GOLD <….> THEN HE SET ONE IN BETHEL AND THE OTHER HE {SET} [PUT] IN DAN. Moreover, he did not allow Israel to go up to Jerusalem. Instead he said: These are your Gods, O Israel. So also Ahab sinned and made Israel sin more than all he wicked ones who came before him. (I Kings 16:30:) AND AHAB [BEN OMRI] DID MORE EVIL IN THE EYES OF THE LORD THAN ALL WHO <HAD COME> BEFORE HIM. You yourself know that he sold himself to idolatrous worship, as stated (in I Kings 21:25): <INDEED THERE WAS NO ONE> LIKE AHAB WHO SOLD HIMSELF TO DO EVIL IN THE EYES OF THE LORD. He also made them forget the name of the Holy One. How? He blotted out the references <to the Divine Name> and wrote in their place, <e.g.,> "And Baal spoke," "In the beginning Baal," "And Baal said." And for all the whole Torah he did likewise. That is what the prophet says (in Jer. 23:27): THE ONES WHO INTEND TO MAKE MY PEOPLE FORGET MY NAME. But Menasseh did more than all of them, as stated (in II Chron 33:7; cf. II Kings 21:7): AND HE SET UP A SCULPTURED IMAGE <WHICH HE HAD MADE IN THE HOUSE OF GOD>…. (II Chron. 33:6 // II KINGS 21:6): AND HE HAD HIS SONS PASS THROUGH FIRE {FOR MOLECH} IN THE VALLEY OF BEN-HINNOM. HE ALSO PRACTICED SOOTHSAYING, AUGURY, [SORCERY,] NECROMANCY, AND WIZARDRY. [HE DID MUCH EVIL IN THE EYES OF THE LORD TO PROVOKE HIM TO ANGER.] And how <did he do it>? Molech was in the valley of Ben-hinnom.⁶Cf. Lam. R. 1:9 (36). It took place outside of Jerusalem and in a remote place. There was also an image <there> with the face of a calf and with its hands extended like a human [whose hands are open to receive] something from one's friend. Then they heated it until its hands became like fire. It also had seven latticed gates,⁷Qanqalim. Probably from the Gk.: kingklis, or the Lat.: cancelli, but Buber, n. 5, suggests the word comes from coenacula, which means “upper rooms.” with <the image> behind the innermost of them. Each and every one would enter in accordance with his offering. Whoever offered a bird entered the first lattice gate. With a goat he entered the second lattice gate; with a lamb, the third; with a calf, the fourth; with a bullock, the fifth; with a bull, the sixth. To whoever was offering his child the idol priests would say that there is none higher than that. He entered within the seventh lattice gate. Then he went and kissed it, as stated (in Hos. 13:2): THOSE WHO SACRIFICE A HUMAN BEING KISS CALVES. Then the idol priests would take his child from him and put the young child⁸Tinoq. “Young child” rather than “infant” here, because a parallel description in Lam. R. suggests that the offering might be an offspring somewhat older than an infant. upon the hands of Molech, while they took the drums and beat on them, so that the father would not hear the voice of his child. Then they pressed the young child's entrails upon it, while the young child screamed until <its spirit> left its body in the hands of <the idol>. R Judah the Levite said: That is what is written (in Jer. 7:31): AND THEY HAVE BUILT THE HIGH PLACES OF TOPHETH, WHICH ARE IN THE VALLEY OF BEN-HINNOM <TO BURN THEIR SONS AND THEIR DAUGHTERS IN THE FIRE>. What is the meaning of TOPHETH? That they beat on their drums (tuppim, sing.: toph). What is the meaning of HINNOM? That the idol priests said to Molech, when the young child screamed (rt.: NHM): May it be pleasing to you! May it be appealing to you! Look at how fervent they were for idolatry! The Holy One said: It is on account of the evil drive (yetser hara) that you have sinned and gone into exile; but in the age to come I am rooting it (i.e., the evil drive) out of you,⁹Cf. Deut. R. 2:30. as stated (in Ezek. 36:26): I WILL REMOVE THE HEART OF STONE FROM YOUR FLESH AND GIVE YOU A HEART OF FLESH.

“The redeemer said to Boaz: Buy it for yourself. He removed his shoe” (Ruth 4:8).
“The redeemer said to Boaz: Buy it for yourself. He removed his shoe.” Whose shoe? Rav and Levi, one said: Boaz’s shoe, and the other said: The redeemer’s shoe. The matters appear to be in accordance with the one who said: Boaz’s shoe, as it is the way of the purchaser to give a down payment.
Likewise, “Aḥiya grabbed the new garment [that was on him, and rent it into twelve pieces]” (I Kings 11:30). Whose garment? Rav and Levi, one said: Yerovam’s garment, and the other said: Aḥiya’s garment. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: It stands to reason, in accordance with the one who said: Aḥiya’s garment, as it is the way of the righteous to rend his garments when there is a schism in the royal House of David.
Likewise, “Samuel turned to go; he seized the edge of his robe, and it ripped” (I Samuel 15:27). Whose robe? Rav and Levi, one said: Saul’s robe, and the other said: Samuel’s robe. It stands to reason, in accordance with the one who said: Samuel’s garment, as it is the way of the righteous to rend their garments when their plantings are not successful.²⁴⁵Samuel had originally anointed Saul as king, and had informed Saul immediately before the verse cited here that his kingship would be torn from him.
Likewise, “Yerovam did not again recover strength [in the days of Aviya, and the Lord afflicted him and he died]” (II Chronicles 13:20).²⁴⁶It is not clear whether it was Yerovam or Aviya who was afflicted and died. Rabbi Shmuel said: Do you think that it was Yerovam who was afflicted? It was only Aviya who was afflicted. Why was Aviya afflicted? It is because he disfigured the faces of Israel, as it is stated: “The show of their countenance speaks against them” (Isaiah 3:9). Rabbi Aḥa said: It is because he stationed guards over them for three days so their form would be altered, as it is taught: One may testify that a man died only if he can testify about seeing the countenance of the face with the nose (Yevamot 120a).²⁴⁷Thus, Aviya’s army saw to it that the soldiers of Yerovam’s army who had been killed would not be able to be positively identified in such a way that their wives could remarry.
Rabbi Yoḥanan and Reish Lakish, Rabbi Yoḥanan said: It is because he publicly humiliated them, as it is stated: “With you are the golden calves [that Yerovam made for you as gods]” (II Chronicles 13:8). Reish Lakish said: It is because he demeaned the honor of Aḥiya the Shilonite, as it is stated: “Vain and wicked men gathered around him” (II Chronicles 13:7) – he called Aḥiya the Shilonite wicked.²⁴⁸It was Aḥiya the Shilonite, a prophet, who had appointed Yerovam king over the ten tribes and declared that they would break away from the kingdom of Judah. Aviya characterized Yerovam’s rise to power as supported only by vain and wicked men. The Rabbis say: It is because idol worship came under his authority and he did not eliminate it. That is what is written: “Aviya pursued Yerovam [and captured cities from him: Beit El and its environs…]” (II Chronicles 13:19), and it is written: “He positioned one in Beit El” (I Kings 12:29).²⁴⁹Yerovam had positioned a golden calf in Beit El as a place of worship, in place of the Temple in Jerusalem. When Aviya captured Beit El he did not destroy it. Consequently, it is clear that when Aviya derided Yerovam and the kingdom of Israel for its golden calves, he did so only to demean them. These matters can be deduces a fortiori: If, [regarding] a king who demeans a king, the verse states that he was afflicted, a commoner who demeans a commoner all the more so.²⁵⁰The Holy One blessed be He takes pity on the downtrodden.

Until Dan: When the righteous Abraham reached Dan his strength began to fail him, because he foresaw that his descendants would one day worship idols at Dan, as it is said: And he put one in Beth-El and one in Dan (I Kings 12:29). Our sages inform us that two things result in harm before and after they are undertaken. They are idolatry and planting. One who plants on the eve of the Sabbatical year and at the expiration of the Sabbatical year is guilty.²¹The land must lie fallow during the Sabbatical year, the seventh year. Similarly, idolatry smites both before and after it is practiced. Whence do we know this? Though Jeroboam had not yet erected the golden calf and had not placed it in (the territory of) Dan, Scripture says: And he smote them and pursued them unto Hobah (Gen. 14:15). No matter how carefully we examine Scripture, we are unable to find any place referred to as Hobah. This fact informs us that the territory of Dan was known as Hobah from the very beginning of time because of the golden calf that was to be erected there.