Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Sforno · Torah

Sforno on Deuteronomy 1:1/ספורנו על דברים א׳:א׳

אאֵלֶּה הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר מֹשֶׁה אֶל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל וְגוֹ׳. אָמַר שֶׁבְּכָל אֶחָד מֵהַמְּקוֹמוֹת שֶׁהִזְכִּיר פֹּה, וְהֵם מְקוֹמוֹת אֲשֶׁר עִוְּתוּ שָׁם אָרְחוֹת דַּרְכָּם בִּגְזֵרַת הָאֵל יִתְעַלֶּה לַהֲנִיעָם בַּמִּדְבָּר בַּעֲוֹן הַמְרַגְּלִים, אָמַר מֹשֶׁה לְכָל יִשְׂרָאֵל אֵלֶּה הַדְּבָרִים שֶׁיַּזְכִּיר. וְהֵם.
1'אלה הדברים אשר דבר משה אל כל ישראל וגו, he means that in all the locations mentioned by him here he had communicated what follows to the people, some in each location. In all of these locations the people had angered G’d. Each time he reminded them that if it had not been for their sins they would have long since reached their destination. The locations in question were the following: 'אחד עשר יום מחורב וגו, all the 38 years that they were wandering in the desert they did not travel in a straight line, nor did they travel on well marked routes used by desert travelers. Each time they arrived at a spot where they made camp Moses reminded them that the reason that they had still not reached their final destination was due to their having committed so many sins. The proof was that אחד עשר יום יש מחורב עד קדש ברנע...דרך הר שעיר, the shortest route to Kadesh Barnea, the southern boundary of the Land of Israel is only 11 days’ march away from Mount Chorev when traveling via Mount Seir. In fact, G’d made them reach Kadesh Barnea after they set out from Chorev in only three days by leading them through the great and terrible desert. If they were still not in the Holy Land this was only due to their sins. The delay had been designed to make them have remorse and to return to G’d without mental reservations.