Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Sforno · Torah
Sforno on Deuteronomy 31:21/ספורנו על דברים ל״א:כ״א
אכִּי יָדַעְתִּי אֶת יִצְרוֹ אֲשֶׁר הוּא עֹשֶׂה הַיּוֹם. שֶׁאֵינָם מְצַפִּים לְהִכָּנֵס לָאָרֶץ כְּדֵי לְעָבְדֵנִי בָּהּ כְּמוֹ שֶׁהוּא הַמְכֻוָּן מֵאִתִּי, כַּאֲמָרוֹ ״וַיִּתֵּן לָהֶם אַרְצוֹת גּוֹיִם, בַּעֲבוּר יִשְׁמְרוּ חֻקָּיו״ (תהלים קה:מד־מה). אֲבָל מְצַפִּים אוֹתָהּ לְהַשְׂבִּיעַ נַפְשָׁם הַמִּתְאַוָּה, וְיִמָּשֵׁךְ מִזֶּה כָּל הָרַע שֶׁנִּבָּא, כְּאָמְרוֹ ״וַיִּשְׁמַן יְשֻׁרוּן וַיִּבְעָט״ (דברים לב:טו).
1כי ידעתי את יצרו אשר הוא עושה היום, for I, G’d, know its nature, its character; they do not look forward to taking over the land of the Canaanites in order to serve Me, as I wanted them to and hoped they would do. (compare Psalms 105,44-45 “He gave them the lands of nations; they inherited the wealth of peoples; in order to observe His statutes and His teachings, and observe His laws.”) Instead they look forward to gratify their own cravings as a result of which their excess wealth will be the cause of their decline and corruption, as per 32,15 “Yeshurun waxed fate and kicked, etc.”