Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Sforno · Torah
Sforno on Deuteronomy 32:26/ספורנו על דברים ל״ב:כ״ו
אאָמַרְתִּי אַפְאֵיהֶם. אַשְׁאִיר אֵיזוֹ פֵאָה מֵהֶם וְהַמּוֹתָר אֲכַלֵּם, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאֶעֱשֶׂה בְּאַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים, אַחֲרֵי שֶׁלֹּא הִשַּׂגְתִּי שְׁלֵמוּתָם לֹא בְּמַתַּן תּוֹרָה וְלֹא בְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל וְלֹא בַּגָּלוּת, כְּאָמְרוֹ ״כִּי בְהַר צִיּוֹן וּבִירוּשָׁלַיִם תִּהְיֶה פְלֵיטָה כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמַר ה׳ וּבַשְּׂרִידִים אֲשֶׁר ה׳ קֹרֵא״ (יואל ג:ה).
1אמרתי אפאיהם, I had said that I would leave a small “corner” (from פאה, the 1/60th of the farmer’s field to be left for the poor to help themselves to) of them survive whereas I would destroy the balance. This is what I will do at the end of history before the final redemption, seeing that I had been unable to achieve My purpose either through giving them the Torah, or through giving them the Land of Israel, or even through sending them into exile to give them a taste of what they had lost due to their obstinacy. (compare Yoel,3,5 warning the Jewish people of precisely this )