Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Sforno · Torah
Sforno on Deuteronomy 33:16/ספורנו על דברים ל״ג:ט״ז
אוּרְצוֹן שֹׁכְנִי סְנֶה. וְגַם רְצוֹן הָאֵל שֶׁנִּגְלָה בַּסְּנֶה, אֲשֶׁר בּוֹ הוֹרָה עִנְיַן ״עִמּוֹ אָנֹכִי בְצָרָה״ (תהלים צא:טו). כָּל אֵלֶּה תָּבוֹאתָה לְרֹאשׁ יוֹסֵף, מִלְּבַד בִּרְכוֹתָיו עִם הַצִּבּוּר תָּבֹאנָה עַל רֹאשׁוֹ מֵאֵת אֱלֹהֵי מָרוֹם, שֶׁהוּא יְבָרֵךְ בִּלְתִּי אֶמְצָעִי.
1ורצון שכני סנה, may it enjoy the goodwill of the Lord Who first manifested Himself to me at the burning bush. It was on that occasion that G’d had first indicated that He was going to redeem the Israelites forthwith, in response to the groaning of the Jewish people as reported immediately before the Torah reports Moses’ encounter with G’d. (Exodus 2,23-24) In Psalms 91,15, Moses, the author of that psalm, refers to G’d responding to the outcry of the oppressed. תבאתה לראש יוסף, apart from the blessings the tribe of Joseph shares with all the other tribes, Moses prays that G’d will relate to this tribe without employing His usual intermediaries (such as angels).
בוּלְקׇדְקֹד נְזִר אֶחָיו. כִּי אָמְנָם רָאוּי הוּא לָזֶה, כִּי אָמְנָם הָיָה בַּעַל נֵזֶר וְכֶתֶר מַלְכוּת בְּקֶרֶב אֶחָיו, וְהִתְנַהֵג עִם כֻּלָּם בַּחֲסִידוּת.
2ולקדקוד נזיר אחיו, seeing that he was the most self-controlled of all his brothers, [my definition of Nazir, Ed.] (alternative translation, the crowned head in Egypt) and he conducted himself with unparalleled piety toward his brothers, Moses feels that Joseph’s descendants deserve the distinction he prays for.