Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Sforno · Torah
Sforno on Deuteronomy 33:21/ספורנו על דברים ל״ג:כ״א
אוַיַּרְא רֵאשִׁית לוֹ. וְגַם כֵּן רָאוּי הוּא לְכָךְ, כִּי אָמְנָם כְּשֶׁבָּחַר גָּד אֶת אֶרֶץ סִיחוֹן וְעוֹג, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵינָהּ כִּקְדֻשַּׁת עֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן, הָיְתָה כַּוָּנָתוֹ לְהַשִּׂיג דָּבָר עִקָּרִי אֶצְלוֹ, כִּי שָׁם בְּאֶרֶץ סִיחוֹן וְעוֹג חֶלְקַת מְחֹקֵק סְפוּן הָיְתָה, אוֹתָהּ הַחֶלְקָה שֶׁהַמְחֹקֵק קָבוּר בָּהּ, שֶׁהוּא מֹשֶׁה.
1וירא ראשית לו, he was also entitled to this, although when the tribe of Gad chose lands formerly belonging to Sichon or Og, a land which was not part of the “Holy Land,” there had been additional motivation to that of having good grazing land for their flocks, namely that their part of the land would contain Moses’ burial place. This is the meaning of the reference to מחוקק, “the legislator” in our verse.
בוַיֵּתֵא רָאשֵׁי עָם. וְשָׁם בְּאֶרֶץ סִיחוֹן וְעוֹג אָתָא הַמְחֹקֵק בְּרָאשֵׁי הָעָם לִכְבּוֹשׁ אֶת הָאָרֶץ.
2ויתא ראשי עם, this was where the leaders of the people came together at the head of the nation in order to conquer the land.
גצִדְקַת ה׳ עָשָׂה וּמִשְׁפָּטָיו עִם יִשְׂרָאֵל. וְשָׁם עָשָה הַמְחוֹקֵק אֶת צִדְקַת ה׳ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, שֶׁבֵּאֵר שָׁם אֶת תּוֹרָתוֹ. וְשָׁם נִשְׁפַּט עִם יִשְׂרָאֵל וְהִתְוַכֵּחַ מִשְׁפְּטֵי ה׳ וְדִינָיו עֲלֵיהֶם, כְּעִנְיַן שְׁמוּאֵל בְּאָמְרוֹ (שמואל א יב:ז) ״הִתְיַצְּבוּ וְאִשָּׁפְטָה אִתְּכֶם אֶת כָּל צִדְקוֹת ה׳״.
3צדקת ה' עשה ומשפטיו עם ישראל, this was where the legislator, מחוקק, performed the righteous deeds of Hashem, by explaining to them G’d’s Torah in detail. This was also where the people of Israel were judged, and where Moses argued with the people about the application of the various social laws of the Torah. The term is found in Samuel I 12,7 where the prophet Samuel tells the people to line up so that he can not only judge the people but explain the righteousness of the laws of G’d, i.e. צדקות ה'.