Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Sforno · Torah
Sforno on Exodus 12:42/ספורנו על שמות י״ב:מ״ב
אלֵיל שִׁמֻּרִים הוּא לַה' לְהוֹצִיאָם. שֶׁהָיָה מְצַפֶּה לְהוֹצִיאָם, כִּי לֹא עִנָּה מִלִּבּוֹ, אֲבָל לֹא מָצָא אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל מוּכָנִים וּרְאוּיִים לִגְאֻלָּה עַד אוֹתָהּ הַלַּיְלָה, וְאוֹתָהּ הָיָה מְשַׁמֵּר וּמְצַפֶּה כִּי חָפֵץ חֶסֶד הוּא, כְּאָמְרָם זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מְחַשֵּׁב אֶת הַקֵּץ.
1ליל שמורים הוא לה' להוציאם, the night G’d had been looking forward to, to take the Jews out from there. G’d had not caused the Israelites all this suffering in Egypt out of caprice, just in order to keep to a timetable of His, but He simply had not found them ready and worthy of redemption until that particular night. He had reserved this night for that event because He is so full of loving kindness. This is what our sages meant when they stated that G’d was מחשב את הקץ, He had manipulated history in order to bring about the redemption so much earlier than even the Israelites had thought it would come, based on the prophecy to Avraham. (Haggadah shel Pessach.)
בהוּא הַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה לַה' שְׁמֻּרִים. וּכְמוֹ שֶׁהָיָה מִשְׁמָר וּמְצַפֶּה לִגְאֻלַּת יִשְׂרָאֵל כָּל יְמֵי גָלוּתָם בְּמִצְרַיִם, כֵּן הוּא מִשְׁמָר וּמְצַפֶּה לִגְאֻלַּת יִשְׂרָאֵל הָעֲתִידָה, כְּאָמְרוֹ "וְלָכֵן יְחַכֶּה ה' לַחֲנַנְכֶם" (ישעיהו ל:יח).
2הוא הלילה הזה לה' שמורים, just as G’d had looked for ways and means to bring the redemption to the Jewish people from their suffering in Egypt, so He is looking for legal ways and means to redeem us from the present exile and to bring on the final redemption. Isaiah phrased this asולכן יחכה ה' לחננכם, “Truly, the Lord is waiting to show you grace.” (Isaiah 3018)
גלְכָל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְדֹרֹתָם. כְּאָמְרָם (ראש השנה יא.) "בְּנִיסָן נִגְאֲלוּ, וּבְנִיסָן עֲתִידִין לְהִגָּאֵל".
3לכל בני ישראל לדורותיכם, in accordance with the statement of our sages in Rosh Hashanah 11 “just as the Israelites have been redeemed from Egypt in the month of Nissan, so the final redemption will also occur during the month of Nissan.”