Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Sforno · Torah

Sforno on Exodus 18:7/ספורנו על שמות י״ח:ז׳

אוַיֵּצֵא מֹשֶׁה. לֹא חָדַל בִּשְׁבִיל מַעֲלָתוֹ לְקַדֵּם פְּנֵי מִי שֶׁשִּׁלֵּם לוֹ טוֹבָה בְּעֵת צַר לוֹ, כְּעִנְיָן "וְאֶת מַאֲמַר מָרְדֳּכַי אֶסְתֵּר עֹשָׂה כוּ'" (אסתר ב:כ), וּכְעִנְיָן יוֹסֵף עִם אֶחָיו בְּמָלְכוֹ. וְהַהֵיפֶךְ "וְלֹא זָכַר שַׂר הַמַּשְׁקִים אֶת יוֹסֵף" (בראשית מ:כג).
1ויצא משה, Moses did not stand on ceremony, using his position to await the arrival of his father-in-law at home, but he went some distance to meet the man in whose house he had received so many favours. We find that Queen Esther, similarly, did not use her elevation to Royalty as an excuse to no longer defer to Mordechai who had raised her. (Esther 2,20 “Esther continued to carry out Mordechai’s instructions as she had done when she lived under his roof.”) Joseph also did not use his exalted position to look down on his brothers. The Chief of the butlers, who had reason to be grateful to Joseph, is an example of ingratitude, as we know from Genesis 40,23, “he did not remember Joseph, in fact he erased him from his memory.”