Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Sforno · Torah
Sforno on Exodus 22:26/ספורנו על שמות כ״ב:כ״ו
אוְשָׁמַעְתִּי כִּי חַנּוּן אָנִי. אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁלֹּא יוּכַל לִצְעֹק עָלֶיךָ חָמָס, שֶׁהֲרֵי הוּא חַיָּב לְךָ, מִכָּל מָקוֹם כְּשֶׁיִּצְעַק אֵלַי עַל עֲנִיּוּתוֹ הַגּוֹרֵם לוֹ לִהְיוֹת עָרוֹם בְּלִי לְבוּשׁ עַל יָדְךָ, אֶתֵּן לוֹ קְצָת מִמַּה שֶׁהָיִיתִי חוֹנֵן אוֹתְךָ יוֹתֵר עַל סִפּוּקְךָ, כְּדֵי שֶׁתּוּכַל לְפַרְנֵס בּוֹ אֲחֵרִים.
1ושמעתי כי חנון אני, even though the debtor cannot complain to Me about you, seeing he owes you repayment for a loan, if he nonetheless cries out to Me complaining about his economic situation which causes him to be practically naked seeing you took his clothing as security for his overdue loan, I will give him part of what I had intended to give you as recognition of your supplying his needs. If you had been granted more financial means than you needed, the only reason was so that you could use your excess to assist the needy.
בכִּי חַנּוּן אָנִי. וְהִנְנִי חוֹנֵן כָּל צוֹעֵק כְּשֶׁאֵין לוֹ חוֹנֵן זוּלָתִי, לְפִיכָךְ טוֹב לְךָ שֶׁאַתָּה תְּחָנְנֵהוּ בַּהֲשָׁבַת עֲבוֹט, בְּאֹפֶן שֶׁיִּתְמִיד לְךָ הַחֵן מֵאִתִּי, שֶׁתּוּכַל אַתָּה לְהַלְווֹת וּלְפַרְנֵס אֲחֵרִים.
2כי חנון אני, I will therefore display My compassion for anyone who has no one else to turn to. It is in your own interest then to demonstrate your compassion by returning his pledge to him when he is in need of it. If you will do this you will ensure that I will not withdraw My compassion from you. This, in turn, will enable you to extend loans to other needy people.