Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Sforno · Torah
Sforno on Genesis 11:32/ספורנו על בראשית י״א:ל״ב
אוַיָּמָת תֶּרַח בְּחָרָן. וְלֹא הִשְׁתַּדֵּל לְהַשִּׂיג מַה שֶּׁכִּוְּנוּ לְהַשִּׂיג בְּנָסְעָם מֵאוּר כַּשְׂדִּים, וְלֹא בָּא כְּלָל אֵצֶל אַבְרָהָם בִּהְיוֹתוֹ בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן וּבְקָרְאוֹ שָׁם בְּשֵׁם ה׳ עִם כָּל גְּדֻלַּת שְׁמוֹ אָז. וְהֵפֶךְ זֶה עָשָׂה לוֹט זְמַן מָה, וְלָכֵן זָכָה הוּא וְזַרְעוֹ בְּחֵלֶק מַה מִמַּתְּנוֹת אַבְרָהָם, וְלֹא זָכוּ לָזֶה שְׁאָר צֶאֱצָאֵי תֶרַח הַקְּרוֹבִים לְאַבְרָהָם כָּמוֹהוּ אוֹ יוֹתֵר:
1וימת תרח בחרן, he had not made an effort to realise his intention of moving all the way to the land of Canaan as he had set out to do in verse 31. He never even visited his son Avraham in the land of Canaan, never observing with his own eyes what a great name Avraham had made for himself and G’d there. Lot, on the other hand, did the opposite for a while at least, having joined Avraham, kept him company and this is why both he and his offspring benefited from this both immediately, such as when Lot became rich in Egypt, as well as much later when Israel was not allowed to conquer the lands belonging to Lot’s descendants, i.e. Ammon and Moav. (compare Nachmanides on Pinchas 25,18)