Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Sforno · Torah

Sforno on Leviticus 26:15/ספורנו על ויקרא כ״ו:ט״ו

אוְאִם בְּחֻקֹּתַי תִּמְאָסוּ. שֶׁלֹּא בִלְבַד תְּבַטְּלוּם, אֲבָל תִּמְאֲסוּ בָם.
1ואם בחקותי תמאסו, that you do not only ignore them but actively despise them;
בוְאִם אֶת מִשְׁפָּטַי תִּגְעַל נַפְשְׁכֶם. תִּגְעַל אוֹתָם כְּמוֹ שֶׁמֵּקִיא אָדָם בְּכַוָּנָה מֻסְכֶּמֶת, מִבְּלִי אֵין דֶּרֶךְ לְמָאֹס אוֹתָם, בִּהְיוֹת טַעֲמָם נוֹדָע וְהָגוּן.
2ואם את משפטי תגעל נפשכם, if you treat them as a person who deliberately spits something out because he detests it. You would not have any objective reason to do this as you are familiar with the purpose of such commandments, knowing them to be fair and just.
גלְבִלְתִּי עֲשׂוֹת אֶת כָּל מִצְוֺתַי. וְזֹאת הַגְּעִילָה לַמִּשְׁפָּטִים לֹא תִהְיֶה אֶלָּא כְּדֵי לִפְרֹק מֵעֲלֵיכֶם עֹל כָּל הַמִּצְוֹת, כְּאָמְרָם זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (סנהדרין סג:) יוֹדְעִים הָיוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּעֲבוֹדָה זָרָה שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה בָּהּ מַמָּשׁ, וְלֹא עָבְדוּ עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה אֶלָּא כְּדֵי לְהַתִּיר לָהֶם עֲרָיוֹת בְּפַרְהֶסְיָא. וְכֵן הֵעִיד הַנָּבִיא בְּאָמְרוֹ (הושע ה:ד) ״לֹא יִתְּנוּ מַעַלְלֵיהֶם לָשׁוּב אֶל אֱלֹהֵיהֶם כִּי רוּחַ זְנוּנִים בְּקִרְבָּם״.
3לבלתי עשות את כל מצותי, your supposed detestation of My commandments was not an objective evaluation of them, but a signal that you wanted to throw off the yoke of Divine legislation, a deliberate act of disobedience. Our sages have often stated that the Israelites who worshipped idols were perfectly aware that these idols were totally helpless, could not help themselves, much less those who professed to worship them. If they worshipped them in spite of knowing that they were all nothing but sham, it was only in order to anger G’d. They did so in order to be free to practice incest in public. (Sanhedrin 63) The Prophet Hoseah 5,4 states explicitly when he writes: “their habits do not let them return to their G’d because of their lecherous impulse within them. They pay no heed to the Lord.”
דלְהַפְרְכֶם אֶת בְּרִיתִי. כְּדֵי לִהְיוֹת כִּשְׁאָר הָאֻמּוֹת הַמּוֹלְכוֹת בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה בְּלִי שׁוּם עֹל תּוֹרָה וּמִצְוֹת, כְּאָמְרוֹ (יחזקאל כ:לב) ״וְהָעוֹלָה עַל רוּחֲכֶם הָיוֹ לֹא תִהְיֶה, אֲשֶׁר אַתֶּם אוֹמְרִים נִהְיֶה כַגּוֹיִם כְּמִשְׁפְּחוֹת הָאֲרָצוֹת לְשָׁרֵת עֵץ וָאָבֶן״.
4להפרכם את בריתי, in order not to be different from the other nations surrounding them, neither of whom have been burdened with ethical/moral legislation and rituals such as demanded of the Jewish people by the Torah. The prophet Ezekiel, in Ezekiel 20,32 already challenges the people who would use the fact that they were now in exile, apparently abandoned by their G’d, as an excuse do divest themselves of the claims the Torah makes on them. He accuses them as making all this an excuse to serve deities made of wood and stone.