Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Sforno · Torah
Sforno on Numbers 11:23/ספורנו על במדבר י״א:כ״ג
אהֲיַד ה׳ תִּקְצָר. מִלִּמְצֹא דֶּרֶךְ שֶׁיִּמְאֲסוּ כָּל מַאֲכַל תַּאֲוָה, כְּאָמְרוֹ ״עַד אֲשֶׁר יֵצֵא מֵאַפְּכֶם״ (במדבר יא:כ).
1היד ה' תקצר?, from finding a way which will cause them to be revolted at every food which is not for their health but for their gratification only. This is what was meant in verse 20, that “it will come out of your noses.”
בעַתָּה תִרְאֶה הֲיִקְרְךָ דְּבָרִי. תִּרְאֶה שֶׁיִּקְרֶה זֶה שֶׁיֹּאכְלוּ מִן הַבָּשָׂר בְּהִמָּשְׁכָם בִּבְחִירָתָם אַחַר הַתַּעֲנוּג, עַד שֶׁיֵּצֵא מֵאַפָּם וְיִמְאֲסוּ בוֹ, מִבְּלִי שֶׁאָסִיר בְּחִירָתָם כְּלָל. כִּי אָמְנָם יוּכְלוּ לָשׁוּב בִּתְשׁוּבָה מֵאַהֲבָה וּמִיִּרְאָה אִם יִרְצוּ, כְּאָמְרוֹ ״יָדַעְתִּי כִּי כֹל תּוּכָל וְלֹא יִבָּצֵר מִמְּךָ מְזִמָּה״ (איוב מב:ב).
2עתה תראה היקרך דברי, you will see with your own eyes that what I said will occur, that they will eat so much of this meat which they chose for reasons of gratification that it will come out of their noses so that they will despise it. I will not have to interfere with their free choice in order to achieve this result. By not interfering with their freedom of choice they will be able to repent not only because they are afraid of punishment, but because they have discovered that whatever I have done was out of love for them so that they in turn will relate to Me with love.