Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Sforno · Torah
Sforno on Numbers 24:6/ספורנו על במדבר כ״ד:ו׳
אכִּנְחָלִים נִטָּיוּ. כִּי אָמְנָם בָּתֵּי כְנֵסִיּוֹת וּבָתֵּי מִדְרָשׁוֹת לַהֲמוֹן יִשְׂרָאֵל הֵם כְּמוֹ הַנְּחָלִים שֶׁנִּטָּיוּ אֶל הַשָּׂדוֹת לְהַשְׁקוֹתָם, וְכֵן יוֹשְׁבֵי אֹהָלִים וְתוֹפְשֵׂי הַתּוֹרָה דּוֹלִים וּמַשְׁקִים מִתּוֹרָתָם לַהֲמוֹן. וּכְמוֹ כֵן הַמִּתְפַּלְלִים הֵם כְּגַנּוֹת עֲלֵי נָהָר אֲשֶׁר לֹא יָמִישׁוּ מֵעֲשׂוֹת פְּרִי, כְּאָמְרָם זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (ראש השנה יז) ״בְּרִית כְּרוּתָה לִשְׁלוֹשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה מִדּוֹת שֶׁאֵינָן חוֹזְרוֹת רֵיקָם״.
1כנחלים נטיו, for indeed Torah academies and synagogues are for the multitude what the brooks carrying water to irrigate their fields are as a material blessing. People spend their times in Torah academies and synagogues will receive for their souls what their fields receive from the waters of the brooks Bileam describes. This is why he used the simile כגנות עלי נהר, “as the gardens alongside a river.” These gardens never fail to deliver the fruit expected of them. Our sages paraphrase this when they said that the covenant of the 13 attributes of G’d He made with Moses means that he who invokes them in his prayer will be assured that he will have at least part of his prayer granted. (Rosh Hashanah 17)