My Musing
The concept that Moshe had to plead for something for himself has always resonated with me. This is the man who God chose, who spoke “face to face” with God. Moses was able to demand that God erase him from the Torah if God would decimate the nation of Israel and begin over with him; This is the man who went up to the mountain not just once but three times, was able to effect forgiveness for the nation from The Almighty, but for himself he has to plead.
What is the efficacy of prayer? The midrash lists a number of terms, each unique but yet synonymous with another term. Since Dov’s a”h death, the efficacy of prayer has taken on a new meaning for me. In the end, Moshe pleads but is denied. Many times when I look back on the days surrounding Dov’s accident and his passing, I too feel as though we all pleaded but were denied.
The Midrash ends with a sobering statement- God doesn’t owe us anything. Anything we get, it is all in His grace. [As an aside, this also corroborates the teaching in Pirkei Avot that we should not worship God like a servant who works expecting a reward, rather we should worship God because He is God and he has commanded us]
The concept that Moshe had to plead for something for himself has always resonated with me. This is the man who God chose, who spoke “face to face” with God. Moses was able to demand that God erase him from the Torah if God would decimate the nation of Israel and begin over with him; This is the man who went up to the mountain not just once but three times, was able to effect forgiveness for the nation from The Almighty, but for himself he has to plead.
What is the efficacy of prayer? The midrash lists a number of terms, each unique but yet synonymous with another term. Since Dov’s a”h death, the efficacy of prayer has taken on a new meaning for me. In the end, Moshe pleads but is denied. Many times when I look back on the days surrounding Dov’s accident and his passing, I too feel as though we all pleaded but were denied.
The Midrash ends with a sobering statement- God doesn’t owe us anything. Anything we get, it is all in His grace. [As an aside, this also corroborates the teaching in Pirkei Avot that we should not worship God like a servant who works expecting a reward, rather we should worship God because He is God and he has commanded us]
מדרש תנחומא (ורשא) פרשת ואתחנן סימן ג
(דברים ג:כג) "וָאֶתְחַנַּן אֶל יְדֹוָד בָּעֵת הַהִוא לֵאמֹר"
דבר אחר:
The midrash opens this next exposition on Moshe’s supplication to enter the Land of Israel with a verse from Solomon’s dedication of the Temple whereby Solomon prays that God will “turn to his prayer” and the text uses three different terms for the concept of prayer.
"וָאֶתְחַנַּן אֶל יְדֹוָד", זה שאמר הכתוב (מלכים א – ח:כח)" וּפָנִיתָ אֶל תְּפִלַּת עַבְדְּךָ וְאֶל תְּחִנָּתוֹ יְדֹוָד אֱלֹהָי לִשְׁמֹעַ אֶל הָרִנָּה וְאֶל הַתְּפִלָּה אֲשֶׁר עַבְדְּךָ מִתְפַּלֵּל לְפָנֶיךָ הַיּוֹם"
The midrash lists a number of terms for the concept of prayer. Although in Talmudic literature the term “tefilah” means the amida- the standing silent prayer, here it means prayer in the more general idea of asking God. Some of the terms listed here include prayer, supplication, cry, scream, song, engagement, falling, standing.
הרי בהרבה שמות נקראת התפלה. אלו הן: תפלה, תחנה, צעקה, זעקה, שועה, רננה, פגיעה, נפילה, עמידה.
ולמה לא נתפלל משה באחת מהן אלא בלשון תחנונים שנאמר ואתחנן?
The midrash asks if all these different approaches to God were available to Moshe, why did he choose to use plead?
The midrash answers by referring us to another time, when Moses was up on Mount Sinai, the rabbinic tradition relates that among the conversations Moses had with God was the request to understand how God runs the world.
אלא בשעה שעמד משה ואמר לפני הקדוש ברוך הוא (שמות לג:יח) " וַיֹּאמַר הַרְאֵנִי נָא אֶת
כְּבֹדֶךָ", אמר משה רבונו של עולם 'הודיעני נא באי זו מדה אתה נוהג עולמך? שנאמר, (שמות לג:יג) "וְעַתָּה אִם נָא מָצָאתִי חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ הוֹדִעֵנִי נָא אֶת דְּרָכֶךָ וְאֵדָעֲךָ לְמַעַן אֶמְצָא חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ וּרְאֵה כִּי עַמְּךָ הַגּוֹי הַזֶּה"
God answers that He chooses by His grace where to place His mercies and his favors. God owes us nothing. Therefore there was nothing but a plea for Moshe to offer. Even when we fulfill His mitzvoth, God gives us by His Grace not as a reward. (notwithstanding, of course, that the second paragraph of the Sh’ma creates a national reward and punishment equation and Maimonides puts reward and punishment as one of his 13 attributes of God)
אמר לו הקדוש ברוך הוא, הן אני מראה לך.(שמות לג:יט) " וַיֹּאמֶר אֲנִי אַעֲבִיר כָּל טוּבִי עַל פָּנֶיךָ וְקָרָאתִי בְשֵׁם יְדֹוָד לְפָנֶיךָ וְחַנֹּתִי אֶת אֲשֶׁר אָחֹן וְרִחַמְתִּי אֶת אֲשֶׁר אֲרַחֵם". אמר לו 'איני חייב לבריה, כל מה שיעשה אדם מצוה, חנם אני נותן לו. לא שאני חייב לכל בריה כלום אלא חנם אני נותן להם', שנאמר "וְחַנֹּתִי אֶת אֲשֶׁר אָחֹן וְרִחַמְתִּי אֶת אֲשֶׁר אֲרַחֵם", אמר לו משה ,'אם כן, עשה עלי מצוה ותן לי חנם' לפיכך כתיב ואתחנן.
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