“And I pleaded to God at that time, saying.” (Devarim, 3:23) Why did Moshe Rabeynu tell these words to Israel? Even though on the surface it seems as if his prayer had no benefit whatsoever, nonetheless, he caused them to understand that his prayer was not in vain. (It is as if he is saying to them,) even in the course of actions in the land of Israel I am your teacher and Rabbi, and likewise he showed them that his prayer was effective. This is why Vaetchanan, Hebrew for “and I pleaded” (the verb for giving mercy, chanan, is intensified into meaning imploring for mercies), because he was made full of entreatment for God’s mercies, and his prayer flowed naturally from his mouth. This is a kind of proof that God sent him the awakening from below to pray. Therefore he surely would not be turned away empty-handed. This is hinted at in “at that time,” for even though God had already promised me that I would not enter the land, still it did not prevent me from praying. This is as it is written in the Gemara (Berachot, 10a) of Hizkiyah king of Yehuda who said to the prophet Yeshayahu (who had just prophesied that he would die), “Son of Amots! Stop your prophecy and leave, for thus I have received from my father’s house [David, that even in the face of certain death], never to prevent oneself from praying for God’s mercies.” For there is nothing that stands to prevent one from the mercies of God. [And that it said that Hizkiya turned his face to the wall to pray.] The Gemara learns from this there should be nothing separating one from the wall (during prayer),*Note that according to Halacha one may pray with something before him, i.e. a person or a pillar and the like, during prayer. meaning that there should be nothing preventing one from prayer, and not to lose heart even if it seems that the decree has come from God, for “wall” teaches of the source of life.5As in Yirmiya, 4:19 where the same word for wall, Kir, is used for the chambers of the heart, hence source of life. Even though it may seem that there is no salvation from the source, one may not withhold himself himself from God’s mercies.
וָאֶתְחַנַּן אֶל ה' בָּעֵת הַהִוא. הָעִנְיָן שֶׁסִּפֵּר לָהֶם מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם לְיִשְׂרָאֵל אֵלּוּ הַדְּבָרִים, כִּי אַף לְפִי רְאוּת הָעַיִן נִרְאֶה שֶׁתְּפִלָּתוֹ לֹא הוֹעִילָה כְּלוּם, אַף עַל פִּי כֵן הֵבִין לָהֶם שֶׁלֹּא יַחְשְׁבוּ שֶׁתְּפִלָּתוֹ הָיְתָה לְמַגָּן. כִּי בֶּאֱמֶת אַף בְּהִתְנַהֲגוּת אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל גַּם שָׁם אֲנִי הָרַב שֶׁלָּכֶם, וְכֵן בְּכָל הַדּוֹרוֹת, וְהֶרְאָה לָהֶם כִּי פָּעַל בִּתְפִלָּתוֹ. וְכֵן מַשְׁמַע מִלְּשׁוֹן "וָאֶתְחַנַּן" שֶׁהוּא מִלְּשׁוֹן הִתְפַּעֵל, הַיְינוּ שֶׁנַּעֲשָׂה מָלֵא תַּחֲנוּנִים וְהָיְתָה תְּפִלָּתוֹ שְׁגוּרָה בְּפִיו וְזֶה רְאָיָה כִּי הַש"י שָׁלַח לוֹ אִתְעֲרוּתָא לְהִתְפַּלֵּל, וְאִם כֵּן בֶּטַח לֹא חָזְרָה רֵיקָם, וְזֶה רוֹמֵז "בָּעֵת הַהִוא", הַיְינוּ אַף אַחַר שֶׁנִּשְׁבַּע הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא שֶׁלֹּא יַכְנִיס אוֹתִי לְאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל, אַף עַל פִּי כֵן לֹא מָנַעְתִּי אֶת עַצְמִי מִתְּפִלָּה כְּמוֹ דְּאִיתָא (ברכות י'.) בְּחִזְקִיָּה מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה שֶׁאָמַר לִישַׁעְיָה בֶּן אָמוֹץ כַּלֵּה נְבוּאָתְךָ וָצֵא כָּךְ מְקֻבְּלַנִי מִבֵּית אֲבִי אַבָּא וכו', שֶׁאֵין לְךָ דָּבָר שֶׁעוֹמֵד בִּפְנֵי הָרַחֲמִים וְלָמְדוּ שָׁם הַגְּמָרָא שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיֶה דָּבָר חוֹצֵץ בֵּינוֹ לְבֵין הַקִּיר, הַיְינוּ שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיֶה לְאָדָם שׁוּם מְנִיעָה מִלְּהִתְפַּלֵּל, וְלֹא יִתְרַשֵּׁל אַף שֶׁנִּרְאֶה לוֹ כִּי יָצָא הַגְּזֵרָה מֵה'. כִּי קִיר הוּא מְקוֹר הַחַיִּים וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁיִּדְמֶה לְאָדָם שֶׁאֵין לוֹ יְשׁוּעָה מִמָּקוֹר אַף עַל פִּי כֵן לֹא יִמְנַע אֶת עַצְמוֹ מִן הָרַחֲמִים.
“And I pleaded to God at that time, saying.” (Devarim, 3:23)
Why did Moshe Rabeynu tell these words to Israel? Even though on the surface it seems as if his prayer had no benefit whatsoever, nonetheless, he caused them to understand that his prayer was not in vain. (It is as if he is saying to them,) even in the course of actions in the land of Israel I am your teacher and Rabbi, and likewise he showed them that his prayer was effective. This is why Vaetchanan, Hebrew for “and I pleaded” (the verb for giving mercy, chanan, is intensified into meaning imploring for mercies), because he was made full of entreatment for God’s mercies, and his prayer flowed naturally from his mouth. This is a kind of proof that God sent him the awakening from below to pray. Therefore he surely would not be turned away empty-handed. This is hinted at in “at that time,” for even though God had already promised me that I would not enter the land, still it did not prevent me from praying.
This is as it is written in the Gemara (Berachot, 10a) of Hizkiyah king of Yehuda who said to the prophet Yeshayahu (who had just prophesied that he would die), “Son of Amots! Stop your prophecy and leave, for thus I have received from my father’s house [David, that even in the face of certain death], never to prevent oneself from praying for God’s mercies.” For there is nothing that stands to prevent one from the mercies of God. [And that it said that Hizkiya turned his face to the wall to pray.] The Gemara learns from this there should be nothing separating one from the wall (during prayer),*Note that according to Halacha one may pray with something before him, i.e. a person or a pillar and the like, during prayer. meaning that there should be nothing preventing one from prayer, and not to lose heart even if it seems that the decree has come from God, for “wall” teaches of the source of life.5As in Yirmiya, 4:19 where the same word for wall, Kir, is used for the chambers of the heart, hence source of life. Even though it may seem that there is no salvation from the source, one may not withhold himself himself from God’s mercies.