Mei HaShiloach · Volume I, Deuteronomy, Vaetchanan, Chapter 1
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ואתחנן אל ה' בעת ההוא. הענין שסיפר להם מרע"ה לישראל אלו הדברים, כי אף לפי ראות העין נראה שתפלתו לא הועילה כלום, אעפי"כ הבין להם שלא יחשבו שתפלתו היתה למגן. כי באמת אף בהתנהגות ארץ ישראל גם שם אני הרב שלכם, וכן בכל הדורות, והראה להם כי פעל בתפלתו. וכן משמע מלשון ואתחנן שהוא מלשון התפעל, היינו שנעשה מלא תחנונים והיתה תפלתו שגורה בפיו וזה ראיה כי הש"י שלח לו אתערותא להתפלל, וא"כ בטח לא חזרה ריקם, וזה רומז בעת ההוא, היינו אף אחר שנשבע הקב"ה שלא יכניס אותי לארץ ישראל, אעפ"כ לא מנעתי את עצמי מתפלה כמו דאיתא (ברכות י'.) בחזקיה מלך יהודה שאמר לישעיה בן אמוץ כלה נבואתך וצא כך מקובלני מבית אבי אבא וכו', שאין לך דבר שעומד בפני הרחמים ולמדו שם הגמ' שלא יהיה דבר חוצץ בינו לבין הקיר, היינו שלא יהיה לאדם שום מניעה מלהתפלל, ולא יתרשל אף שנראה לו כי יצא הגזירה מה'. כי קיר הוא מקור החיים ואעפ"י שידמה לאדם שאין לו ישועה ממקור אעפ"כ לא ימנע את עצמו מן הרחמים.
“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.
ואתחנן אל ה' בעת ההוא. הענין שסיפר להם מרע"ה לישראל אלו הדברים, כי אף לפי ראות העין נראה שתפלתו לא הועילה כלום, אעפי"כ הבין להם שלא יחשבו שתפלתו היתה למגן. כי באמת אף בהתנהגות ארץ ישראל גם שם אני הרב שלכם, וכן בכל הדורות, והראה להם כי פעל בתפלתו. וכן משמע מלשון ואתחנן שהוא מלשון התפעל, היינו שנעשה מלא תחנונים והיתה תפלתו שגורה בפיו וזה ראיה כי הש"י שלח לו אתערותא להתפלל, וא"כ בטח לא חזרה ריקם, וזה רומז בעת ההוא, היינו אף אחר שנשבע הקב"ה שלא יכניס אותי לארץ ישראל, אעפ"כ לא מנעתי את עצמי מתפלה כמו דאיתא (ברכות י'.) בחזקיה מלך יהודה שאמר לישעיה בן אמוץ כלה נבואתך וצא כך מקובלני מבית אבי אבא וכו', שאין לך דבר שעומד בפני הרחמים ולמדו שם הגמ' שלא יהיה דבר חוצץ בינו לבין הקיר, היינו שלא יהיה לאדם שום מניעה מלהתפלל, ולא יתרשל אף שנראה לו כי יצא הגזירה מה'. כי קיר הוא מקור החיים ואעפ"י שידמה לאדם שאין לו ישועה ממקור אעפ"כ לא ימנע את עצמו מן הרחמים.
“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.