(Deut. 3:23:) “I besought the Lord.” This text is related (to I Kings 8:30 // II Chron. 6:21), “And may You harken unto the prayer of Your servant and to his supplication.” See, prayer is designated by many names:11Sifre to Deut. 3:23 (26); Deut. R. 2:1. (1) prayer, (2) beseeching, (3) call, (4) cry, (5) outcry, (6) chant, (7) encounter, (8) falling and (9) amidah.12Standing, which is the name given to The Eighteen Blessings (Shemone ‘Esreh) of the daily liturgy. Why did Moses only pray under the word, "beseeching (rt.: hnn)"? [This is the usage here] where it is stated (in Deut. 3:23), “I besought (rt.: hnn) the Lord.” It is simply that when Moses stood there and said to the Holy One, blessed be He, (in Exod. 33:18), “Please show me Your glory,” he said to Him, “Master of the world, please show me by what principle You run Your world.” It is so stated (in Exod. 33:13), “please show me Your principle.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “Yes, I will show you; (in Exod. 33:19:) ‘I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will call….’” [The Holy One, blessed be] He, said to him, “I have no obligation to [any] creature. Anytime a person does a commandment, I give him [reward] as a favor. Not that I have any obligation to any creature, but I do it as a favor.” Thus it is stated (ibid., cont.), “I will be gracious (rt.: hnn) to whom I will be gracious […].” Moses said to him, “If so, do me a kindness, make a commandment for me and grant [the reward] to me as a favor (rt.: hnn).” Ergo (in Deut. 3:23), “I besought [the Lord].”
דָּבָר אַחֵר, וָאֶתְחַנָּן אֶל ה'. זֶה שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב: וּפָנִיתָ אֶל תְּפִלַּת עַבְדְּךָ וְאֶל תְּחִנָּתוֹ (מל״א ח, כח). הֲרֵי בְּהַרְבֵּה שֵׁמוֹת נִקְרֵאת הַתְּפִלָּה, אֵלּוּ הֵן. תְּפִלָּה, תְּחִנָּה, צְעָקָה, זְעָקָה, שַׁוְעָה, רְנָנָה, פְּגִיעָה, נְפִילָה, עֲמִידָה. וְלָמָּה לֹא נִתְפַּלֵּל מֹשֶׁה בְּאַחַת מֵהֶן אֶלָּא בִּלְשׁוֹן תַּחֲנוּנִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וָאֶתְחַנָּן. אֶלָּא בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁעָמַד מֹשֶׁה וְאָמַר לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, הַרְאֵנִי נָא אֶת כְּבוֹדֶךָ (שמות לג, יח), אָמַר מֹשֶׁה, רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, הוֹדִיעֵנִי נָא בְּאֵי זוֹ מִדָּה אַתָּה נוֹהֵג עוֹלָמְךָ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: הוֹדִיעֵנִי נָא אֶת דְּרָכֶיךָ (שם פסוק יג). אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, הֵן, אֲנִי מַרְאֶה לְךָ, אֲנִי אַעֲבִיר כָּל טוּבִי עַל פָּנֶיךָ וְקָרָאתִי וְגוֹ' (שם פסוק יט). אָמַר לוֹ: אֵינִי חַיָּב לִבְרִיָּה. כָּל מַה שֶּׁיַּעֲשֶׂה אָדָם מִצְוָה, חִנָּם אֲנִי נוֹתֵן לוֹ. לֹא שֶׁאֲנִי חַיָּב לְכָל בְּרִיָּה כְּלוּם, אֶלָּא חִנָּם אֲנִי נוֹתֵן לָהֶם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַחֲנֹתִי אֶת אֲשֶׁר אָחֹן וְרִחַמְתִּי אֶת אֲשֶׁר אֲרַחֵם (שם). אָמַר לוֹ מֹשֶׁה, אִם כֵּן עֲשֵׂה עָלַי מִצְוָה וְתֵן לִי חִנָּם. לְפִיכָךְ כְּתִיב: וָאֶתְחַנָּן.
(Deut. 3:23:) “I besought the Lord.” This text is related (to I Kings 8:30 // II Chron. 6:21), “And may You harken unto the prayer of Your servant and to his supplication.” See, prayer is designated by many names:11Sifre to Deut. 3:23 (26); Deut. R. 2:1. (1) prayer, (2) beseeching, (3) call, (4) cry, (5) outcry, (6) chant, (7) encounter, (8) falling and (9) amidah.12Standing, which is the name given to The Eighteen Blessings (Shemone ‘Esreh) of the daily liturgy. Why did Moses only pray under the word, "beseeching (rt.: hnn)"? [This is the usage here] where it is stated (in Deut. 3:23), “I besought (rt.: hnn) the Lord.” It is simply that when Moses stood there and said to the Holy One, blessed be He, (in Exod. 33:18), “Please show me Your glory,” he said to Him, “Master of the world, please show me by what principle You run Your world.” It is so stated (in Exod. 33:13), “please show me Your principle.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “Yes, I will show you; (in Exod. 33:19:) ‘I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will call….’” [The Holy One, blessed be] He, said to him, “I have no obligation to [any] creature. Anytime a person does a commandment, I give him [reward] as a favor. Not that I have any obligation to any creature, but I do it as a favor.” Thus it is stated (ibid., cont.), “I will be gracious (rt.: hnn) to whom I will be gracious […].” Moses said to him, “If so, do me a kindness, make a commandment for me and grant [the reward] to me as a favor (rt.: hnn).” Ergo (in Deut. 3:23), “I besought [the Lord].”