Midrash sur L’Exode 33:13

(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].”

Four men said four things which, had they been uttered by other men, would have been scoffed at with the comment: “How does he know about the ways of the Holy One, blessed be He?” These four were Moses, Nebuchadnezzar, Jethro, and Solomon. Moses said: The Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice (Deut. 32:4), but if any other man had said this, they would have said about him: “How does he know that?” It was proper, however, for Moses to make this statement, since it is written about him: He made known His ways unto Moses (Ps. 103:7). Thus Scripture says: Show me Thy ways (Exod. 33:13).

(Exod. 3:1:) NOW MOSES WAS TENDING <THE FLOCK>. This text is related (to Ps. 103:7): HE MADE HIS WAYS KNOWN TO MOSES….⁴¹Cf. Exod. R. 2:1; M. Pss. 103:10. Why would he make known his ways to Moses? Because Moses knew all the ways of the Holy One, but no one else knew them. It is written (in Exod. 33:13): AND NOW, […,] PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAYS KNOWN TO ME. The Holy One said to him: Do you desire to stand upon my⁴²The Buber text reads “his.” ways? By your life, I will make <them> known to you. (Ps. 103:7): HE MADE HIS WAYS KNOWN TO MOSES.