וְעַתָּ֡ה אִם־נָא֩ מָצָ֨אתִי חֵ֜ן בְּעֵינֶ֗יךָ הוֹדִעֵ֤נִי נָא֙ אֶת־דְּרָכֶ֔ךָ וְאֵדָ֣עֲךָ֔ לְמַ֥עַן אֶמְצָא־חֵ֖ן בְּעֵינֶ֑יךָ וּרְאֵ֕ה כִּ֥י עַמְּךָ֖ הַגּ֥וֹי הַזֶּֽה׃
I tak, jeżelim znalazł łaskę w oczach Twoich, to ukażże mi drogi Twoje, abym Cię poznał, abym znalazł łaskę w oczach Twoich; i zważ, że ludem Twoim naród ten!"
Shemot Rabbah
“Moses was herding the flock of his father-in-law Yitro, the priest of Midyan, and he led the flock into the wilderness, and he arrived at the mountain of God, to Ḥorev” (Exodus 3:1).
“Moses was” – that is what is written: “He makes known to Moses His ways, His deeds [alilotav] to the children of Israel” (Psalms 103:7). The attributes and deeds of flesh and blood are distorted, as it is stated: “He pressed false charges against her” (Deuteronomy 22:14). However, the attributes and deeds of the Holy One blessed be He are merciful, as it is stated: “The Lord is compassionate and gracious” (Psalms 103:8). He made known to Moses those attributes at the moment that he [Moses] said to Him: “Please make known to me Your ways” (Exodus 33:13). The Holy One blessed be He said to him: “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious” (Exodus 33:19). That is, “the Lord is compassionate and gracious.”
“He makes known to Moses His ways…” – He made known to Moses the path to the culmination [the redemption], as it is stated: “Moses was herding.1God informed Moses of the path to the culmination of the Egyptian exile when He appeared to him as he was herding the flock.” “…His deeds [alilotav] to the children of Israel” – He performed His deeds in Egypt so that Israel would relate the deeds that the Holy One blessed be He did to Egypt. That is what is written: “So that you relate in the ears of your sons […what I wrought [hitallalti] upon Egypt]” (Exodus 10:2). “Compassionate” – He had compassion on Israel and the plagues did not touch them. “And gracious” – that they found grace in the eyes of Egypt. “Forbearing” (Psalms 103:8) – He was forbearing with them, as He tilts the scales in favor of kindness, and He looked to the good and not to the evil that they were destined to perform.
“Moses was” – that is what is written: “He makes known to Moses His ways, His deeds [alilotav] to the children of Israel” (Psalms 103:7). The attributes and deeds of flesh and blood are distorted, as it is stated: “He pressed false charges against her” (Deuteronomy 22:14). However, the attributes and deeds of the Holy One blessed be He are merciful, as it is stated: “The Lord is compassionate and gracious” (Psalms 103:8). He made known to Moses those attributes at the moment that he [Moses] said to Him: “Please make known to me Your ways” (Exodus 33:13). The Holy One blessed be He said to him: “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious” (Exodus 33:19). That is, “the Lord is compassionate and gracious.”
“He makes known to Moses His ways…” – He made known to Moses the path to the culmination [the redemption], as it is stated: “Moses was herding.1God informed Moses of the path to the culmination of the Egyptian exile when He appeared to him as he was herding the flock.” “…His deeds [alilotav] to the children of Israel” – He performed His deeds in Egypt so that Israel would relate the deeds that the Holy One blessed be He did to Egypt. That is what is written: “So that you relate in the ears of your sons […what I wrought [hitallalti] upon Egypt]” (Exodus 10:2). “Compassionate” – He had compassion on Israel and the plagues did not touch them. “And gracious” – that they found grace in the eyes of Egypt. “Forbearing” (Psalms 103:8) – He was forbearing with them, as He tilts the scales in favor of kindness, and He looked to the good and not to the evil that they were destined to perform.
Midrash Tanchuma
(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].”
Midrash Tanchuma
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).