How Precious is Each and Every Mitzvah.

ואתחנן אל ה' וכו [דברים ג-כ”ג]"”

“I pleaded with Hashem saying, etc.”

Chazal tell us that משה רבנו exerted much effort in his prayers to be able to enter the holy land of Israel. He davened 515 תפילות – "כמנין ואתחנן". 515 being the numerical value of the word “"ואתחנן.

This is mystifying. Why did Moshe daven so many תפילות, as if he were a desperate human being who had nothing? Didn’t he already reach the highest level that any human being could ever attain? He spoke with Hashem "פנים אל פנים", (Moshe received a direct message from Hashem’s mouth, as it were). "ולא קם בישראל כמשה עוד נביא" (no other prophet like Moshe has arisen in Israel). "ומדבר אליו בכל עת שרוצה", (who spoke to Hashem whenever he desired).

Perhaps we can answer this question with the following Gemora. The Gemara states that Moshe Rabeinu said the following: “There are certain Mitzvos that can be fulfilled only in Eretz Yisrael. I will enter the land, so that I will be able to do all the Mitzvos of Hashem, including the "מצות התליות בארץ", (Mitzvos that can be fulfilled only in Eretz Yisrael).

We see from here Moshe Rabeinu’s drive to attain spiritual growth. There is no limit in attaining spiritual growth. The sky is the limit. We must reach for the stars. Despite the fact that Moshe already had every spiritual greatness that any person could ever dream of attaining, he davened like a desperate human being who had nothing. His goal in life was to perform more and more Mitzvos and experience more and more spirituality in the “never ending waters” of the Torah.

May we be Zoche to apply this drive for more and more spirituality to our very own lives. Amen!
Perhaps we can see an additional insight in this very same Chazal. Moshe wanted so much to enter Eretz Yisrael and to fulfill every Mitzvah of Hashem, including the Mitzvos that can only be fulfilled in Eretz Yisrael.

This is mystifying. Moshe was not in Eretz Yisrael at that time, and therefore was פטור, (exempted) from fulfilling the Mitzvos that must be done in Eretz Yisrael. If so, why was he davening so hard to enter Eretz Yisrael? At the time he was in חוץ לארץ, outside of Israel, he was doing all the Mitzvos that he possibly could do?

It seems that although he was then פטור (exempted), he was trying so hard to enter Eretz Yisrael, in order to become obligated to do all the Mitzvos of Hashem.

May Hashem help us to understand the holiness and preciousness of every single Mitzvah of the Torah. We should not be satisfied with what we already have attained, but we should attempt to “overturn worlds” in order to obtain more and more.
May we also recognize to exert effort and go beyond our obligations, even when we are פטור (exempted) from fulfilling a Mitzva, we should exert every effort to become obligated and have the privilege and זכות to be able to fulfill each and every Mitzvah. Amen VeAmen!