Inner Vision Through Tefillah

בענין תפלת מרע"ה בוודאי לא היתה למגן ח"ו ורבותינו ז"ל אמרו כי הועילה מחצה שהראהו כל הארץ

Regarding the tefillah of Moshe Rabbeinu, certainly it was not in vain, chas v'shalom, and Chazal taught that it accomplished half its purpose, in that Hashem showed him the entire Land.

Moshe Rabbeinu's tefillah to enter the Land was not refused outright; Chazal say it was half-answered, since Hashem let him see the whole Land with his eyes.

ויראה כי ידוע שעיקר כוונת מרע"ה הי' להכניס את בנ"י לא"י שלא יהי' עוד גלות כאשר ראינו כל מעשה מרע"ה נשאר

It can be understood, for it is known that the essential intent of Moshe Rabbeinu was to bring Bnei Yisrael into Eretz Yisrael in such a way that there would be no further galus, as we see that every act of Moshe Rabbeinu endured forever.

Moshe Rabbeinu's true goal was to bring Bnei Yisrael into Eretz Yisrael in a permanent way, with no later galus, and whatever Moshe Rabbeinu accomplished lasts forever.

וגם עתה אין לנו שיור רק התורה הזאת שהוריד לנו מרע"ה מן השמים

And even now we are left with nothing other than this Torah, which Moshe Rabbeinu brought down to us from Heaven.

Since his deeds endure, the Torah he brought down from Heaven remains with us permanently, even now when we no longer have the Land.

ואראה הוא ראית השכל והדעת להשיג פנימיות א"י וזה ניתן לו דכתי' הארץ אשר תראה שיהושיע הנחיל לב"י בפועל מה שהשיג מרע"ה בדעת בחי' הפנימיות

The word "v'ereh" ("and I shall see") refers to the vision of the intellect and understanding, to grasp the inner essence of Eretz Yisrael, and this was granted to him, as it is written, "the Land which you shall see" (Devarim 34:4); for Yehoshua brought Bnei Yisrael into actual possession of that which Moshe Rabbeinu had grasped through his understanding, the dimension of the inner essence.

The 'seeing' Moshe Rabbeinu was granted was an intellectual grasp of the inner spiritual essence of Eretz Yisrael; Yehoshua then translated that inner grasp into physical possession of the Land for Bnei Yisrael.

וזה עצמו נשאר באמת לדורות גם בגלות כאשר חכמים הגידו בתפלה יכוון לבו לבית קדשי הקדשים כמ"ש דרך ארצם

And this very thing in truth remained for all generations, even in galus, as the Chachamim taught that during tefillah one should direct his heart toward the Beis Kodshei HaKodashim, as it is written, "the way of their Land" (Melachim I 8:48).

That inner grasp endures for every generation, even in galus, which is why Chazal instruct that during tefillah one should aim his heart toward the Beis Kodshei HaKodashim.

וכן בעיקר התפלות שכנגד תמידין תיקנום והיינו תיקון הפנימיות כי בבהמ"ק שהי' התיקון בעשי' בפועל ממש נתקנו גם חיצוניות

And so too with the essence of the tefillos, which were instituted to correspond to the korbanos temidin; and this is the tikkun of the inner essence, for in the Beis HaMikdash, where the tikkun was effected through actual deed, even the outer dimension was rectified.

The tefillos were set up to parallel the daily korbanos; tefillah rectifies the inner dimension, whereas the Beis HaMikdash, working through actual deeds, rectified even the outer, physical dimension.

ועתה בתפלה נתקן הפנימיות שיכולין לכוון בעין השכל לבית קדשי קדשים כנ"ל וזה פעל מרע"ה בתפלתו ואראה כנ"ל:

And now, through tefillah, the inner essence is rectified, in that one is able to direct his heart with the eye of the intellect toward the Beis Kodshei HaKodashim, as explained above; and this is what Moshe Rabbeinu accomplished through his tefillah, "v'ereh" ("and I shall see"), as explained above.

Today tefillah accomplishes the inner tikkun by letting us aim our hearts toward the Beis Kodshei HaKodashim through the eye of the intellect, which is exactly the inner 'seeing' that Moshe Rabbeinu attained through his tefillah.

Summary: The Sfas Emes addresses Moshe Rabbeinu's tefillah to enter Eretz Yisrael, which Chazal say was half-answered when Hashem showed him the entire Land. He explains that Moshe Rabbeinu's true aim was a permanent entry with no further galus, and since all his deeds endure, the 'seeing' he was granted was an intellectual grasp of the inner essence of the Land. Yehoshua brought Bnei Yisrael into physical possession of what Moshe Rabbeinu had grasped inwardly, yet that inner essence itself endures for all generations, even in galus. This is why Chazal teach that in tefillah one directs his heart toward the Beis Kodshei HaKodashim, since the tefillos correspond to the korbanos and effect a tikkun of the inner dimension. Through tefillah we attain with the eye of the intellect the very inner vision that Moshe Rabbeinu accomplished with his 'v'ereh.'