My Lord, Hashem/God, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your strong hand; for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do according to Your works and according to Your mighty acts?
English: R’ Simlai expounded: A person should always arrange the praise of the Omnipresent and afterward pray. From where? From Moshe, as it is written “And I pleaded… You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness…” and afterward it is written “Let me cross over, please.”
On the daf / in context: The sugya establishes the order of the Amidah (first the three berachos of praise — Avos, Gevuros, Kedushah — then the petitionary berachos). Moshe’s prayer supplies the prototype: he first recited Hashem’s greatness and only then asked to enter the Land. Anshei Knesses HaGedolah fixed the same order in the statutory prayer.
Type of Learning
Sequence from the order of the biblical phrases — praise of the Omnipresent before petition.
What Is Learned
Before presenting one’s request one first acknowledges and praises the greatness of Hashem; this is the model both for personal tefillah and for the structure of the Amidah.