Rav Nissim Gaon explains the Divine's cryptic reply. The Divine was telling Moses that He agreed with Moses' view of the situation and as a result of Moses' prayers, the Divine's power and greatness would continue to become known to the entire world.

The Divine's words, "You have given Me life," seem to credit Moses with the achievement of having the Divine's Omnipotence accepted by all mankind. What did Moses do to deserve this?

Moses did not have the physical ability to accomplish this astounding feat. He merely prayed that The Divine not take action against Jewry and that He simply continue revealing His might as before. Is it correct to say that Moses gave the Divine "life" in the eyes of the world?

Our sages tell us (Bamidbar Rabbah 9:35) that someone who causes his friend to sin is punished as if he himself has sinned. Similarly, someone who prompts another to perform a mitzvah (religious duty, act of kindness) is rewarded for the performance of that mitzvah. In our case, Moses' prayers were a pivotal factor in the Divine's decision to lead His people into Canaan, thereby revealing His supreme might to the world. Therefore Moses is credited with the entire result, and is considered as having given the Divine "life" — i.e., eternal power and omnipotence in the eyes of all mankind — a feat far beyond Moses' actual abilities.

As mortal human beings, we sometimes view ourselves as mere cogs in the vast machinery of the universe. Constrained by both our spiritual shortcomings and our physical limitations, we feel that we cannot effect any meaningful change in the world, in the lives of others, and, at times, even in our own lives. The Talmud opens up an entirely new perspective. Any action we take that even indirectly contributes to the benefit of another individual — even a prayer that merely preserves the status quo — is considered to have directly accomplished that benefit and all the repercussions that result from it.

Who knows which kindness, which prayer, or what act of self-control may be the one that tips the Heavenly scale to the side of merit? Can we predict which small gesture will be the deciding factor that may influence the outcome of world events? Like the operator of a huge nuclear power plant, we can be credited with benefiting millions of people with an action as simple as pressing a button. On the other hand, with an equally simple improper action, we can be held accountable for widespread misery and suffering.