וַיֹּ֤אמֶר מֹשֶׁה֙ אֶל־יְהוָ֔ה לֹא־יוּכַ֣ל הָעָ֔ם לַעֲלֹ֖ת אֶל־הַ֣ר סִינָ֑י כִּֽי־אַתָּ֞ה הַעֵדֹ֤תָה בָּ֙נוּ֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר הַגְבֵּ֥ל אֶת־הָהָ֖ר וְקִדַּשְׁתּֽוֹ׃
האָט משה געזאָגט צו גאָט: דאָס פֿאָלק קען ניט אַרױפֿגײן אױפֿן באַרג סינַי, װאָרום דו האָסט דאָך אונדז אָנגעזאָגט, אַזױ צו זאָגן: גרענעץ אָפּ דעם באַרג, און זאָלסט אים הײליקן.
Kedushat Levi
Moses had lived in an atmosphere so different from that of his people, being attached to G’d, whereas his people were mired in the deepest mud of an apparently hopeless purely physical existence, that while he was consumed with fear and awe of G’d, they were forever consumed with fear and awe of Pharaoh. Moses was forever consumed with the knowledge of the greatness of the Creator, observing how all the phenomena in the universe meticulously obeyed the will of their Creator, that he could not understand how the people would fail to believe the words of the Creator to him that He would redeem them from their misery. The gulf between Moses’ and the people’s relations to G’d is best demonstrated in Exodus 19,21 when G’d told Moses to go down from the Mountain and to warn the people once more not to approach too closely to the edge of the Mountain. He had done so already once, and could not imagine that anyone would require a second warning that their lives would be in danger if they disobeyed. He told G’d (verse 23) that the people could not disobey Him seeing that they had been warned already. Similarly, he could not imagine that having told the people in His name that He would forthwith take them out of Egypt that they would not believe the message. Having been challenged by the people with the words: “may G’d judge who of us is more righteous, we who do not believe the tidings or you who insists that in spite of an initial reverse G’d is true and will keep His word,” (Exodus 5,21) he turned to G’d in frustration at the lack of faith by the Jewish people. [not because he did not believe G’d’s promise. Ed.] Moses could simply not understand that there is a human being who could doubt the word of G’d.
When Moses asked G’d a question which sounded as if he himself had developed doubts about the success of his mission, the real thrust of his words was: “why did You, G’d give the people such a strong evil urge that that they do not believe Your promise?” The Talmud, B’rachot 32, using somewhat different words, uses a similar approach in interpreting Moses’ question. In the above cited question, Moses also added that he, personally, could not stand having to watch his people’s misery for another minute, so that he failed to see why G’d had sent him at a time when the people were clearly not ready to be redeemed seeing that they lacked the necessary merit.
When Moses asked G’d a question which sounded as if he himself had developed doubts about the success of his mission, the real thrust of his words was: “why did You, G’d give the people such a strong evil urge that that they do not believe Your promise?” The Talmud, B’rachot 32, using somewhat different words, uses a similar approach in interpreting Moses’ question. In the above cited question, Moses also added that he, personally, could not stand having to watch his people’s misery for another minute, so that he failed to see why G’d had sent him at a time when the people were clearly not ready to be redeemed seeing that they lacked the necessary merit.