ייִדישער מחשבֿה אויף שמות 33:4

What is to be wondered at, however, is why Moses prayed that G-d revoke what He had said, for, apparently, G-d's saying "for I will not go up in your midst" stemmed from His compassion for the Jews and from His concern lest they meet with the destruction attendant upon their evil ways if He were in their midst. And the language of the verse bears this out, for it is not written "for I will not go up in your midst, for you are a stiff-necked people" alone, but there is added "lest I destroy you on the way." This is as if to say: I am saying this not for My sake, but out of compassion for you, from concern of what would befall you otherwise. And this is further borne out by G-d's response to Moses relative to the Jews' distress in this regard ("And the people heard this evil thing, and they mourned" [Exodus 33:4]) — "And the L-rd said to Moses: 'Tell the Children of Israel: "You are a stiff-necked people. If I went up in your midst for just one moment…'" (Ibid 5). That is, do not be aggrieved over this, for in your state this is better for you than if I were to walk in your midst, in which case you would be in mortal danger. After this, how could Moses pray: "If your presence does not go…"? Why should he not fear what the L-rd Himself did? This is analogous to a doctor's telling a patient that normally healthful foods are not good for him because of some defect in his nature, though they are good for healthy people — in which case it would be foolhardy for the patient to respond that he desired them notwithstanding, regardless of the outcome. This is, indeed, a formidable question demanding resolution. And there are many such questions in connection with this parshah.