מדרש אויף שמות 33:9

(Exod. 38:21:) THESE ARE THE RECORDS OF THE TABERNACLE. Whatever Moses did he did through others, as stated (ibid.): <THESE ARE THE RECORDS OF THE TABERNACLE, THE TABERNACLE OF THE TESTIMONY, WHICH WERE DRAWN UP AT MOSES' BIDDING,> THE WORK OF THE LEVITES BY MEANS OF ITHAMAR <BEN AARON >.¹⁴Exod. R. 51:6. He only did <the accounting > after the work on the Tabernacle was finished. He said to them: Come and let me make an accounting before you. All Israel gathered while he sat and made calculations. He forgot one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels, of which he had made hooks for the pillars.¹⁵Tanh., Exod. 11:7. He said to them (in vs. 28): AND OF THE ONE THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-FIVE < SHEKELS > [HE (Ithamar) MADE HOOKS FOR THE PILLARS]. At that time Israel was mollified¹⁶A form of piyyes, which may come from the Gk. aorist, peisai (“to persuade”). over the building of the Tabernacle. And who brought it about for him? <It was> because he < himself> sat down and mollified them. (Exod. 38:21:) THESE ARE THE RECORDS OF THE TABERNACLE. But why did he make an accounting with them when the Holy One trusted him? It is so stated (in Numb. 12:7): NOT SO WITH MY SERVANT MOSES; [HE IS TRUSTED IN ALL MY HOUSE]. Yet Moses said: Come and make an accounting with me. It was simply that Moses had heard Israel speaking behind his back, as stated {in Exod. 33:9): AND IT CAME TO PASS THAT WHEN MOSES WOULD GO [TO THE TENT], THE PILLAR OF CLOUD WOULD DESCEND…, AND THE LORD WOULD SPEAK WITH MOSES.} [(in Exod. 33:8): AND IT CAME TO PASS THAT WHEN MOSES WOULD GO OUT UNTO THE TENT, <ALL THE PEOPLE WOULD RISE>… AND STARE AFTER MOSES.] And what were they saying?¹⁷Cf. yBik. 3:3 (65c); ySheq. 5:3 (49a), which in what follows omit the attributions to named authorities; also Tanh., Exod. 9:27, which reverses the views of R. Isaac and R. Hama. Exod. R. 51:6 reads R. Johanan instead of R. Isaac. R. Isaac says: They were saying in his favor: Blessed is she who bore this man. All his days the Holy One speaks with him; all his days he genuinely belongs to the Holy One. (Exod. 33:8:) <ALL THE PEOPLE WOULD RISE …> AND STARE AFTER MOSES. But R. Hama said: They were saying to his shame: Look at the <fat> neck; look at the <fat> thighs. Moses is eating from what belongs to Jews and drinking from what belongs to Jews, for everything he possesses comes from the Jews. Then an associate of his would reply: Would you not want a person in charge of the work on the Tabernacle to be wealthy? As soon as Moses heard that, he said to them: By your life, after the Tabernacle is finished, I am making an accounting with you. Thus it is stated (in Exod. 38:21:) THESE ARE THE RECORDS OF THE TABERNACLE….

(Exod. 33:8:) AND IT CAME TO PASS THAT WHEN MOSES WOULD GO OUT {TO} [UNTO] THE TENT, they would stand at the sides and honor him by saying: Blessed is the woman who gave birth to Moses.⁶⁴Cf. Luke 11:27. What would he see in it?⁶⁵Exod. R.45:4. (Exod. 33:9:) AND IT CAME TO PASS THAT WHEN MOSES WOULD GO [TO THE TENT], THE PILLAR OF CLOUD WOULD DESCEND. They knew that the Divine Presence was being revealed to Moses. (Exod. 33:10): ALL THE PEOPLE WOULD RISE <AND BOW DOWN, EACH AT THE ENTRANCE OF HIS TENT>. The Holy One said to him: Moses, return unto the camp. He said to him. I am not going back. The Holy One said to him: Be aware that Joshua is in the Tabernacle. To what is the matter comparable? To a matron,⁶⁶Lat.: matrona. who became angry with the king and left the palace.⁶⁷Lat: (palatium). Now she had been raising a certain orphan girl in the palace. The king sent after the matron and said to her: Return unto the palace; but she did not want to return. The Holy one said to her: I am telling you to return, but you are unwilling. Be aware that the orphan girl is being installed in the palace. So (in Exod. 33:11): THE LORD WOULD SPEAK UNTO MOSES FACE TO FACE <AS ONE SPEAKS UNTO HIS FRIEND>. What did he speak? Return unto the camp. But he did not wish to return. The Holy One said: I am telling you to return, but you do not wish <to do so>. By your life, Joshua is in the Tent of meeting.⁶⁸According to Exod. 33:11, HIS ATTENDANT, JOSHUA BIN NUN, A YOUTH, WOULD NOT MOVE OUT OF THE TENT. Moses said to him: Sovereign of the World, was it not for your sake that I was angry with them? (Exod. 33:12:) SEE, YOU SAY UNTO ME: <BRING THIS PEOPLE UP>. See, you cannot forsake them.⁶⁹By using the words of Exod. 33:12, in which the Holy One tells him to BRING THIS PEOPLE UP, Moses reminds him that any plan to forsake them is contradictory. See Exod. R. 45:4. The Holy One said to him: I have already told you (in Exod. 23:20): AND I AM SENDING⁷⁰The wording here is somewhat different from the Masoretic Text, but the translation would be the same. AN ANGEL BEFORE YOU. Moses said to him: Are you delivering me to an angel? (Exod. 33:15:) UNLESS YOUR PRESENCE GOES ALONG, DO NOT MAKE US GO UP FROM HERE. (Exod. 33:13:) AND NOW, IF I HAVE TRULY FOUND FAVOR IN YOUR EYES, < PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAYS KNOWN TO ME>….

“It would be that when Moses would go out to the tent, each man would rise and each would stand at his tent's entrance; they would gaze after Moses, until he went into the tent” (Exodus 33:8).
“It would be that when Moses would go out to the tent, all the people would rise.” They would stand on each side and show him honor, as it is stated: “Each would stand at his tent's entrance and they would gaze after Moses” (Exodus 33:8). What would they say? Rabbi Yitzḥak said: Happy is the one who bore him with what she sees in him.
“It would be that when Moses would enter into the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and would stand at the entrance of the tent and He would speak with Moses” (Exodus 33:9).
“The entire people would see the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent and the entire people would rise and would prostrate themselves, each man at the entrance of his tent” (Exodus 33:10).
“It would be that when Moses would enter into the tent.” When Israel would see the pillar of cloud they would know that the Divine Presence was revealed to Moses. “And the entire people would rise and would prostrate themselves, each man at the entrance of his tent.” The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Return to the camp.’ He said to Him: ‘I will not return.’ He said to him: ‘If you do not return, there is Joshua, know that he is in the tent.’ This is analogous to a noblewoman¹¹A wife of the king. who became angry at the king’s daughter and she left the palace. There was an orphan girl who was raised with her in the king’s palace. He said to her:¹²The king said to his wife. ‘Return to your place.’ She did not want to do so. He said to her: ‘Know that that orphan girl is in the palace.’¹³I will take her as my wife in your place. So too, the Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: ‘Return to the camp; if not, Joshua is in the tent.’¹⁴I will appoint him leader in your place. Who caused Moses to return to the camp? It was “his servant Joshua bin Nun” (Exodus 33:11). Moses said: ‘Master of the universe, it was for the sake of Your honor that I became angry at them. “See, You say to me,” see that You cannot forsake them. “But You have not informed me whom You will send with me.”’¹⁵Moses was saying to God: If You are telling me to return, You must also return to the people. The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘I already said to you: “I will send an angel before you”’ (Exodus 33:2). He said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, are You handing me off to an angel? “If Your presence does not go, do not take us up from here”’ (Exodus 33:15).