ומן הגדגדה וגו'. וּבְמוֹסֵרָה עֲשִׂיתֶם אֵבֶל כָּבֵד עַל מִיתָתוֹ שֶׁל אַהֲרֹן שֶׁגָּרְמָה לָכֶם זֹאת, וְנִדְמָה לָכֶם כְּאִלּוּ מֵת שָׁם (תלמוד ירושלמי סוטה א'; מכילתא שמות ט"ו; תנחומא חקת); וְסָמַךְ מֹשֶׁה תּוֹכֵחָה זוֹ לְשִׁבּוּר הַלּוּחוֹת לוֹמַר שֶׁקָּשָׁה מִיתָתָן שֶׁל צַדִּיקִים לִפְנֵי הַקָּבָּ"ה כַּיּוֹם שֶׁנִּשְׁתַּבְּרוּ בוֹ הַלּוּחוֹת, וּלְהוֹדִיעֲךָ שֶׁהֻקְשָׁה לוֹ מַה שֶּׁאָמְרוּ "נִתְּנָה רֹאשׁ" (במדבר י"ד) לִפְרֹשׁ מִמֶּנּוּ – כַּיּוֹם שֶׁעָשׂוּ בוֹ אֶת הָעֵגֶל (ויקרא רבה כ'): ומן הגדגדה וגו׳ AND FROM GUDGODAH [TO JOTBATH etc.] — And at Mosera you made a great mourning on account of the death of Aaron which was the cause of this your retreat, and it seemed to you as though he had died there” (Yerushalmi Sotah 1:10 at end; Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 15:22; cf. Midrash Tanchuma חקת and Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 17; see Rashi on Numbers 21:4). — Moses placed this reproof immediately after the mention of the breaking of the tablets to indicate that the death of the righteous is as grievous before the Holy One, blessed be He, as the day on which the tablets were broken, and to tell you that is was displeasing to Him when they said, (Numbers 14:4) “Let us set up a head (another god; see Rashi on that verse) in order to part from Him, as was the day on which they made the golden calf (Leviticus Rabbah 20:12).