Choices, People, and Holidays

ילך נא א-דוני בקרבנו כי עם קשה עורף הוא, “may my Lord walk in our midst because they are a stiff-necked people.”
Nachmanides in interpreting the word כי as “because,” i.e. according to the unadorned text, explains the psychology underlying Moses’ argument. G’d had warned Moses that if the people were to rebel against the angel’s instructions, he would make short shrift of them and destroy them. An angel would interpret any display of stubborn behaviour as completely negative. When, after the people had regained their grace in the eyes of Hashem, and they would meticulously, i.e. ”stubbornly,” observe all the laws of the Torah, G’d would realize that their stubborn streak had been turned to constructive use. If a relapse would occur, as was possible, G’d knowing that their stubborn streak had also been employed constructively, would look at this as making them deserve another chance, something an angel could not be expected to do. Hence, Moses argued, the very stubborn streak of the people is what made him ask to have G’d in their midst, instead of merely a proxy, an angel. G’d’s relationship to the Jewish people was that they were “His people.” No angel could relate to them as such.
Other commentators view our verse as meaning almost precisely the opposite. Moses, admitting that the people‘s Achilles heel was their stubborn streak, their rebelliousness, argues that because of this inherent weakness they needed the Presence of the attributes of Hashem, Who is kind, patient, makes allowances, etc. Such a combination of attributes within one camp would mitigate the negative impact of the negative aspect of Israel’s stubbornness.
Still other commentators interpret Moses’ reference to the people’s stubbornness as such that it results in their defying even death rather than violating G’d’s Torah. This is why they bend over backwards to keep His commandments, even risking their lives to do so. They treat the laws of the Torah as a burden which they are willing to carry under any circumstances, as they feel that they must do so in order to show that they appreciate G’d’s glory sufficiently. Seeing that this is their general attitude, it behooves G’d to forgive them for their grievous error in the episode of the golden calf.

אעשה נפלאת — The word נפלאת is an expression of the same meaning as ונפלינו (Exodus 33:16; so that the phrase means: I will make a difference) meaning that you shall be different in this respect from all other peoples — in that My Shechinah will not rest upon them.

וראה כל העם הזה אשר אתה בקרבו, however, these miracles which you requested I will perform only for the eyes of this people that you find yourself in provided that they qualify at that time for being עמך, “your people.”

(11) Mark well what I command you this day. I will drive out before you the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. (12) Beware of making a covenant with the inhabitants of the land against which you are advancing, lest they be a snare in your midst. (13) No, you must tear down their altars, smash their pillars, and cut down their sacred posts; (14) for you must not worship any other god, because יהוה, whose name is Impassioned, is an impassioned God.

(18) You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread—eating unleavened bread for seven days, as I have commanded you—at the set time of the month of Abib, for in the month of Abib you went forth from Egypt. (19) Every first issue of the womb is Mine, from all your livestock that drop a male as firstling, whether cattle or sheep. (20) But the firstling of an ass you shall redeem with a sheep; if you do not redeem it, you must break its neck. And you must redeem every male first-born among your children. None shall appear before Me empty-handed. (21) Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall cease from labor; you shall cease from labor even at plowing time and harvest time. (22) You shall observe the Feast of Weeks, of the first fruits of the wheat harvest; and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year. (23) Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Sovereign יהוה, the God of Israel. (24) I will drive out nations from your path and enlarge your territory; no one will covet your land when you go up to appear before your God יהוה three times a year. (25) You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with anything leavened; and the sacrifice of the Feast of Passover shall not be left lying until morning. (26) The choice first fruits of your soil you shall bring to the house of your God יהוה. You shall not boil a kid in its mother’s milk.