“Because you did not have faith in Me” – did he not say a matter more egregious than this, as he said: “Will flocks and cattle be slain for them, and will it suffice for them? If all the fish of the sea will be gathered for them, will it suffice for them” (Numbers 11:22)? There too there is a lack of faith, and it is greater than this one. Why did He not decree against him there?
To what is the matter comparable? It is to a king who had a close friend who would act arrogantly with harsh words when it was between him and the king, and the king did not take offense from him. Sometime later, he acted arrogantly in the presence of the legions. He [the king] decreed that he be put to death.
Here, too, the Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: ‘The first one that you did was between Me and you. Now, in the presence of the multitudes, it is not possible [to tolerate]’ – as it states: “to sanctify Me in the eyes of the children of Israel.”