What was the gist of Hashem's answer?
Rashi (according to the Ramban): 'I will only erase from the Torah those who sinned - and you did not sin!' 1
Ramban #1 (citing Ibn Ezra): "I will not erase you! I will only erase those who sinned in thought and were not killed by the plague. 2
Ramban #2: 'I will erase the sinner from the Book of Life, but not you, since you did not sin!'
R. Bachye #1: I will erase those who sinned by the Eigel 3 from My Book, 4 but not you who did not sin.
Seforno: With erefence to 32:32:2:4 ? ?Every sin is subject to punishment and every Mitzvah to reward. I do not even remove a perason?s merits from My Book in order to cancel out his sins ? How m uch more so will I not place your merits on Yisrael?s scale to cancel out their sin!?
Oznayim la'Torah: Even if it would be possible to erase Moshe's merits, what was at stake here was not Yisrael's lack of merits but the sin if the Eigel, and it is not possible to transfer the sins of Yisrael on to Moshe's name.
Refer also to 32:32:2:1*/
See Ramban's objection to this explanation.
R. Bachye: He was so angry wit them that He declined to mention them by name.
R. Bachye: As Hashem said earlier ? in Pasuk 10 ? ?Veyichar Api bam Va?achalem!?
