Firstly, we need to understand that the fear of G-d under discussion, does not refer To the natural fear of sin, but to the awesomeness of Hash-m, as the Maharsha and others explain.

To begin with, why is there a problem? As the Gemara points out, Yir'as

Hash-m cannot be so easy, because otherwise what would it be doing in Hash-m's Treasury?

It was easy for Moshe, due, as the Eitz Yosef points out, to his phenomenal humility (since humility and Yir'as Hash-m go hand in hand). So Moshe expressed himself from a personal point of view, not realizing thatYisrael were not quite on the same level as himself, and that for them, Yir'as Shamayim was therefore not easy at all.

The Anaf Yosef goes one step further, and offers two explanations for the source of Moshe's miscalculation of the level of K'lal Yisrael's Yir'as Shamayim.Quoting the Seifer Tal Oros, he explains that Moshe found Yir'as Shamayim easy because Hash-m's greatness that He had witnessed on numerous occasions was constantly before his eyes.And so he assumed that Yisrael were on the same level, since they too, had witnessed the many miracles that

Hash-m performed.

And in the name of the Or ka'Salmah he attributes Moshe error to the fact that they were afraid of him (due to the rays of light that emanated from his face). And he figured that if they were awestricken in his presence (a simple human being), how much more so in the presence of Hakadosh-Baruch-Hu.

The Gemara testifies however, that he erred on both scores. The fact is that, unlike Moshe Rabeinu, K'lal Yisrael have to work hard to attain Yir'as Shamayim. And that explains why, whenthey do, Hash-m places their effortsin His Treasury,

be'Virchas Kol Tuv.

Eliezer Chrysler.