Commentary for Sanhedrin 221:11

(שמות לד, ח) וימהר משה ויקוד ארצה וישתחו מה ראה משה

still he did not question My character. I said to Jacob, The land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. XXVIII, 13. ');">³⁰</span> yet he sought a place to pitch his tent and did not find one until he purchased it for an hundred kesitah;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. XXXIII, 19. R.V.; 'piece of money'. ');">³¹</span> nevertheless he did not question My character; nor did they say to me, What is Thy name?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The emphasis laid here upon the name of God, the virtue ascribed to the Patriarchs for refraining to ask it, and the reproach that Moses had wished to know it, are due to the fact that God's name was regarded as more than a mere title of distinction. It represented His character, His Attributes, and the relationship in which He stood to His people. Consequently, to refrain from asking after God's name was the equivalent of displaying complete confidence in Him, without examining his character closely to see whether His promises were reliable; whilst to ask it was to betray a lack of confidence. ');">³²</span>

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