“And Aharon said: ‘Let not the anger of my lord burn; you know the people, that they are set on evil.’” (Shemot 32:22)
We must understand the meaning of the expression “be-ra” (ברע: “set on evil”). Furthermore, how can Aharon say to Moshe, “you know the people, that they are evil,” when only days earlier HaKadosh Baruj Hu had let them hear His voice and they had the merit of seeing Him face to face?
This can be explained according to what is said in the Zohar (Parashat Ki Tisa 191b, cited in the Yedei Moshe commentary on Parashat Yitro): the Manna did not descend for the Erev Rav (the Mixed Multitude), but only for the Children of Israel; the others had to feed themselves with other things. Because of this, envy toward Israel was awakened in them, and they caused Israel to sin with the Calf.
Similarly, the Siftei Kohen (Parashat Beshalach) wrote that the Erev Rav did not taste the Manna as it descended; rather, according to the coarseness of their material nature, the Manna became denser, and thus they had to grind it, etc. The disciples of the Arizal taught something similar regarding the verse “the people went about and gathered it.”
According to this, we can understand what Aharon said to Moshe: “you know the people.” Here, “people” (am) refers to the Erev Rav. “Set on evil” (be-ra): the letters of Berá (ברע—'set on evil') are the same as those of Erev (ערב—'mixed') and also Raev (רעב—'hungry'). That is to say, Aharon told Moshe: the Erev Rav was hungry for the Manna, and for that reason, they envied Israel and caused them to sin.
(Zera Shimshon, Parashat Tetzaveh, Art. 1)
