He wished to know G-d’s true existence - the Ra’avad wrote: “this does not sit well in my mind, because A. Moses indeed witnessed on Mount Sinai, (during the forty days of leading up to his receiving the tablets), things which no prophet has ever seen, and even the angels were jealous of him, (to the point where they wished to push him away, causing him to hold on to the heavenly throne!)and B. if this is what he was requesting, then why did G-d need to mention in his response: “And I shall show favor to whom I wish to show favor etc.”? It therefore appears to me, that being that G-d had previously stated: “I shall no longer travel in your midst!” to which Moses responded: “If your countenance does not accompany us etc.”, to which G-d consented and responded: “This too I shall fulfill”, however regarding the people who angered me - “I shall [only] show favor to whom I choose to show favor” - and not [necessarily] to everyone”. Now in response to the Ra’avad’s first argument: The fact that the angels became jealous of Moses, is because he wished to bring the Torah down to this world, (and he therefore needed to hold on to the heavenly throne, so that he would have the power to respond), and that was the cause of their jealousy - not because he was able to grasp what they could not. And in response to the second argument , which was based on the context of G-d’s response to Moses, it would seem that according to the Rambam, it can be explained that what G-d was telling Moses was that this knowledge which he wishes to grasp, is not within the power of a human being to understand, rather I will grant it to you as a unconditional gift…