Chasidut do Rodzaju 12:9
וַיִּסַּ֣ע אַבְרָ֔ם הָל֥וֹךְ וְנָס֖וֹעַ הַנֶּֽגְבָּה׃ (פ)
I wyruszył Abram, wciąż idąc i koczując, ku południowi.
Kedushat Levi
Genesis 12,9. “Avram journeyed ‘southward’ in stages.” In order to understand the significance of this verse we must remember that the meaning of the word נגב, becomes clear from Joshua 15,19, where Calev is reported as giving his daughter Achsah to whom he had given some land in the southern district of Yehudah, an additional source of irrigation in response to her plea; the negev was known already then as a semi arid region. The expression: מנוגב, taken from the word נגב, means “dried out, lacking in moisture.” In fact, נגב is identical with דרום, an allusion to G’d’s attribute of חסד, loving kindness. When the word נגבה is used in our verse instead of the word דרומה, which in common parlance means the same thing, the reason is that the Torah wished to draw the reader’s attention to the blessing inherent in the word נגב. Water, though generally perceived as a blessing, a necessity, also has a down side, as we are all aware of. When the word נגב is used for “south,” this implies that water flowing there is an unmitigated blessing. The moisture mixed with the natural characteristic of נגב results in a perfect blend of two elements. The Torah reports here that Avraham understood how to blend service of the Lord with being of service to the people among whom he lived. He knew how to “get out of his skin,” and to spread the generous nature of which he was possessed far and wide. In doing so, he served his Creator with his entire personality. [Some of these words are my own. Ed.]
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Kedushat Levi
The second method of serving the Creator, i.e. the motivation being love for the Lord, does so because he feels himself as totally unworthy, possessing no so-called self-respect, but is part of the אין, metaphysical aspects of the universe. We must remember that among the people serving G’d out of love for Him, some may be motivated by the awareness that serving the Lord earns a reward, so that this may consciously or subconsciously affect the purity of his service of the Lord. Anyone who serves the Lord in this fashion belongs to the category of people serving Him out of the יש dimension of the universe. Only he who serves the Lord exclusively by trying to provide the Lord with a sense of satisfaction, pleasure from His creatures, belongs to the category of people serving Him from the dimension of אין a domain totally devoid of anything remotely physical. When the Torah wrote of Avram that ויסע אברם הלוך ונסוע הנגבה, it testifies to the spiritual accomplishment of Avram who had ascended to the level of serving G’d from love, i.e. by totally negating himself as an individual. The term הנגבה is used to describe something dried out, i.e. no longer possessed of physical urges, not even serving the Lord for the promise of a reward.
Another angle from which our verse may be viewed zeroes in on the repetition of the words denoting traveling, journeying, i.e. הלוך ונסוע. Why did the Torah have to write two verbs to describe this journey? The basis of this exegesis is the Zohar III 263, according to which Avraham served G’d out of feelings of love, and that the meaning of the word הנגבה is exchangeable with דרומה, an allusion to חסד, love (as in זכרתי לך חסד נעוריך, “I gratefully remember the love of your youth as a bride” Jeremiah 2,1)
It is known that the Zohar (5 separate occasions) has repeatedly stated that what occurs in our terrestrial world evokes its counterpart in the celestial regions. If this is so, it is clear that by serving the Lord out of love, Avraham evoked a reciprocal sentiment on the part of G’d, Who poured out His love for the creatures on earth. Accordingly, our verse describes the journey described as progressive, i.e. the repetition of הלוך ונסוע, emphasizes how Avraham moved closer and closer in the direction of the ideal חסד, i.e. הנגבה. The first of these two words, הלוך, logically, describes the direction in which Avraham’s spiritual journey took him, whereas the second word ונסוע describes the reciprocal journey made toward him by the Lord.
Another angle from which our verse may be viewed zeroes in on the repetition of the words denoting traveling, journeying, i.e. הלוך ונסוע. Why did the Torah have to write two verbs to describe this journey? The basis of this exegesis is the Zohar III 263, according to which Avraham served G’d out of feelings of love, and that the meaning of the word הנגבה is exchangeable with דרומה, an allusion to חסד, love (as in זכרתי לך חסד נעוריך, “I gratefully remember the love of your youth as a bride” Jeremiah 2,1)
It is known that the Zohar (5 separate occasions) has repeatedly stated that what occurs in our terrestrial world evokes its counterpart in the celestial regions. If this is so, it is clear that by serving the Lord out of love, Avraham evoked a reciprocal sentiment on the part of G’d, Who poured out His love for the creatures on earth. Accordingly, our verse describes the journey described as progressive, i.e. the repetition of הלוך ונסוע, emphasizes how Avraham moved closer and closer in the direction of the ideal חסד, i.e. הנגבה. The first of these two words, הלוך, logically, describes the direction in which Avraham’s spiritual journey took him, whereas the second word ונסוע describes the reciprocal journey made toward him by the Lord.
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