ספר בראשית

Genesis ‎12,8. “Bet-El to the west and AI to the east;” it is ‎understood by the Kabbalists that the tzaddik must always ‎remain attached to the ayin, ‎אין‎, i.e. to a negation of that ‎which is primarily physical, ‎יש‎ or known as “reality,” in our ‎parlance. He is able to ignore such “realities” due to his awe for ‎the Creator; the word: ‎והעי‎, is a variation of ‎עי השדה‎, “ruins in the ‎field;” (Micah 1,6). When the tzaddik is attached to this ‎אין‎, ‎he is able to draw down to our physical universe goodwill and ‎blessings from the celestial domain of the universe. Our verse ‎illustrates the concept of how a man of the caliber of Avraham is ‎able to be a source of good for the entire human race.[The ‎author’s approach to our verse is again based (in my opinion) on ‎the implied question of why the Torah would bother to inform us ‎about such apparently irrelevant details about locations, details ‎which we read in public year after year for over 3700 years. ‎Compare author’s commentary on the measurements of Noah’s ‎ark. Ed.] The moral/ethical message of the verse is that in order ‎to enjoy the benefits available in this terrestrial part of the ‎universe, one must first make certain that one maintains close ‎links with the celestial parts of the universe, which is the source ‎of these benefits. What was considered a ruin, ‎עי‎, before the ‎tzaddik had established close ties with the celestial domain, turns ‎into ‎בית אל‎, a “house of G’d on earth,” after he has done so. The ‎Torah confirms this a few verses later after Avraham returns from ‎Egypt, when he is described as very rich in livestock, silver and ‎gold. (Genesis 13,2)‎