“They heard the voice of the Lord God moving about in the garden with the day breeze; the man and his wife hid from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden” (Genesis 3:8). “They heard the voice of the Lord God moving about [mithalekh] in the garden with the day breeze” – Rabbi Ḥalfon said: We have heard that walking about [hilukh] is [an expression] used regarding sound,30Even though “walking about” would seem to be appropriate only for people. as it is stated: “They heard the voice of the Lord God moving about [mithalekh] in the garden,” and that walking about is used regarding fire, as it is stated: “And fire went [vatihalakh] earthward” (Exodus 9:23).
Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: Mehalekh is not written here, but rather, mithalekh, [which connotes] leaping up and ascending. The essence of the Divine Presence had been in the lower world, but when Adam the first man sinned the Divine Presence removed itself up to the first firmament; when Cain sinned, it removed itself up to the second firmament; at the generation of Enosh, to the third; at the generation of the Flood, to the fourth; at the generation of the dispersion, to the fifth; upon [the sins of] the Sodomites, to the sixth; upon [the sins of] the Egyptians in the generation of Abraham, to the seventh.
Corresponding to them there arose seven righteous men, and these were: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Levi, Kehat, Amram, Moses.31Each one the son of the preceding one. Abraham arose and brought it down to the sixth level; Isaac arose and brought it down from the sixth to the fifth; Jacob arose and brought it down from the fifth to the fourth; Levi arose and brought it down from the fourth to the third; Kehat arose and brought it down from the third to the second; Amram arose and brought it down from the second to the first; Moses arose and brought it down from above [in the first firmament] to down below [earth].
Rabbi Yitzḥak said: It is written: “The righteous will inherit the earth [and dwell [veyishkenu] upon it forever…” (Psalms 37:29). And what of the wicked, will they float in the air? It means, rather, that the wicked did not allow the Divine Presence [shekhina] to rest on earth.