Shabbath Shalom

Noah walked with G-d" (Bereshit. 6:1)

The difference between the verses "Noah walked with G-d" (Gen. 6:1) and "G-d before Whom I [Abraham] walked" (Gen. 24:40) is as follows: Noah needed G-d to "hold his hand", so to speak, whereas Abraham was self-propelled and always took the initiative. Noah was afraid to mix with the corrupt society he lived in and isolated himself with only G-d as his companion because he was afraid of contemporary society's possible influence. Abraham was not only confident that he would not succumb to the corrupt society around him, but he tried to lead his fellow-men back to the path of monotheism and a life of good deeds. I have elaborated on this elsewhere. This is the plain meaning of those verses.

(Rabbi Isaiah Horowitz was born in Prague around the year 1565. He served as Rabbi of Cracow and other congregations before he was appointed as the Rabbi of the community of Frankfurt on Main in the year 1610. In 1916, Rabbi Horowitz moved to Prague where he became the Chief Rabbi of the city. He moved to Eretz Yisrael about 1621. He was rabbi in Jerusalem and in Tiberias, where he died in or about 1630. In addition to his magnus opus, Shenei Luchot HaBrit, he also compiled an edition of the prayer-book with a comprehensive commentary. Many of his innovations, including his formulation of the Kol Nidrei prayer, have become part and parcel of the Ashkenazi Siddur. )