"These are the journeys of the children of Israel" — and the Torah records them in both directions (their departures by their journeys / their journeys by their departures): never forget where you came from — or where you are going.
The key: the 42 journeys correspond to the 42-letter Divine Name hidden in Ana BeKoach (Rabbi Nechunia ben Hakana): seven lines × six words = 42.
Its power: to move from one state to another — weekday→Shabbat, night→day, waking→sleep, and Egypt→the Land. The Ohr HaChaim: the journeys served to extract the sparks of holiness.
Yosef the Tzaddik — the Name shielded him like an "iron dome" (ein me'uma beyado, matzliach beyado — the initials spell 42). When he began to primp, the shield lifted.
The Torah records the journeys in both directions: once "their departures by their journeys" (from where they left and where they traveled), and once "their journeys by their departures." Why? Some say "only my destination matters"; others the reverse. The Torah says: both.
The 42 journeys correspond to the 42-letter Divine Name — hidden in the prayer "Ana BeKoach" of Rabbi Nechunia ben Hakana: seven lines, six words each — 7 × 6 = 42.
There are other holy Names — the four-letter Name, Adnut, Elokim (five), and the 22-letter Name encoded in the Priestly Blessing. Out of reverence for the Name, one does not pronounce them — one contemplates only their initials.
The power of the 42-letter Name is transition — rising from one level to the next. That is why "Ana BeKoach" is said at every point of passage:
From the sin of Adam, sparks of holiness scattered — some fell into the soil of Egypt, others into the desert, the domain of the serpent (Samael). When they left Egypt — "all the hosts of Hashem went out," all the sparks. But sparks remained in the desert.
A place with many sparks — they stayed a year or more; a place with a single spark — they gathered it in twelve hours of travel and moved on. The 42 journeys = the completion of the work.
Moshe struck down the Egyptian by the power of the Name (hinted in the initials of "lekha na'e lehodot") — some say by the 42-letter Name; hence the Hebrew said "do you intend to kill me as you killed" — he knew it was done by a Name.
But when he "began to curl his hair" (standing at the mirror, primping), the Holy One said: "Your father mourns and you primp?!" — and the angel appointed over the Name departed. At that very moment: "his master's wife lifted her eyes" — suddenly she saw him.
When he refused her — "he said to his master's wife... behold, my master knows nothing of what is in the house..." — the gematria of the verse matches the initials of the 42-letter Name (א״ב ית״ץ קר״ע שט״ן...). The moment he spoke those words, the Name returned to him.
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