The Torah portion this Shabbat is one of the greats. Abraham’s origin story—literally. Sarah by his side. A nephew named Lot, a couple of camels, and a faith brave enough to start walking when the map is blank. I love this story; it’s one of my favorites. But this week, for whatever reason, I couldn’t quite feel it.
Then I listened to Rabbi Elie Mischel’s Bible Plus class on Abraham. It isn’t limited to this parsha (it stretches beyond), but it brought the whole story back to life for me—fresh, real, close. I want to share a small slice with you.
This Essay Reflects the Teachings from Rabbi Elie Mischel’s Bible Plus Course on Abraham:
Abraham: The Seeker Who Found God (Part 1)
What if Abraham didn’t begin as a spiritual giant—but as a child who refused to stop asking how the world holds together?
Rabbi Elie Mischel opens with a bold picture drawn from Maimonides: a young Abraham, weaned and wondering, staring at a sky that keeps perfect time and refusing the easy answers of his culture. No teacher. No Torah yet. Just a mind that won’t let go of the question. Decade by decade he pushes past idols and fashionably “spiritual” shortcuts and arrives—alone—at the One.
Two Hebrew ideas reframe Abraham’s greatness:
- Nadiv lev — a generous, moved heart. Not “checking the religious box,” but going all-in. That’s the pilgrim’s heart that walks to Jerusalem; that’s Abraham’s heart that walks away from everything familiar. Faith as motion.
- Eitan — rock-strength. Rabbi Elie (via Rav Soloveitchik) describes Abraham’s inner granite: years of divine silence, public ridicule, and still he teaches, builds altars, and lives a new moral code. Not loud, not flashy—immovable.
Seen this way, Abraham isn’t just “the first Jew”; he’s the prototype seeker. He discovers God through the world itself, then turns outward—“making souls” in Ḥaran—inviting men and women (with Sarah at his side) under the wings of Heaven. Passion plus steadiness. A burning heart with rock-solid legs.
And that gorgeous line from Song of Songs—“How beautiful are your steps in sandals, O prince’s daughter”—suddenly isn’t romance; it’s a map. We are the “prince’s children,” walking after our father’s footsteps. The beauty isn’t in the destination—it’s in the steps. In choosing, again and again, to move toward God.
Why does this matter for this week’s reading? Because when God finally speaks to a 75-year-old Abram and says Lech Lecha—Go, it isn’t random. It crowns decades of unseen seeking. The public calling rides on a lifetime of private courage. That’s the secret Rabbi Elie surfaces: the parsha begins in the middle, but the faith that makes the middle possible was forged long before.
If your own faith has felt a little quiet or distant lately, this first session gives you a handhold: start with a question, take a step, and keep walking—heart moved, spirit steady.
Want to watch the whole course? Rabbi Elie Mischel’s three-part course “Abraham & Sarah” on Bible Plus is thoughtful, text-rooted, and inspiring—perfect for Shabbat-week learning. Bible Plus is our online Bible-study platform with hundreds of hours of content across the entire Tanakh—Torah, Prophets, and Writings—with new courses added every month. Dive in, pick a class, and learn at your own pace.
