The situation of “hearing from Hashem without seeing” pertained for all the Neviim in the generations that followed.
The first one to begin to reverse this trend was Avraham. In the beginning of Parshas Lech Lecha, Hashem tells Avraham to go to the land of Canaan where He will bestow on him great blessing. After Avraham had arrived at the land, Hashem appears to him and again blesses him, whereupon the pasuk says, “וַיִּבֶן שָׁם מִזְבֵּחַ לַה' הַנִּרְאֶה אֵ לָ יו – he [Avraham] built an altar for Hashem Who appeared to him.”
The Meshech Chochmah explains that the words “Who appeared to him” are not merely a reiterative description of Hashem on that occasion – they are the reason for the building of the mizbeyach! While still in Charan, Avraham only heard Hashem’s word, but having arrived in Canaan, he rose in spiritual level so as to be able to merit Hashem appearing to him – the first such occurrence since before the sin of the Etz Hadaas – and to mark his gratitude he built a mizbeyach “to Hashem Who appeared to him.”
3 This final section is based on Meshech Chochmah to Bereishis 12:7.
4 Bereishis ibid.
