I found Bozhidar Batsov's Prelude to provide a solid "foundational config" for getting started with an editor that is configurable to the max:

https://github.com/bbatsov/prelude

I installed an earlier version of it 3+ years ago and then worked through the standard tutorial a couple of times, invoked with "C-h t" (control-key + h-key, then t-key).

After that, I was off and running with Emacs!

Once some familiarity with Emacs Lisp (elisp) has been acquired, a careful study of the prelude sources and the sources of various packages installed by prelude is a great way to acquire a deeper understanding of how to wire things together inside Emacs.

A decent way to get started learning elisp is to read the introductory text hosted on gnu.org:

An Introduction to Programming in Emacs Lisp

https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/eintr.html

Pro tip: if you haven't done so previously, you may want to remap your caps lock key (via OS settings) to act as an additional control-key – some users find caps lock easier to reach for with their left pinky finger than the left-control-key on many keyboards.

While it doesn't expose you to default key bindings (by default), I've been really digging this project https://github.com/syl20bnr/spacemacs as a gentle and more intuitive introduction into the world of Emacs.

this is the one that finally got me a solid emacs config that I'm happy with. and i haven't even started adding my own configuration layers yet.

finally I am faster on emacs (with vim keybindings) that I am on atom or sublime. that, for me, is the tipping point.