Chapter 4
However, even these levels of faith that are permeated with an awareness of Hashem, like “milk and honey,” are still not on the level of “the ‘אָּרֶַׁץַׁ-earth/faith’ will be filled with the knowledge of Hashem,” which we will experience in the Time to Come, when our faith in Hashem as He is “Soveiv Kol Almin-encompasses all worlds” will be experienced in a way that we can actually know and feel it.
Whereas, the levels of faith described as “milk and honey” are still in the category of belief.
Through reciting the Shema with the accompanying contemplations, we can bring our faith in the Truth of Hashem to the point that it develops our emotions, like milk develops a baby, and we have true enjoyment in our faith in Hashem, like we enjoy the sweetness of honey.
However, since we do not fully understand or grasp this belief in Hashem, it does not fully permeate our consciousness and become as tangible to us as our physical existence. We become conscious of our belief and bring it into our hearts and actions, but it still remains beyond our understanding.
When Moshiach comes, there will be a revelation of Hashem that will be so great that we will perceive and grasp the Truth of Hashem (that He encompasses all worlds), the same way that we perceive physicality nowadays.
The idea is as follows: We see that the world is conducted according to the laws of nature, which are derived from Hashem’s Presence, as He is “Memalei Kol Almin-permeates all worlds,” on which level “there is a time for everything.” (Koheles 8:6)
For, at the beginning of history, “the Snake” injected “spiritual filth” into “Chavah” i.e. Kneses Yisrael, the source of the Jewish souls.
But, at the time of the Giving of the Torah, this “spiritual filth” was removed.
But, afterward, by the Sin of the Golden Calf, this "spiritual filth" returned.
However, afterward, in the era of Yehoshua, the nation served Hashem.
But, in the days of the “Judges,” they did not serve Hashem properly.
In the Parshah of Bereishis, the Torah describes the first man and woman, Adam and Chavah. Chavah was tricked by a “snake” to eat from the “Tree of Knowledge,” and she then fed this forbidden fruit to her husband. This brought the possibility of death to all of humankind. This “snake” was an embodiment of the forces of unholiness. In addition to causing her to sin by eating from the “Tree of Knowledge,” he also managed to transmit some of his own unholy nature into Chavah, the mother of all humanity, thereby causing “spiritual filth” to become part of the nature of all of her descendants. However, when the Jewish People received the Torah at Mount Sinai, they were cleansed of this “spiritual filth” derived from the “snake,” and returned to the level of Adam and Chavah before their sin. However, when the Jewish People sinned with the incident of the Golden Calf, this “spiritual filth” became mixed into their nature once again. See Talmud Bavli, Shabbos, 146a, and Or HaChaim on Devarim 33:3.
