ארץ זבת חלב ודבש, “a land flowing with milk and honey.” Devarim 6,3
The reason this paragraph concludes with the words “a land flowing with milk and honey,” whereas the next paragraph commences with שמע ישראל followed by והיו הדברים האלה, is to remind you that the purpose of your coming to the Holy Land is not to merely dwell there and for you to enjoy yourselves. The purpose that you come there is to enable you to keep G’d’s commandments. The enlarged letter ד in the word אחד alludes to both the goodwill of G’d which is the source of Mercy as well as to the attribute of Justice. The whiteness of the milk in the word חלב in our verse as well as redness of the honey respectively also point at the attribute of Mercy and Justice respectively. This same thought is alluded to also in Deut. 8,8 ארץ חטה ושעורה “a land producing wheat and barley.” In that latter verse wheat is the “white” and the word דבש appears there also to depict the attribute of Justice.
