(32)Redemption and attainment
As we know, redemption and complete understanding are intertwined. This is exhibited by the fact that whoever is attracted to the mysteries of the Torah is also attracted to the land of Israel. We were therefore assured that “the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord” only at the end of days, that is, at the time of redemption.

(33) Attaining full understanding does not mean we have reached the receiving phase but only the giving phase, which enables us to attain complete understanding. It is similar to the matter of redemption; we have attained it in terms of giving alone. It is a fact that the Holy One, blessed be He, extricated our holy land from foreign powers and returned it to us. Still, we have not received the land as our own possession since the time to receive it has not yet arrived. As we explained, it applies to complete understanding in such a way that he has given it yet we have not yet received it for we still lack economic independence, and political independence is impossible without economic independence. Much more than that, redemption for the body is impossible without redemption for the soul. As long as most of the inhabitants of the land of Israel are captivated by the cultures of foreign nations and are not ready for the Jewish religion and Jewish culture, the bodies are in captivity under foreign powers. From that respect, the land of Israel is still in foreign hands.

(34) And the proof is that no one is excited about redemption as he should be during the time of redemption for which we have waited two thousand years. Not only are the members of the diaspora not moved to join us and benefit from the redemption, but many of those who were redeemed and are already dwelling among us, are yearning to rid themselves of this redemption and return to the diaspora. Even though the Holy One, blessed be He, has taken the land of Israel out of foreign authorities and gave it to us, we have not yet received it. Nor do we enjoy any of it.

(35) But with this giving, the Holy One, blessed be He, gave us the chance for redemption, that is, to be purified and sanctified and accept upon us God’s service through engaging in the Torah and the commandments for their own sake. Then will the Temple be built and we will receive the land as our own, and sense and feel the joy of redemption. But as long as we do not reach it, nothing will change and there will be no difference between the customs of the land now and as they used to be under foreign rule in law, economy, and God’s service; and we have but the opportunity for redemption.

(36) We reach the conclusion that our generation is the generation of the Messianic era; we have therefore merited the redemption of our holy land from foreigners. We have also merited the revelation of the book of the Zohar, which is the beginning of the fulfillment of the verses, “for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord” and “and they shall teach no more every man his neighbor… for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them.” Yet we have merited these two only with respect to giving by the Holy One, blessed be He; we have not received anything into our hands, we were merely given the opportunity to begin serving God, to engage in the Torah and the commandments for their own sake. Then shall we merit the great triumph promised to the Messiah’s generation, something that no generation before us has experienced. Then shall we merit the receiving phase of the two: complete understanding and complete redemption.