And this is a great principle, with the boundary that is set by his mind - so are the thoughts of man and his desires. Do you not see - a young child does not recognize what is wisdom, and will not have desire for it at all, rather just the opposite, for a child will flee from school, and will not think there is goodness other than the vanities which which he is occupied; and when his knowledge expands and his boundaries expand, he returns to desire things which are more proper, and on this path according to all of his elevations.
So it is generally for humanity - when it was that all were receiving G-dly emanation from the great illumination, they did not find personal satisfaction other than from wisdom, and from that which is truly good; and when it its the case that all are not receiving G-dly emanation, they don't recognize as good other than the vanities of this world. And this is the negativity which was made after the sin of Adam, that removed the G-dly emanation and the illumination from humanity, and they remained sunken still in coarse physical matters.
However when the Holy One blessed is He rectified things for Israel through the giving of the Torah, they damaged themselves with the calf and the rmainder of their transgressions with all their sins, and the world remained in darkness in the apparent ways of nature: