kelipah/unholiness of Mitzrayim so that the Sparks can reunite with Hashem.
3- These Sparks came through a river—a Divine Light that flows through Atzilus. As this River of Light flows through Atzilus, it is “one” river, i.e., it is completely transparent to Hashem’s Oneness. However, when it reaches the World of Beriah, it “splits” into four “rivers,” i.e., it becomes split and disconnected from its source in Hashem’s Oneness, beginning to feel separate from Hashem. One of the “split rivers” of Divine power is called Pishon, that flows into Mitzrayim and gives it life. The Sparks trapped in Mitzrayim came from this “river” of Divine power.
4- This was the purpose of the miraculous plagues in Mitzrayim, to break through the cover of unholiness, so that these Sparks can become reunited with Hashem’s true Oneness.
5- This is why the introduction to the Ten Plagues was a stick turning into a snake: The idea of stick is an extension/branch from the body of the tree. This represents how Hashem’s Infinite Light branches out and extends downward into all the worlds, giving them life. The idea of this “stick/branch” turning into a “snake” is to show that the forces of unholiness, the “snake,” actually come into existence from the “branch” of Hashem’s Light that flows into it, albeit through a process of concealment. I.e., the “snake” is actually nothing other than this “branch” of Hashem’s Light, that somehow turned into the shape of a “snake” of unholiness.
6- What is the meaning of this “snake” turning back into the “branch” and then swallowing up the other “snakes”? Hashem was showing Pharoh that just as the “snake” gets its life from Holiness, it can turn back into holiness, the unholiness can be nullified and turn back into its source in Holiness, with no unholiness remaining. This was the purpose of the Ten Plagues, to reveal the hidden Sparks of Holiness in Mitzrayim, and turn around the “snake” of unholiness of Mitzrayim into the “branch” of Hashem’s Light, represented by the staff of Ahar.
