Part 2
Now we will understand the idea of the wonders that Hashem showed to the Mitzriyim (Egyptians), as it is written (Shemos 7:5): “And the Mitzriyim will ‘know’ that I am Hashem.”
Meaning: the word “know” which usually connotes “knowing” can also connote “breaking,” as it is written (Shoftim 8:16): “And he (Gideon) ‘broke’ the people of Sukkos with these...”
We see that the word for “knowing” is connected to “breaking”. In our context this means that for the Mitzriyim to “know” that Hashem is their Creator and Source of Life, Hashem had to “break” their external dimension of ego that was preventing that “knowledge” from reaching them.
The idea is, as explained above, that in order to extract the “Spark of Holiness” from the Kelipa (Unholiness) which covers over it, this can only be done by breaking the Kelipa, like the analogy of the nut that cannot be extracted and eaten without breaking its shell.
The idea is: Breaking the Kelipa, reveals the Infinite Light of Hashem to the “Spark”, enabling it to become re-absorbed in Holiness.
This is the idea of: “the horse and its rider were cast into the sea,” (Shemos 15:1), the “rider” represents the Kelipa that is “riding” on the “Spark of Holiness” and blocking it from perceiving its source. This is also the meaning of: “the chariots of Pharoh and his horsemen were cast into the sea.” (ibid. v. 4)
Just like the rider sits on the horse and forces it to go where he wants, so too, the Kelipa “hijacks” the “Sparks of Holiness” and forces them to become their life-force.
The process of “throwing the chariots and horsemen” into the sea means to break off these “hijacking” Kelipos, allowing the “Sparks” to reconnect with their source.
Through breaking these Kelipos, this uncovers the “Sparks” and allows them to become re-absorbed in Hashem’s Infinite Light.
With this we can also answer a famous question on what is written regarding the purpose of the Splitting of the Sea of Reeds (Shemos 14:4): “so that the Mitzriyim will ‘know’ that I am Hashem.”
Seemingly this is not understood: Further on, the verse writes (ibid. v. 28): “not even one of them (the Mitzriyim) remained (alive),” so how can they “know Hashem” if they are all dead?
Rather, the meaning of ‘know’ in this verse is “breaking”, i.e. the Kelipa of the Mitzriyim will be broken since Hashem will reveal Himself.
Through this breaking of the Kelipos at the Splitting of the Sea, this allowed Hashem’s Infinite Light to shine upon the “Sparks”, and it is these “Sparks” who then came to actually know Hashem.
The answer to the question is that even though the Mitzriyim died and didn’t afterwards come to know Hashem, the “Sparks of Holiness” trapped in them did afterwards come to “know Hashem” by reconnecting to their source in His Light.
Similarly, this was the purpose of the Ten Plagues: breaking the Kelipos and extracting from them the “Sparks”.
However, the Jewish People themselves didn’t need “wonders” at all to bring out a belief in Hashem, since they are called (Shabbos 97a) “believers in Hashem, the descendants of the Forefathers who are believers in Hashem,” and as it is written (Shemos 4:31): “And the nation believed in what Moshe told them, and they accepted that Hashem had remembered to redeem them from Mitzrayim.”
The Ten Plagues were only needed in order to extract the “Sparks” that were “swallowed up” in the actual Kelipos, as described above, accomplishing that “Mitzrayim will ‘know’ Hashem,” by breaking their external dimension and allowing their inner dimension to reconnect with Hashem.
With this we will understand the first “wonder” that Hashem showed to Pharoh, Aharaon’s staff transforming into a snake, this being the preface to all to the Ten Plagues:
As explained above, the purpose of the Ten Plagues was to break the Kelipos, which feel themselves as being completely independent of Hashem, as it is written (Yechezkal 29:3): “Pharoh said: I own the Nile river, and I made myself.”
It is only that the spiritual Kelipos call Hashem: “the G-d of all other forces,” as explained above.
The purpose of the “wonders” was to show them that even though they are acutal Kelipah and Sitra Achra (unholiness), nonetheless, they constantly receive their life from Holiness at every moment, and in truth they do not exist independently from Hashem, as they falsely believe, rather their entire existence depends upon Hashem’s Power.
It is only that this Life-Force from Hashem comes to them through many stages of concealment, and through a myriad of levels of powerful concealments on Hashem’s revelation, and these levels of concealment and limitation on Hashem’s revelation are so strong that they result in creating beings that are capable of saying that “I own the Nile river and I made myself,” i.e. they feel totally separate from Hashem.
Therefore, when there is a great revelation of Divine Light that transcends all the “concealments”, the Kelipa becomes utterly nullified. This was the purpose of the “wonders”.
The whole definition of Kelipah is a “shell” concealing the truth of Hashem’s Presence everywhere and in everything. Therefore, by revealing the Truth of Hashem and removing that “concealment”, then automatically the Kelipa will vanish. This is like a shadow whose entire existence is simply the absence of light, when light shines in the place of shadow then it automatically disappears.
(The fact that evil things don’t always instantly vanish upon being confronted with Divine Revelation, is because Hashem actually gives them the ability to exist and fight against holiness. This Hashem does in order that we should have free will to choose to serve Him despite obstacles. However, if Hashem decides to remove that ability, then their evil/unholy dimension would instantly be nullified upon being confronted with the Truth of Hashem, similar to how a dream vanishes upon a person awakening from sleep.)
This was the lesson of the first “wonder” shown, the transformation of the staff into a snake:
The meaning of the word “staff” is related to the word that means “drawing down” or “turning,” similarly, the word “rod” also is related to the word that means “drawing down,” as in the phrase “a shooting star.”
Meaning, the drawing down of the Divine Light throughout the entire Chainlike Spiritual Order of Worlds (Seder Hishtalshelus), from the highest level to the lowest level is represented in the word “staff-drawing down Light.”
And the “snake” represents the spiritual source of the Kelipah of Mitzrayim, as it is written (Yechezkal 29:3): “(Pharoh is like) the great serpent that dwells in the Nile.”
Moshe and Aharon showed him how the “staff” becomes the “snake”, meaning that from the Divine Light of Holiness that is referred to as the “staff-drawing down Light,” this becomes the life and existence of the “snake” which is the spiritual source of the Kelipah.
As it is written (Mishlei 5:5): “Her ‘feet’ go down to a place of death,” and (Tehillim 103:19): “His Kingship has dominion over everything.”
These two verses are referring to the level of Malchus/Kingship. The first verse (from Mishlei) refers to Malchus in the feminine, since Malchus is the “mother” of creation, nurturing all the created beings. The ‘feet’ of Malchus, are a reference to the lowest level of the Light and Life-force coming from Malchus, like the feet are the lowest part of the body. They descend to a “place of death”, meaning the Kelipah which is spiritually dead. Thus, from Malchus there comes spiritual life that ultimately becomes the life of Kelipah as well.
The second verse (from Tehillim) mentions that Hashem’s Kingship has “dominion” over everything. The idea of a dominator is that he rules by force. Hashem is the Creator and King who deserves that all of His creations serve Him willingly. There should be no need to force His rulership over them. Nonetheless, the Kelipah refuses to willingly serve Hashem. It is only regarding the Kelipah that Hashem shows Himself as a “dominator”, since in the realm of Holiness everything accepts His Kingship willingly. Thus, Kelipah receives life from the attribute of “Dominion”, which is an extension of the main attribute of “Kingship.”
However, this comes about through many levels of descent and myriad stages of concealment on the Light, until the “staff/Light” transforms into the “snake/Kelipa”.
Through these many stages of concealment, the flow of Divine Light and Life-force that comes from the “staff/Light” becomes so hidden, until there can come from it “the great serpent that dwells in the Nile,” which is Pharoh who said “I own the Nile and I made myself,” as described above.
Afterwards, they showed him how the “snake/Kelipa” becomes transformed back into the “staff/Light”, and that “the ‘staff’ of Aharon swallowed up their ‘staffs’.”
Meaning, that the snake of Kelipa becomes nullified and absorbed back into the Holiness of the Divine Light, just like it was originally in its ultimate source.
(This is also the idea of the “Elevation of the Sparks” of Tohu, as explained above.)
With this “wonder” they showed to Pharoh and Mitzrayim that they are not truly separate and independent form Hashem, rather, at every moment they receive their life from the Divine Life-force (the “staff/Light”), its just that “Hashem is hiding Himself,” (Yeshaya 45:15) and if Hashem wants, He can transform back the “snake/kelipa” into the “staff/Light”, and the Kelipos will vanish.
Similary, this was the purpose of all of the “wonders” performed, in order that Mitzrayim “so that the Mitzriyim will ‘break/know’ that I am Hashem,” as explained above.
Summary of the Maamar
- What does a stick turning into a snake represent?
- The Jewish People extracted all the Sparks of Holiness that fell from Tohu into the country of Mitzrayim (Egypt). Just like the body covers over the soul, so too the Kelipah/unholiness covers the Sparks of Holiness trapped in it. Before these Sparks fell into unholiness, they were completely united with their Source in holiness. But once they became trapped in unholiness in the physical world, they become “disconnected” from their Source, until they feel as though they are separate from Hashem. The only way to free these Sparks so they can reunite with their Source in Holiness is to break the kelipah/unholiness that covers over the Sparks. This was the purpose of the Ten Plagues, to break the
