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.
