And the Egyptians shall know that I am the L-RD, when I stretch out My hand over Egypt and bring out the Israelites from their midst.”
(3) Speak these words: Thus said the Lord G-D: I am going to deal with you, O Pharaoh king of Egypt, Mighty monster, sprawling in your channels, Who said, My Nile is my own; I made it for myself.
(2) The L-RD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” And he replied, “A rod.” (3) He said, “Cast it on the ground.” He cast it on the ground and it became a snake; and Moses recoiled from it. (4) Then the L-RD said to Moses, “Put out your hand and grasp it by the tail”—he put out his hand and seized it, and it became a rod in his hand—
(ב) ר' לוי אומר, אותו המטה שנברא בין השמשות נמסר לאדם הראשון מגן עדן, ואדם מסרו לחנוך, וחנוך מסרו לנח, ונח לשם, ושם מסרו לאברהם, ואברהם ליצחק, ויצחק ליעקב, ויעקב הוריד אותו למצרים, ומסרו ליוסף בנו. כשמת יוסף ושללו ביתו, נתנה בפלטרין של פרעה, והיה יתרו אחד מחרטומי מצרים, וראה את המטה ואת האותות אשר עליו, וחמד אותו בלבו, ולקחו והביאו ונטעו בתוך הגן של ביתו, ולא היה אדם יכול לקרב אליו עוד.
(ג) כשבא משה לתוך ביתו, נכנס לגן ביתו של יתרו וראה את המטה וקרא את האותות אשר עליו ושלף ידו ולקחו וראה יתרו למשה ואמר זה עתיד לגאול את ישראל ממצרים לפיכך נתן לו את צפורה בתו לאשה, שנ' ויואל משה לשבת את האיש.
(2) Rabbi Levi said: That rod which was created in the twilight was delivered to the first man out of the garden of Eden. Adam delivered it to Enoch, and Enoch delivered it to Noah, and Noah [handed it on] to Shem. Shem passed it on to Abraham, Abraham [transmitted it] to Isaac, and Isaac [gave it over] to Jacob, and Jacob brought it down into Egypt and passed it on to his son Joseph, and when Joseph died and they pillaged his household goods, it was placed in the palace of Pharaoh. And Jethro was one of the magicians of Egypt, and he saw the rod and the letters which were upon it, and he desired in his heart (to have it), and he took it and brought it, and planted it in the midst of the garden of his house. No one was able to approach it any more.
(3) When Moses came to his house he went into the garden of Jethro's house, and saw the rod and read the letters which were upon it, and he put forth his hand and took it. Jethro watched || Moses, and said: This one in the future will redeem Israel from Egypt. Therefore he gave him Zipporah his daughter to wife, as it is said, "And Moses was content to dwell with the man; and he gave Moses Zipporah, his daughter" (Ex. ii. 21).
(ג) לֵךְ וְהִפָּרַע מִמֶּנּוּ, אָמַר לוֹ הֵיאַךְ אָבִיא עָלָיו עֶשֶׂר מַכּוֹת, אָמַר לוֹ (שמות ד, יז): וְאֶת הַמַּטֶּה הַזֶּה תִּקַּח בְּיָדֶךָ. אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוּדָה הַמַּטֶּה מִשְׁקַל אַרְבָּעִים סְאָה הָיָה וְשֶׁל סְנַפְּרִינוּן הָיָה, וְעֶשֶׂר מַכּוֹת חֲקוּקוֹת עָלָיו נוֹטָרִיקוֹן, דצ"ך, עד"ש, באח"ב.
Anything, however, that does not surrender itself to G‑d, but [considers itself as if it] is a thing separate unto itself, does not receive its life from the holiness of G‑d —
But where else would it receive its vitality? G‑dliness and holiness is the source of vitality for every existing being, as it is written, “You give life to them all” .
[The Alter Rebbe goes on to qualify his previous remark, stating that those beings who do not surrender themselves to G‑d receive their vitality only from a superficial, external level of G‑dliness; and from this level, too, only when it descends degree by degree through numerous “contractions” of the life-force. To return to the Alter Rebbe’s words:] The self-styled separate being does not receive its vitality from the pnimiyut,the inner aspect of holiness, from its every essence and core, but from its achorayim, its “hind-part”, so to speak.This limited form of life-force reaches the kelipot by descending degree by degree through myriads of levels, in the chain-like descent of the worlds, in the manner of cause and effect.
The vitality descends also through many tzimtzumim, or contractions — and this process diminishes the vitality to the point where it is incomparably lower than in its original state.
So greatly diminished does the light and life-force become, diminution after diminution, until it is able to become contracted and clothed in a manner of exile, meaning that instead of being surrendered to the Divine life-force, the object in which the vitality is clothed masters it; as, for example, a captive in exile is mastered by his own captor
The vitality is thus in a state of exile within that object which is (i.e., which considers itself) separate from holiness, giving it vitality and existence, causing that object to pass from non-existence to existence, so that is does not return to its original state of non-existence, as it was before it was created by the vitality clothed in it.
In brief: All that is not surrendered to G‑d, but considers itself separate from Him, receives its vitality from the achorayim of G‑dliness by way of numerous descents and various contraction. The Divine life-force is concealed within it in a state of exile; thus it belongs to the realm of kelipah. It is now clear why any thought, word or action not directed toward [serving] G‑d — hence, not surrendered to G‑dliness — is a garment of the animal soul that derives from kelipah,even if that thought, word or deed is not actually evil.
Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch on Exodus 11:5
This was the moment announced right at the beginning in Exodus 4:22-3, (“Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD: Israel is My first-born son. I have said to you, “Let My son go, that he may worship Me,” yet you refuse to let him go. Now I will slay your first-born son.’”), not out of hatred of your son, but to effect the salvation of My son. In the death of your son, you will learn to estimate My feelings at the mishandling of My son.