The Transformation of the Staff into a Serpent and the Serpent into a Staff

הִתְהַפְּכוּת הַמַּטֶּה לְנָחָשׁ וְהַנָּחָשׁ לְמַטֶּה

And after all these matters and this truth (וְאַחַר כָּל הַדְּבָרִים וְהָאֱמֶת הַזֹּאת), I shall come and make possible for you with the help of Heaven (אָבֹא וְאֶפְשָׁר לְךָ בְּס״ד), all the things in which these fools have stumbled (כָּל הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר נִכְשְׁלוּ בָהֶם הַפְּתָאִים הָאֵלֶּה), and I shall establish you upon their truth (וְאַעֲמִידְךָ עַל אֲמִיתָּם), and in them you will behold wondrous wisdom (וּבָהֶם תִּרְאֶה חָכְמָה נִפְלָאָה), which you did not know and had never heard (אֲשֶׁר לֹא יָדַעְתָּ וַאֲשֶׁר לֹא שָׁמַעְתָּ), the work of Hashem-for it is awesome (מַעֲשֵׂה ה׳ כִּי נוֹרָא הוּא), what He does with us (אֲשֶׁר הוּא עוֹשֶׂה עִמָּנוּ), to cause to sprout for us righteousness and praise in front of all the nations (לְהַצְמִיחַ לָנוּ צְדָקָה וּתְהִלָּה נֶגֶד כָּל הַגּוֹיִם):

Behold, the root of all these matters is the matter of the transformation of the staff-from staff to serpent, and from serpent to staff (הִנֵּה שֹׁרֶשׁ כָּל הַדְּבָרִים הוּא עִנְיַן הִתְהַפֵּךְ הַמַּטֶּה מִמַּטֶּה לְנָחָשׁ, וּמִנָּחָשׁ לְמַטֶּה). And this is the matter of (Isaiah 53:9), “And He gave the wicked His grave” (וְהוּא עִנְיָן "וַיִּתֵּן אֶת רְשָׁעִים קִבְרוֹ). And this is the envelopment of the Mashiach in the Klipot (וְהוּא הִתְלַבְּשׁוּת הַמָּשִׁיחַ בַּקְּלִיפּוֹת), for they think that this can apply to a man who has the entitlement of redemption (שֶׁהֵם חוֹשְׁבִים שֶׁזֶּה יוּכַל לִהְיוֹת נוֹפֵל בְּאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר לוֹ מִשְׁפַּט הַגְּאֻלָּה), while he is alive in this world (וְהוּא בְּחַיֵּי חַיּוּתוֹ בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה), that he should commit great transgressions for the sake of a commandment (שֶׁיְּהֵא עוֹבֵר עֲבֵרוֹת גְּדוֹלוֹת לְשֵׁם מִצְוָה).

But this I have already shown you (וְזֶה הֶרְאִיתִיךָ כְּבָר), that it is vanity and a thought of the spirit (שֶׁהוּא הֶבֶל וְרָעְיוֹן רוּחַ), an abomination of Hashem it is (תּוֹעֲבַת ה׳ הוּא), for He is holy and evil shall not sojourn with Him (כִּי קָדוֹשׁ הוּא וְלֹא יָגוּרְךָ רָע). Rather, this matter is said regarding the great souls, the heads of Israel (אֲבָל הָעִנְיָן הַזֶּה נֶאֱמַר עַל הַנְּשָׁמוֹת הַגְּדוֹלוֹת, רָאשֵׁי יִשְׂרָאֵל), as you have heard (כַּאֲשֶׁר שָׁמַעְתָּ), and they are Moshe and the two Mashiachs (וְהֵם מֹשֶׁה וּשְׁנֵי הַמְּשִׁיחִין), regarding whom the parashah “Behold, My servant shall prosper” was stated (שֶׁעֲלֵיהֶם נֶאֱמְרָה פָּרָשַׁת "הִנֵּה יַשְׂכִּיל עַבְדִּי), and understand this well (וְהָבֵן הֵיטֵב):

The Sitra achra has two states (הַסִּטְרָא אָחֳרָא יֵשׁ לָהּ שְׁנֵי זְמַנִּים), one-when it is held in subjugation beneath holiness (הָאֶחָד – כְּשֶׁהִיא עוֹמֶדֶת כְּפוּיָה תַּחַת הַקְּדוּשָּׁה), and the second-when it rules (וְהַשֵּׁנִי – כְּשֶׁהִיא שׁוֹלֶטֶת), and then the Shekhinah conceals Her power and is enclothed in it (שֶׁאָז הַשְּׁכִינָה מַעֲלֶמֶת כֹּחָהּ וּמִתְלַבֶּשֶׁת בָּהּ), and it is strengthened because of this (וְהִיא מִתְחַזֶּקֶת מִפְּנֵי זֶה).

And the secret of the matter is: in the Name Adonai, the two letters Daletp1-13, Nun are the two letters from which the Klipot are rooted (וְסוֹד הָעִנְיָן, כִּי בְּשֵׁם אֲדנָ״י שְׁתֵּי הָאוֹתִיּוֹת ד״נ הֵן שְׁתֵּי הָאוֹתִיּוֹת שֶׁמִּשָּׁם מִשְׁתָּרְשׁוֹת הַקְּלִיפּוֹת הַיּוֹצְאוֹת מִבְּחִינַת הַדִּין). And the Serpent, which is the totality of the Klipah, must be bent under these letters (וְהַנָּחָשׁ שֶׁהוּא כְּלָלוּת הַקְּלִיפָּה צָרִיךְ שֶׁיְּהֵא כָּפוּף תַּחַת אֵלֶּה הָאוֹתִיּוֹת), and then it is said (Bereshit 49:17): “Dan shall be a serpent upon the path” (וְאָז נֶאֱמַר "יְהִי דָן נָחָשׁ עֲלֵי דֶרֶךְ). And matteh (staff) has the same numerical value as DIN (54) (וּמַטֶּה הוּא כְּמִנְיַן ד״ן), and then it is called that the serpent has turned into a staff (וְאָז נִקְרָא שֶׁהַנָּחָשׁ נֶהְפַּךְ לְמַטֶּה). But sometimes the sitra achra overpowers (אַךְ לִפְעָמִים שֶׁהַס״א גּוֹבֶרֶת), and it is not bent as it should be (וְאֵינָהּ עוֹמֶדֶת כְּפוּפָה כְּמוֹ שֶׁהָיָה רָאוּי), and then the aspect of this judgment becomes enclothed and concealed within the serpent (וְאָז צָרִיךְ שֶׁבְּחִינַת הַד״ן זֶה יִהְיֶה הוּא מִתְלַבֵּשׁ וּמִסְתַּתֵּר בְּתוֹךְ הַנָּחָשׁ), and then it is called that the staff has turned into a serpent (וְאָז נִקְרָא שֶׁנֶּהְפַּךְ הַמַּטֶּה לְנָחָשׁ).