The primary purpose of the Egyptian exile was for the Jewish people to elevate the sparks of holiness that were trapped in Egypt. Since Egypt was the economic superpower of that era, the wealth of the whole civilized world was tied to that of Egypt. Thus, when the Jewish people took the wealth of Egypt with them when they later left, they were not only elevating the wealth of Egypt but that of all the nations of the world. This is why Joseph told his father that he was the master of Egypt: He was saying, “Now that I have become ruler over Egypt and gathered the world’s wealth, the Egyptian exile can begin, since the fulfillment of its purpose is now possible.”
Similarly the purpose of our present exile is to elevate the physical world by revealing the G‑dliness inherent in it.1

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