Golus And Geulah Of Daas

The Me'or Einayim says the golus in Egypt was a golus of daas and he discussed this in great detail.  What does this mean that there was a golus of daas? Moshe tells Pharoh the makkot are וידעו מצרים כי אני ה.  The Degel brings from his grandfather asked why would G-d do such great miracles changing the rules of the world just to teach the Egyptians a lesson?  The Degel answers it refers to the Jews who became like Egyptains, שבאמת קאי על ישראל אותם שהם בחי' מצרים שעושים מעשה מצרים שנטבעו בשקר ר"ל וכל עבודתם שעובדים הש"י הכל היא בשקר והוא שאמר הש"י שכל כך יהיה התפשטות אור השכינה והתגלות אלוהות עד שאפי' הם יכירו וידעו כי אין שום דבר מבלעדו יתב' רק אני ה' ומבלעדי אין אלקים.  We can add to his words that everyone by dint of being surrounded by Egyptian culture for so long has a little Egypt edge to them that had to be convinced through the makkot.  וידעו, there had to be a tikkun of daas.  What is this tikkun?  

The Yalkut Shimoni (Hoshau 519) says בזכות האמונה נגאלו אבותינו ממצרים.  How could Klal Yisroel have emunah if the Rambam (laws of Avodah Zarah 1:3) describes the time of being in Egypt as a period when the Jews served avodah zarah?  Deep down Klal Yisroel never relinquished their hope in redemption.  They retained their emunah.  However, as time passed and the servitude in both ruchni and gashmi whore on and on they were forgot about their emunah and it sat odrmat in their souls.  Externally things appeared as the Rambam describes וְכִמְעַט קָט הָיָה הָעִקָּר שֶׁשָּׁתַל אַבְרָהָם נֶעֱקַר וְחוֹזְרִין בְּנֵי יַעֲקֹב לְטָעוּת הָעוֹלָם וּתְעִיּוֹתָן.  But internally their were embers of hope hidden under layers of soot.  This disconnect between the inner workings of the depth of their souls and their actions was the golus of daas that Klal Yisroel was in.  They internally knew that Hashem ran the world and they would be redeemed but it didn't impact their actions.  There was a lack of daas, of connection between their inner thoughts and their everyday lives.  The maakot helped shock Klal Yisroel into waking up and internalizing that which their souls had been telling them all along.  Maybe that is what Chazal mean (Sanhedrin 97a) אין משיח בא אלא בהיסח הדעת.  Even when there is a lacking of daas, as long as deep inside there is a emunah, that is enough for Moshiach to come.